Two RBSS students nominated for Sport BC award
A pair of Robert Bateman secondary students have been nominated for a significant honour at the annual Sport BC Athlete of the Year Awards.
Wrestler Rupinder Johal and football player Logan Thiessen received nominations for high school female and high school male Athlete of the Year awards respectively for their outstanding 2022 athletic years.
Johal started off 2022 with gold in her division at the B.C. School Sports Provincial Wrestling Championships in Vancouver in February.
She then went on to represent Canada at multiple international championships, including the 2022 U17 World Championships and U17 Pan Am Championships, where she recently won gold in the 73-kilogram division and won the Women‘s Outstanding Wrestler Award.
Johal, who also earned gold at the U17 Canadian trials and silver at the U20 Canadian trials in 2022, is an honour roll student and went undefeated in B.C. high school competition during the 2021-22 season. She did not surrender a single point during her high school season.
She went on to win two gold medals – one as part of Team BC and one in her women’s 79 kg division – at the Canada Summer Games in August. Prior to her wins she was named the flag bearer for BC at the event.
Thiessen was a key part of the Bateman Timberwolves AA provincial champion football team and was named the most valuable lineman at the AA final on Dec. 3.
Thiessen and the Timberwolves recorded a perfect season in B.C. high school football action, winning all seven regular season, three playoff and three exhibition games in 2022. He was also named an AA provincial all-star.
Outside of Bateman, Thiessen suited up for Team Dunigan in the second edition of the Canada Football Chat Prospect Game and was named a lineman MVP for his team.
Thiessen has received considerable interest from university football programs and it’s believed he will sign with a school in the coming months.