Spirits to defend premier title Sturgeon Composite High School’s senior boys’ rugby team is set to defend its metro Edmonton premier championship title this week after crushing its competition in the semifinal match.
Spirits to defend premier title
Sturgeon Composite High School’s senior boys’ rugby team is set to defend its metro Edmonton premier championship title this week after crushing its competition in the semifinal match.
The Spirits defeated Bev Facey 31-17 Wednesday, earning them a spot in the premier conference final.
“We had a good start and the game kind of went back and forth for a little while,” said coach Karl Razzolini. “They stuck around for a while, Bev Facey, like they played well, but in the fourth quarter, we were able to score a couple more tries and that was it.”
The team played through a constant downpour and used its speed to capitalize on Bev Facey’s slip-ups late in the game.
Speed was the Spirits’ biggest advantage over their opponents, who towered over them.
“We don’t have a lot of size – we have a small front pack – but they’re quick,” Razzolini said. “If we use our speed, we’ll be fine.”
The Spirits are set to take on Beaumont Composite High School in the premier conference championship match Tuesday at Norwester field.
Skyhawks move on
The Skyhawks’ senior boys’ rugby squad remains undefeated after beating Leduc Composite High School 22-6 in the city conference semifinals Wednesday.
“It was a pretty tight game,” said Angus MacDonald, coach. “Going into the fourth quarter, it was 12-6, so it was still rather tight.”
The St. Albert Catholic High School team was able to widen the gap after stealing possession in a ruck and running it for a try.
“From there, it was all St. Albert closing the game out,” he said.
The victory was sweet, as the two teams have a history following the Skyhawks’ season opening 64-7 win. Towards the end of the game, the team suffered a hit, prompting a scuffle to ensue.
“They were excited to get another chance to play these guys because they were a little chippy and I think on the same side, Leduc was looking to get back at us for running up the score,” MacDonald said.
The Skyhawks take on Archbishop Jordan Catholic High School in the final match Tuesday at Norwester field.
Sturgeon girls to play for keeps
The Sturgeon Spirits advanced to the women’s premier final in high school rugby literally without running so much as a single play.
The Sprits won by default after O’Leary was unable to field enough players to compete in Thursday’s semifinal.
The Sprits will take on Bev Facey in Wednesday’s final at Ellerslie after Facey trounced the Paul Kane Blues 48-0 Thursday in the other premier semifinal.
While the margin of defeat was significantly improved from the last time Paul Kane and Facey met, in which Facey won 80-0, the Blues were unable to find the try area despite a few promising runs.
This year’s Blues’ team featured 20 rookies and only nine returning players.
Bulldog girls final-bound
Near-constant rain last week didn’t stop the Bulldogs senior girls’ rugby squad from fighting for the first-place finish.
Bellerose Composite High School overcame a 7-0 first-quarter deficit and rolled to defeat Edmonton’s St. Francis Xavier High School 25-7 in the metro Edmonton city conference semifinal Tuesday.
“It went really well. It was a forward game in wet conditions,” said coach Jason Dabbagh. “Our forwards won a lot of our scrums and line ups.”
The team was down 7-0 in the first quarter, but managed to turn the tables and retain possession to shut out its competition for the remainder of the game.
The final match puts the team head-to-head against Beaumont Composite High School — a team it has never played.
“Our girls have really improved throughout the year and I’ve got a lot of confidence in them,” Dabbagh said. “I think it will be a great match.”
The city conference championships are Wednesday at Ellerslie field in Edmonton.
