By Brendan McConnell
As driving rain and wind pelted the ground of Twin Elm Rugby Park on June 7, the Ashbury Colts boys’ rugby team battled for a victory and to do something the team had never done – win a medal at OFSAA.
After falling to Moira High School of Belleville 10-0 in the semi-finals following two victories to open the tournament, Ashbury came out on top 15-5 in the bronze medal game against F.E. Madill Secondary School.
“I think the boys realized they accomplished something very special,” says Ashbury co-coach Ian Middleton. “But at the same time I think the boys realized they were also close to going a bit further.”
The Colts’ goal going into the tournament, Middleton notes, was to make a top four appearance.
“I know a lot of our students when they go on to play at university and they meet kids from various other schools they start to realize what some of these accomplishments mean,” highlights the coach of the team that was ranked sixth heading into the event.
With schools from across Ontario in the ‘A/AA’ and “AAA/AAAA’ categories, Twin Elm Rugby Park hosted a total of 32 teams over a three-day span between June 5 and 7. The participating players also packed the stands for a Canada vs. Fiji Pacific Nations Cup match on the Wednesday evening at Twin Elm, which the home side won 20-18.
Of the 32 OFSAA teams, four Ottawa teams were present, including Glebe, St. Peter, Hillcrest, and, of course, Ashbury College.
A third-place finish, therefore, is quite the accomplishment for the team that has a number of Grade 12 students looking to soon launch their university rugby careers, Middleton adds.
“You’re only as good as your last game,” he says. “But you’ll have these memories for the rest of your life, so I told them to make sure to leave nothing on the field.”
The bronze comes at the conclusion of a whirlwind season that saw the Colts travel to the Cayman Islands for a pre-season tour and continue to build momentum through the national capital regular season and playoffs.
“I’d say it was over the past two weeks that the boys really peaked and realized they could play with anybody in the province,” Middleton adds. “They played spectacular rugby.”
Ottawa’s three other entries to this year’s OFSAA tournament all fell in their first games to exit to the consolation side of the draw, with St. Peter making it the furthest of the bunch thanks to a win followed by a loss.
The St. Peter girls’ team took it a step further in their ‘AAA/AAAA’ championships in Waterloo. After claiming their long-awaited first national capital championship victory over Ashbury, St. Peter stumbled in their first game at OFSAA but then went on to win four matches in a row to claim the consolation title.
Barrie Central were the boys’ ‘A/AA’ champions, while Brantford won the ‘AAA/AAAA’ prize.