By Daniel Prinn
Without many of the weapons in their lineup that won provincial silver last year, a young St. Peter Knights side persevered to win a bronze medal at home during the May 30-June 1 OFSAA ‘A/AA’ & ‘AAA’ Girls’ Rugby Championships at Twin Elm Rugby Park in Richmond.
“We had a large number of junior players on the roster this year,” notes Knights coach Pat Thompson. “We had eight junior players who started every game. To win a bronze at OFSAA with seven Grade 9s on the field is unheard of. The team really stepped up when needed and the senior players led by example.”
Star player Rachel McCallan, injured while playing for Team Canada, missed her entire senior high school season, but others managed to step up in her place.
Katie Rea scored both her team’s tries in the 10-7 game that sent the Knights to the medal round, plus two others during three other matches.
“Katie Rea was a standout player for us this year,” underlines Thompson. “We put a lot of responsibility on her shoulders and she handled the pressure very well.”
Undefeated city champions, St. Peter began the tournament with a 31-10 victory over Chatham’s Ursuline College Lancers, then overcame a deficit to Lindsay’s I.E. Weldon Wildcats with Rea’s pair of tries in the last 10 minutes, fell to Oakville Trafalgar 24-12 in the semi-final, and then battled back from a 19-14 to deficit with a tying try followed by the winning points just before the final whistle in their 26-19 bronze medal triumph over Brampton’s St. Roch Ravens.
“I think that coming from behind to win our last three games is a testament to the team’s character,” signals Thompson, who will serve as the new head coach for the Carleton University Ravens women’s rugby team this fall. “All season we talked about how each game is a constant fight and we are never out of it until the final whistle. We talked a lot about being confident in each other and sticking to the game plan. Our result at OFSAA is a reflection of their mindset.”
Three other local teams competed in the event that also served as a farewell for tournament convenor and national capital sports association coordinator Rick Mellor, who retired at the end of the school year.
In the ‘AAA’ competition, the Glebe Gryphons downed Toronto’s Sir Oliver Mowat Mustangs in penalty kicks following a 12-12 opening game tie, and then narrowly missed a comeback against #2 seed Uxbridge Tigers to fall 10-8 and exit to the consolation bracket.
The Merivale Marauders and the Ashbury Colts were winless in the ‘A/AA’ event for schools with smaller student populations.
At the June 2-4 OFSAA ‘A/AA’ Boys’ Rugby Championships in Cobourg, the Ashbury Colts came away with a bronze medal, scoring 45-0 and 12-5 victories over F.E. Madill and Barrie Central, followed by a 12-7 semi-final loss to Trenton and a 17-12 bronze win over Streetsville.