Local Community Advertising
Making a 10th appearance in the past 11 years at the B.C. Secondary Schools Rugby Union championships, the Kelowna Owls will face a familiar foe in their first match today in Abbotsford.
The Owls, undefeated in Okanagan Valley league play, including a 35-7 victory over the Okanagan Mission Huskies in the championship game, take on the South Delta Sun Devils, a team they lost to (17-7) in a Stadium Series confrontation earlier this spring.
Photo Gallery (185 photos) on KelownaNowSports Facebook page
Seeded No. 5 the Tier 1 division, the Owls will be looking to avenge the loss to the No. 4-ranked Sun Devils when they take to the Abby pitch beginning at 4 p.m.
Kelowna Secondary School coach, Dave Marfleet, says the Owls are anxious for a rematch.
“We go in pretty healthy and the boys are very excited,” assures Marfleet. “This is a tight and dedicated group of athletes. To be successful we need to continue to play for each other and play KSS rugby.”
The future looks bright for the relatively young and inexperienced senior team as the junior Owls also had a stellar spring season that ended on Saturday in the first round of the provincial junior championship tournament.
Winners of the Okanagan Valley title last week with a 35-14 victory over the Mt. Boucherie Bears, the Owls earned a berth in the provincial playoffs with the St. George’s Saints of Vancouver, but fell 43-12 to the visitors.
Despite the score, head coach Leana Marton said the Owls held their own against a “very skilled, fit and polished side.”
They were a better team on the day, but we are starting to claw away at these more experienced sides from the Lower Mainland,” added Marton.
Max Therrien and James van der Ross scored the tries for KSS.
Meanwhile, the Mt. Boucherie juniors finished the season with a 5-2 record that included an upset win over the South Kamloops Titans in a Valley semifinal played in Kamloops.
Down by two tries after 10 minutes, the Bears, playing without any substitutes, rallied to tie the game before the half. They clinched the win when their captain, Cruz Fisher, kicked a grubber 30 yards into the endzone for teammate Gerardo Torres to pick up for the deciding points.
In the final against KSS, the Bears again found themselves behind early but came back to take the lead by the half. Down to 13 players with about 15 minutes remaining in the match, Boucherie gave up the lead for good despite a valiant team effort, led by the outstanding play of Cruz, eighth-man Dayton Cunningham, flanker Loklin Brodie and scrum-half, Kelly Mow.
“Mt. Boucherie was very fortunate this year to have an enthusiastic and eager junior rugby team,” said coach Kristen Basdeo. “Most of the players were new to the game but they surprised us with their depth of skill and unwavering drive.
“To have a natural leader in Cruz (Fisher), who led the team all the way to the championship game, was also a major factor in our success. His experience with TORA (Thompson Okanagan Rugby Association) and Team BC proved invaluable when coaching his teammates during practices and games.”
Photo Gallery (185 photos) on KelownaNowSports Facebook page
Photo Gallery (185 photos) on KelownaNowSports Facebook page
Local Community Advertising