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36 Sports Oakville Beaver SPORTS EDITOR:JONKUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 432) Fax 905-337-5571 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · FRIDAY, MAY 25, 2012 Devils' loss makes one appreciate their greatness Those who cover sports at any level, at least in theory, never cheer for one team or the other. Instead, they cheer for the story. And Wednesday, at Burlington's Sherwood Forest Park, there was no question what the better story would be. Either Oakville Trafalgar would roll to its 12th consecutive Halton senior boys' rugby championship, and its 41st in 42 years (insert yawn here), or the Abbey Park Eagles would finally overthrow the Red Devils to earn their first-ever seat on the regional throne. So when Abbey Park claimed a well-deserved 32-10 win over OT, one might expect some glee from this corner. After all, there's only so many ways to write about how good the Red Devils are at rugby, and we've undoubtedly explored them all over the years. It's always refreshing to write about something new. But while there may be a little guilty pleasure in reporting a historic "upset" (we'll use that term liberally here, since Abbey Park beat the Devils twice during the regular season and is the third-ranked senior boys' rugby team in the province), it comes with a lot of respect for what the young men from the southeast end of town have accomplished for more than four decades. Particularly over the past dozen years or so, when schools have been kingpinning more than ever for the Devils' perennial crown. High school rugby in Halton is not what it once was, perhaps one school that took the sport much more seriously than the others. OT has had to withstand tremendous challenges in recent years, the main ones coming from Burlington's Notre Dame (the other team to upend the Devils in a Halton final, winning the championship in 2000), Iroquois Ridge and then Abbey Park. "Full credit to Abbey Park. They've been trying for years to get their program going. It's nice to see them get the reward, to see (the work) pays off," said OT coach David Schaffler, as classy in defeat as he has been after all the victories. "Halton rugby's gotten a lot better." And while there were a few moments of chippiness during the contest, it's apparent that the Eagles respect what their rivals have accomplished over the years as well. You could forgive the Abbey Park players if they felt Wednesday's win was payback for years of disappointment in previous Halton finals, or for the defeat in last year's provincial bronze-medal game, but See Ability, page 37 MARTA IWANEK / OAKVILLE BEAVER / @HALTON_PHOTOG BREAKING AWAY: Abbey Park Eagles player Connor Challis (with ball) runs away from Oakville Trafalgar defender Brandon Stegmaier during Wednesday's Halton senior boys' rugby Tier 1 final in Burlington. Challis was brought down just before reaching the goal line, but his long run led to a try that helped the Eagles to a 32-10 win over the Red Devils. Eagles unseat OT as rugby champs By Lucas Casaletto SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER There's finally a new senior boys' rugby Tier 1 champion in Halton. The Abbey Park Eagles ended Oakville Trafalgar's 11-year championship run Wednesday, soaring to a 32-10 decision over the Red Devils in the regional final at Burlington's Sherwood Forest Park. Abbey Park's victory marked just the second time in 42 years the Red Devils have not won the Halton senior boys' rugby title, and avenged losses to OT in the past three Halton title games as well as last year's provincial bronze-medal contest. The Eagles got on the board only two minutes into the game, as Dan Mathie scored the first try followed by a Jamie Leveridge convert. The Devils responded with a quick try by Nico Cookson, cutting the Abbey Park lead to 7-5, but Sawyer Herron and Leveridge both added tries as Abbey Park built a 19-10 advantage before halftime. In the second half, Leveridge was able to convert two consecutive penalty kicks before a late Chris Woodhead try made the score 32-10. Leveridge finished with 17 of the Eagles' 32 points and was deservedly named "Man of the Match" for the Eagles. Blake Sullivan scored OT's other try. Longtime coach watches from sidelines The man behind the rugby program at Abbey Park, longtime coach Tyler Leggatt, had to watch from the sidelines as members of the team he built carried the trophy over their heads. Leggatt, still recovering from a concussion he suffered while playing league rugby last year, said although watching was difficult, he couldn't be happier for his players. "To say it's great would be an understatement," Leggatt said after the game. "I'm just absolutely elated. It took a lot of years and a lot of work, but more importantly these guys have put in a lot of hours of practice and it's great that they got the victory." Leggatt said that though his "To say it's great recovery has gone well, all he wanted was to be on the field would be an with his team. understatement. I'm "I found it extremely difficult. just absolutely elated. I have been sort of hiding behind It took a lot of years my IPad, which has been great and a lot of hard and allows me to get some good film, but even today I was runwork." ning in there when they were playing," he said. Longtime Abbey Park "It's been a nice change and a rugby coach Tyler Leggatt different perspective, and a big part has been coach (Petar) Jokic who has done an awesome job." Devils head coach David Schaffler, not accustomed to being on the losing side of things, could see the stunned look on his players faces following the defeat and medal presentations. "Some of these guys I don't think have ever lost. They're kind of speechless right now. I think it's a learning experience," See Eagles, page 37