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Girls' rugby program thriving at Aquinas by Jon Kuiperij Beaver Sports Editor 25 | Thursday, June 6, 2013 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com The Oakville A's minor mosquito AAA team won five of six games at a recent baseball tournament in Vaughan to win the championship. No-hitter highlights A's tourney win in Vaughan The Oakville A's minor mosquito AAA team won its first baseball tournament of the season recently in Vaughan. Oakville edged the Mississauga Tigers 5-4 in the championship game after A's pitchers Elijha Hammill (six innings) and Andrew Keddy (one inning) combined for a no-hitter in a 6-0 semifinal victory over Kitchener. The A's also downed teams from Brampton, Pickering-Ajax and North York during the tournament, with their lone loss coming against Etobicoke. Also contributing to the championship win were Mark Schmid, Drew Fisher, Thomas Diamandas, Wil Yamka, Nathan Pauley, Justin Jang, Brant Angove, Jordan Woods, Max Lanoue and Blake Schriver. Glen Schmid, Tony Fisher, Nicholas Diamandas and Yoon Jang coach the A's. Abbey Park grads, Canada in Jr. rugby final Sunday Abbey Park High School graduates Djustice Sears-Duru and Sawyer Herron have helped the Canadian national under-20 men's rugby team reach the final of the IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy championships in Chile. Canada will face Italy Sunday (5 p.m. eastern) in the final of the eight-team tournament for second-level under-20 national sides. Canada clinched a spot in the title game with a 36-15 win over Uruguay yesterday (Wednesday), following comfortable victories over Tonga (24-6) and Japan (3915) earlier in the tournament. The IRB Junior World Rugby Championship, which features 12 teams, is also currently being played in France. The winner of this year's Trophy will advance to the Championship next year, and the last-place finisher at the Championship will be relegated to Trophy competition. Three other Oakville residents -- Jack Gillis, Dan Mathie and Mike Santangeli -- also participated in the national U20 program this year. Gillis was injured and unable to continue, Santangeli played for the Canadian team in an exhibition match against the University of Victoria, and Mathie suited up in the game against Victoria as well as two test matches versus the U.S. in Minnesota. Mathie and Sears-Duru each scored tries to help Canada sweep the twogame series with the Americans. All players except Gillis are graduates of the Upright Rugby Canada elite athlete development program run by Abbey Park rugby coach and Oakville Crusaders Rugby Club member Tyler Leggatt. Sears-Duru has spent the past year playing professional rugby for England's Leicester Tigers. Following the Junior World Rugby Trophy, he intends to stay in Canada and pursue a sport and fitness leadership degree at Camosun College while also suiting up for the Crusaders and the provincial U19 team. The St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders certainly got the most out of the short Halton high school girls' rugby season. Both the school's senior and junior teams went "about as far as they could go", in the words of Chris Alderson, who coaches both Juniors won third meeting with Red Devils The Raiders and Red Devils also got quite squads along with Bryon Hickey. The seniors made their second consecutive trip to familiar in junior competition this spring, facing each other the Ontario Federatwice in the regular tion of School Athseason and again in letic Associations A/ the Halton final. AA tournament this The third meetweek, and the juniors ing was something won their first-ever Hickey forecast to Halton championship his players after OT last week with a 17-7 blanked Aquinas victory over regional 24-0 in the teams' rugby powerhouse first contest in Oakville Trafalgar. league play. "It's certainly a "I told them `We'll tough one to complay OT three times, pare them both," which means I exsaid Hickey. "This pect you to get to year, being a true A/ Bryon Hickey St. Thomas Aquinas girls' rugby co-coach the final. We only AA qualifier for the need to get betfirst time (the Raiders went last year as the Golden Horseshoe Ath- ter each time and beat them the last time,'" letic Conference's second entry) was a great Hickey said. The Raiders did just that. Aquinas tied OT accomplishment. That said, knocking off the 22-22 in the next clash between the teams, OT juniors was a big deal as well." then won the regional final two weeks later. Vanessa Severin, Precious Omonuryi and Seniors dominated all opponents but OT Niya Williams scored tries in the championThe senior Raiders didn't last as long at OFSAA as they'd hoped, ousted on the sec- ship game for Aquinas. "OT has a dynasty going with its senior ond day of competition after handily winning their opening-round contest. But that didn't guys and girls. In any sport, especially amatake the lustre off a season that saw Aquinas teur, when you see a team like that, somewin all its league games except for two meet- times teams almost beat themselves mentally ings with OT, the defending provincial AAAA because they don't think they can compete," said Hickey. "The fact we were able to get that champion. Outside of 29-5 and 48-0 losses to the Red tie late in the year erased that larger-than-life Devils, Aquinas was 6-0 and outscored its op- feeling. We were going into (the final) even." Inexperience might have been an equalizer ponents 178-61. Alderson said the lopsided for both teams. OT did not field a junior team defeats against OT helped the team as well. "Having OT in our league has made us a last year, while just two of the Raiders' startbetter team for sure," he said. "It pushes our ers this season were returnees. girls a lot knowing the team down the street -- Team photos can be viewed online (is working so hard)." at http://bit.ly/139K2CZ In fact, after the Raiders were eliminated from OFSAA medal contention Tuesday morning in Waterloo, they immediately went to an adjacent field to cheer on OT in the AAA/AAAA tournament. (The top-seeded Red Devils' medal hopes died as well as OT fell 6-3 in penalty kicks to the tournament host Bluevale Knights after playing to a scoreless draw in regulation.) (Going to OFSAA) was a great accomplishment... knocking off the OT juniors was a big deal as well. OAKVILLE SOCCER CLUB Week Two Photo Contest Winner: Photographer: Matthew Ellis can develop inflammatory bowel disease, regardless of age, race or gender. Splish, splash! 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