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5 1 |Thursday June 8, 2017 | OAKVILLE BEAVER |www.insidehalton.com Kevin Nagel, Oakville Beaver Sports Editor, knagel@burlingtonpost.com Sports "Connected to yo u r Community " Red Devils reclaim OFSAA rugby title with win over 2 0 1 6 champs By Herb Garbutt Oakville Beaver staff Cheerleading, by its very nature, grew out of showing support. It had been a staple of Simone Oliveira's athletic career before she arrived at Oakville Trafalgar High School. But she would find a level of en couragement she had never experi enced before when she went along with some friends to try out for OT's rugby team. "Rugby is such a culture at our school," she said. "The teams go out and support each other. It's re ally like a family " She soon discovered that carried over to the pitch as well. "In cheerleading, if a teammate messes up, the whole team gets marked down," she said. "In rugby, if you make a mistake, everybody is there to back you up." That support was never needed more than when OT had its unde feated season come to an end in last year's Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations championship game. When the team began its work to reclaim the provincial title, it didn't just focus on the field of play. "We were more connected this year," said the Red Devils' Taylor within a minute with tries by Black. "It felt like a massive weight lifted off our shoulders," she said. "We came so close last year. We spent c^ saa] all season preparing for OFSAA. RUGBY I CHAMPIONS We played every game the way we GIRLS' MA would an OFSAA final." "We wanted to redeem our selves," Oliveira added, "and we IHAM PIO NNES FILLES wanted to thank Valley for all his S v<017^ hard work." Under Valley, the Canadian wom en's under-18 team coach, OT has The OFSAA champion Oakville Trafalgar Red Devils include Taylor Black, Jackie Carlson, Clodaugh Cronin, Caileigh de Jonge, Julia Demers, Susie Dunn, Diana reached the OFSAA quarter-finals Gauthier, Kelsey Gerynowicz, Ryley Gould, Gillian Groth, Emma Hawkswell, Hannah Hogarth, Jessika Hurd, Taylour Hurd, Hannah Izzard, Robyn Jeffries, Shauna nine straight years and earned six Kaunds, Alex Kinkartz, Kate Medd, Simone Oliveira, Sophie Palotta, Bridget Peros, Ayomide Popoola, Julija Rego, Hannah Reidy, Dana Surtees, Claudia Taylor, Anja medals (three gold, two silver and Vries, Jaden Walker, Thea White and coaches Dan Valley, Grainne McCurry, Dan Stephenson. | Photo courtesy of Bill Peel one bronze). The OT coach said his Black. "Not just on the pitch but when you know first-hand the feel increasingly important the closer players' dedication and the game off it, too. We had team dinners and ing of getting so close, that's where the players got to their goal. When time they have amassed prepared just got to know each other better." the grit comes in. It doesn't matter tired legs and bruised bodies want them well for OFSAA. The results were impressive. OT how tired you are, how sore you are. ed rest, pushing forward for another Black and Hurd have also rep went 29-0, outscoring opponents You just have that mental attitude 30 seconds seemed manageable. resented Canada and Peros will 1134-42. Last Thursday OT won its that we want this more than you." OT opened the tournament beating make her debut with the national Yet, as OT prepared to play in an Stouffville 62-0 and Saltfleet 55-5. The U18 side this summer. Meanwhile, third provincial title in six years by other championship game, gold was Red Devils blanked No. 4 seed Arnprior Oliveira, Thea White, Alex Kinkartz beating Guelph's J.F Ross 22-12. 39-0 in Game 3 to set up a rematch of and Susie Dunn have all suited up No team was more appreciative of not the focus. "My big message to them was to last year' s final when J.F. Ross denied for Ontario. the big picture. "The years we got silver, I don't take it 30 seconds at a time and if the Red Devils' back-to back titles and "I think (this season) was a re think there was a difference of how we come out with a greater number ended their undefeated season. flection of the experience our play much we worked at practice or of positive outcomes in those seg OT jumped out to a 12-0 lead on ers were able to garner in high-level how much we wanted to win," said ments, the odds are good that we're tries by Taylour Hurd and Bridget matches," Valley said. "Now we Oliveira, who played in her fourth going to come out on top," said OT Peros. Toward the end of each half, have a lot of players with OFSAA straight OFSAA final. "We wanted coach Dan Valley Ross cut into OT's lead but each experience and hopefully we'll be Oliviera said the message became time the Red Devils responded in a similar position next year." back-to-back championships, but AbbeyParkboysendOTssix-yearrunasJr. rugbychamps Against any other opponent, it would have been a comfortable lead. But even after Daniel Sanders con verted Hakam Sangha's try to give Abbey Park a 20-5 lead with 12 minutes to play in the Halton junior boys' rugby final, the Eagles' toughest test was still to come. There had not been much to separate the Eagles and the Oakville Trafalgar Red Devils all season. Both teams finished the season 4-0-1 and tied their only regularseason meeting 17-17. Though with six straight Halton titles to their credit, OT was not going to surrender without a fight. The Red Devils scored two tries in the dying minutes but the Eagles held them off for a 20-17 victory. "It feels amazing," said Harry Shaw, who scored Abbey Park's first two tries. "It's the first time since 2010 so it felt good to get Abbey Park back on the tro phy " It was ju st the third time since 2000 that a team other than Oakville Trafalgar won the junior title (Notre Dame in 2008 and Abbey Park in 2010). "We kind of live in the shadow of OT. They have a great reputation but I'm proud of the way our players stepped up today," said Eagles coach Tyler Leggatt. Shaw got the Eagles rolling with a long run from beyond midfield. Oakville Tra falgar's Jack Porter dove across the line to tie it up at 5-5 but the Eagles responded three minutes later when Shaw scored his second try, sending Abbey Park into the half with a 10-5 advantage. Shaw started playing rugby at an early age in England and continued to play when his family moved to Canada seven years ago. That makes him one of the few players who arrived at Abbey Park with previous rugby experience. see Abbey Park on p. 52 Abbey Park's Alex Potapov tries to break through a pair of Oakville Trafalgar tackles in Wednesday's Halton junior boys' rugby final. Abbey Park withstood a late charge by OT to win 20-17 and claim its first title since 2010. | photo by Nikki Wesley - Oakville Beaver NEW PROGRAMS STARTING IN SEPTEMBER. APPLY NOW. In ce lebratio n o f M ohaw k's 5 0 th anniversary, students starting one o f th e fo llo w in g program s this S e p te m b e r can ta k e advan tag e o f a special lim ited tim e o ffe r to w ard s tu itio n . Business A dm inistration - Accounting 3 Year Advanced Diploma - Human Resources - Marketing L e a rn m o re a t m o h a w k c o lle g e .c a /a p p ly G raduate Program s 1 Year Certificate -Accessible Media Production - Community & Social Services Management jjf Of SOMETHING J J AM AZING I I m O H S L CU K O LLEG E