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Winston Churchill wins in OT |
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Written by Lethbridge Herald
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Monday, June 08 2009, 11:28 PM |
Thems the breaks.
And the Winston Churchill boys rugby team was happy to get them.
Battling Fort Macleod F.P. Walshe in the Alberta High School Rugby League Tier 2 final Monday afternoon at Sherring Field, the locals got the bounce they needed, and Ryan Smith turned that into the eventual game-winning try as Winston Churchill ran to a 12-7 overtime victory to snag the Tier Il South Zone high school boys rugby title.
“It was one broken tackle,” said Winston Churchill assistant coach Chris Harris, whose team captured their second consecutive Tier 2 title and now head to Edmonton for provincials this weekend. ”We broke a tackle and got in. They scored their try in the first half off a broken tackle and we got one off a broken tackle.”
But pushing Winston Churchill to overtime, F.P. Walshe made sure the victory was earned.
“It was a very close,” said Harris. ”Fort Macleod and our boys both played very hard. The difference came down to one point. It was very even throughout, two great teams that really left it out on the pitch. It was great to see. It’s a testament to the level of rugby we have here in the south. We have a lot of very good teams.”
With their second Tier II title tucked away, Winston Churchill heads north for an other provincial go-round.
“We had a veteran team last year and this year we’ve got quite a few younger players,” said Harris.
”They’ve developed well.
“We’ve got a lot of talent and skill and we’re hoping to see some good stuff at provincials.”
The surplus of younger players aside, Winston Churchill still heads into this year’s provincials with some experience.
“Many of them were Grade 10s last year, so they went to provincials and have experience,” said Harris.
”Hopefully they’ll get more experience again this year and we’ll be able to improve on our standing from last year.”
While the field of teams is still taking shape, 2008 provincial champion Okotoks are already confirmed to scrum it up in Edmonton.
“They’re always a very tough team, so we’re expecting a tough game from them again,” said Harris.
”They won it all last year. Hopefully we’ll be able to play our best.”
Colin Walmsley scored F.P. Walshe’s try, while McCauley Brown kicked the convert.
In the Tier 1 game LCI downed Medicine Hat 21-11.
Andin Pavan, Trenton McLeod and Ben Robinson scored tries for LCI.
Richard Slack scored Medicine Hat’s try, while Sam Hogg kicked a pair of converts.
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