The Peter Skene Ogde Secondary School Eagles' rugby season came to an end last month in Abbotsford
Both the senior boys and senior girls teams made their way down to the Lower Mainland to compete against the best rugby sevens teams from throughout the province from May 28 to 30. Eagles head coach Kameron Taylor said the experience was great for both teams.
"It was a great time. It reminds me the goal is to win Zone championships and get there. Provincials is a bonus where your ruby season extends," Taylor remarked. "It's awesome for these kids that they buy in and apply (themselves). They know what it takes to get to that level as far as grit, blood, sweat and tears."
The girls and the boys both kicked off provincials with three games on Thursday, May 29, noting that he and his fellow coach Chris Thain were kept busy coaching and prepping both teams for their games.
Taylor said that the boys ultimately lost all three of their games, in part due to a lack of consistency. He noted there were moments throughout all the games where his players would have a good play or a good half where they were all clicking, only to follow those moments up with a less coordinated performance.
"The boys had a lot of highlights, it just wasn't consistent through the whole game. They would have a really awesome half where that was Eagles Rugby, they did really well," Taylor said. "Then the next one, suddenly we're not talking, the defensive pressure wasn't there and they all know this."
One of the plays that exemplified the boys' performance was when Everett Holett kicked the ball to the other team. Typically, the other team would catch it and try and score a try, but the Eagles' Curit Bissat ran so fast he was able to catch the ball before it even hit the ground. Taylor said Bissat was only a few steps from scoring a try of his own when the ball unfortunately slipped out of his hands.
Meanwhile, the girls also lost their first game but then went on to win a nail-biting 14-12 victory over Elgin Park Secondary School. Taylor said that with 40 seconds left to go in the game, the Eagles' Joelle Kuyek went all the way through Elgin Park's line to score a try and then succeeded in kicking a two-point conversion to give them the lead.
"The kick went up and to the left, but when you see the ref's flag go up, that means it's in. We got excited, but because she scored, there were 10 seconds left, so we still had to do another play," Taylor said. "Then that stress pressure happens with the team."
Taylor noted that their victory over Elgin Park was a team victory, with the Eagles showing intense defensive pressure throughout the match. At one point, he said Elgin Park nearly scored a try until Skylin Larsen dragged one of their players back from the goal line with a literal inch to go.
Making the win all the more impressive was the fact Elgin Park was seeded second in PSO's pool, which gave them a chance to get into the championship bracket on Friday. The girls followed up this victory with another over South Kamloops Secondary School, whom they beat three tries to one, ensuring they would make the championship bracket.
"Right away, it's a win because you finished the top eight among 16 teams, and that's just how it works," Taylor remarked.
On Friday, despite valiant efforts by both teams, Taylor said the Eagles were unable to win any games, with the boys finishing in sixteenth place and the girls finishing in eighth. Taylor said that spirits were still high following the end of provincials, with members of both teams buying plenty of rugby merch before they left.
It was also a valuable learning experience for Taylor, who noted that thanks to these games he realized his teams need to be ready to face more 'jacklers'. Whenever one of his team gets tackled, he said they'll need to make sure they're clearing properly or risk a jackler swooping in and stealing the ball.
"We lost a lot of balls where we went in by ourselves and went down, and then we had no ruck there to grab the ball right away," Taylor remarked. "They get that after a lot of repetition, so it's just more repetition that we needed."
Taylor noted that since PSO's Rugby program got going again after the pandemic, he's been lucky enough to bring his teams to provincials three times. Considering the shorter rugby season of the Cariboo he said any time his players win Zones is a victory for the program. Everything else after that is just a bonus.
"I always try to set these kids up for success," Taylor remarked, noting that the players bought two heresies for him and Thain they all signed. "We're very grateful for this. It's not one of those things you expect and it just shows you the connection we have with the kids. They know we give our volunteer time."
Each school also received a B.C. Sport rugby ball, which Taylor plans to have the members of both teams sign so they can put it in PSO's trophy case as a new tradition. Taylor noted that anyone who wants to watch the games for themselves can find them via the BC Sports YouTube channel.
Taylor thanked all the parents, sponsors and community support the team received this season, noting that it allowed the team to succeed. He's already looking forward to next year, adding that this summer he will be doing a rugby clinic through his sports fitness company, Howling Wolf Fitness, for kids between the ages of 10 and 15.
