Photo Credit/Cover Design: Lorne White/KelownaNow
Making a 10th appearance in the past 11 years at the B.C. Secondary Schools Rugby Union championships, the Kelowna Owls will face a familiar foe in their first match today in Abbotsford.
The Owls, undefeated in Okanagan Valley league play, including a 35-7 victory over the Okanagan Mission Huskies in the championship game, take on the South Delta Sun Devils, a team they lost to (17-7) in a Stadium Series confrontation earlier this spring.
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Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNowThe Kelowna Owls' Aki Takimoto charges up field in the Okanagan Valley championship game against the Okanagan Mission Huskies.Seeded No. 5 the Tier 1 division, the Owls will be looking to avenge the loss to the No. 4-ranked Sun Devils when they take to the Abby pitch beginning at 4 p.m.
Kelowna Secondary School coach, Dave Marfleet, says the Owls are anxious for a rematch.
“We go in pretty healthy and the boys are very excited,” assures Marfleet. “This is a tight and dedicated group of athletes. To be successful we need to continue to play for each other and play KSS rugby.”
Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNowKevin Conway of the Owls looking for daylight against the OKM Huskies.
The future looks bright for the relatively young and inexperienced senior team as the junior Owls also had a stellar spring season that ended on Saturday in the first round of the provincial junior championship tournament.
Winners of the Okanagan Valley title last week with a 35-14 victory over the Mt. Boucherie Bears, the Owls earned a berth in the provincial playoffs with the St. George’s Saints of Vancouver, but fell 43-12 to the visitors.
Despite the score, head coach Leana Marton said the Owls held their own against a “very skilled, fit and polished side.”
Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNowKSS Junior Owls defeated the Sahali Sabres in the Valley's semifinal game.
They were a better team on the day, but we are starting to claw away at these more experienced sides from the Lower Mainland,” added Marton.
Max Therrien and James van der Ross scored the tries for KSS.
Meanwhile, the Mt. Boucherie juniors finished the season with a 5-2 record that included an upset win over the South Kamloops Titans in a Valley semifinal played in Kamloops.
Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNowKSS and Boucherie were involved in evenly-matched confrontations this spring.Down by two tries after 10 minutes, the Bears, playing without any substitutes, rallied to tie the game before the half. They clinched the win when their captain, Cruz Fisher, kicked a grubber 30 yards into the endzone for teammate Gerardo Torres to pick up for the deciding points.
In the final against KSS, the Bears again found themselves behind early but came back to take the lead by the half. Down to 13 players with about 15 minutes remaining in the match, Boucherie gave up the lead for good despite a valiant team effort, led by the outstanding play of Cruz, eighth-man Dayton Cunningham, flanker Loklin Brodie and scrum-half, Kelly Mow.
Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNowCruz Fisher, centre, proved to be an inspirational leader for the Mt. Boucherie Junior Bears.
“Mt. Boucherie was very fortunate this year to have an enthusiastic and eager junior rugby team,” said coach Kristen Basdeo. “Most of the players were new to the game but they surprised us with their depth of skill and unwavering drive.
“To have a natural leader in Cruz (Fisher), who led the team all the way to the championship game, was also a major factor in our success. His experience with TORA (Thompson Okanagan Rugby Association) and Team BC proved invaluable when coaching his teammates during practices and games.”
Photo Gallery (185 photos) on KelownaNowSports Facebook page
Photo Credit: ContributedThe KSS Owls and Mt. Boucherie Bears gather for group photo have hard-fought junior Valley final.
Photo Gallery (185 photos) on KelownaNowSports Facebook page
