News Item

June 22, 2011

News item – Cow High rugby girls maintain second place in BC

Cowichan Secondary’s reputation as a rugby school continued to grow this year with yet another second place finish in the Triple A BC championships. Earlier this year the team won the Vancouver Island championship for the fifth straight year; took first place in the local Joe McGeachy tournament at the beginning of March; and topped the inaugural BC high school seven-a-side tournament in April.

In all, the CSS girls won 21 of their 24 match-ups of the season that ran from the beginning of March until the end of May.

“I’m really proud of what these girls accomplished. I hope the players take pride in being in a BC final and finishing second in the province,” said Cowichan coach Brad Skene.

“There are a lot of teams who would love to attend the BCs, and to finish among the elite is outstanding,” added the CSS PE and personal fitness teacher.

And “outstanding” is an apt word to use for the girls’ play this year. They started the season by winning the Joe McGeachy Memorial tournament, then trounced Coquitlam’s Gleneagle Talons 85-0 and Port Alberni 67-0, demonstrating that again this year they were a force to be reckoned with.

In the final event of the season – the BC championships – the team beat Surrey’s Earl Marriott 35-14. They then went on win 26-19 against NorKam of Kamloops.

“That was a very difficult game. NorthKam is a tough team with very good athletes,” noted coach Skene.

In the final, they were up against North Vancouver’s Carson Graham, a team that has dominated girls’ high school rugby for nearly a decade, finishing first for the past six years. Carson Graham beat CSS 50-0.

“Cowichan knew it didn’t stand much of a chance of beating Carson, but no one spoke about it. The girls simply went out and gave it their best like they’ve done every game and practice this season,” wrote long time Cowichan News Leader Pictorial sports editor Don Bodger.

The girls trained three days a week and were led by a large group of grade 12s.

“The grade 12s believe in the team first; the whole team has been very dedicated and hard working,” said teacher Skene, who has been coach since 2004.

In 1998, the team won the Triple BC title. They have placed in the top four of the province every year since 2004 and last year lost the BC final by a single point. Six of the girls on this year’s squad have played for BC in the past with this year’s provincial team yet to be selected.