Forget what you see on the WCSSAA website -- Friday's rugby championships are NOT being played at Jacob Hespeler Secondary School.
The senior boys championship between Bluevale and WCI will now be played at 2:15 p.m. at Bluevale and the girls championship between the same schools will be played at 1 p.m. at Bluevale.
The junior boys championship will be played at Forest Heights at 3:30 p.m. between the host Trojans and Waterloo-Oxford.
"School conflicts" are listed as the reason for the schedule change.
Meanwhile, a CWOSSA girls rugby qualifier will be played Friday at 3:30 p.m. with Forest Heights visiting Waterloo-Oxford. The CWOSSA senior boys qualifier will also be played at 3:30 with Preston travelling to Huron Heights and the junior boys qualifier will also be held at 3:30 with SJAM visiting WCI.
Jacob Hespeler Secondary School will be a busy place on Thursday with Day 2 of the CWOSSA track and field championship and WCSSAA soccer championships taking place.
The senior boys soccer final between Cameron Heights and Eastwood takes place at 4 p.m. with the girls final between Grand River and WCI to follow at 6 p.m.
All four teams will move on to CWOSSAA quad-A tournaments next week, but since you asked, it's hard to bet against Eastwood and WCI in the WCSSAA finals.
The WCSSAA rugby finals -- junior boys, senior boys and girls -- will be held Friday at Jacob Hespeler.
I'm not sure about it being an "Epic Fail" but it's certainly a tough way to lose a game for this high school goalkeeper in South Carolina.
* * *
Here's a quick look at some strong performers from last week.
Roslyn Mainland, Waterloo-Oxford:
The Grade 11 student traded in her track spikes for rugby cleats and has helped
the Crusaders to the semifinals of the WCSAA girls rugby league playoffs.
Mainland, a successful sprinter and hockey player during her first two years at
W-O, scored a try last week in a quarter-final win over Jacob Hespeler. The
Crusaders will host the WCI Vikings on Wednesday with the winner advancing to
Friday’s final against Bluevale or Forest Heights.
Aaron Goodridge, WCI: The Grade 12 flyhalf posted 20 points as the Vikings
crushed Forest Heights 40-5 in WCSSAA senior boys rugby
league quarter-final action. The Vikings host Preston
on Wednesday with the winner taking on Huron Heights
or Bluevale in Friday’s final. The deceptively fast Goodridge, who played running back for WCI's football team, is expected to play rugby at university next season.
Kelly Stockwell, Monsignor Doyle: The Grade 10 scrumhalf scored her team’s only
try as the Mustangs shocked Resurrection
7-5 in District 8 girls rugby league play. She was the team's MVP last year and is an intelligent, decisive playmaker who makes things happen. The semifinal victory snaps Resurrection’s nine-year reign as champions and
moves Doyle into Wednesday’s championship game against St. Mary’s. She is also a talented field hockey and ringette player.
Christoph Bruckeder, St. David:The Grade 11 striker scored twice as the Celtics advanced to the
District 8 boys soccer final with a 4-1 win over Monsignor Doyle. The comeback kid rebounded from a broken leg during his final year of junior in Grade 10 and led the senior Celtics in scoring during the spring season. A volleyball players as well, heis one of St. David's four captains along with Matt Scanlon, Jordan Aivaliotis and Aleks Batanic. St. David faces St. Mary’s in Wednesday’s final, with
both teams already assured of advancing to next week’s CWOSSA triple- and
quad-A tournaments.
Nicole Woodcroft, Sir John A. Macdonald: The Grade 11 player
scored twice as the Highlanders blanked Cameron Heights 2-0 to advance
to the semifinals of the WCSSAA girls soccer league playoffs. Woodcroft, who
also plays field hockey and ice hockey at SJAM,
was back in action on Tuesday as the Highlanders faced Grand
River in a semifinal game on Wednesday.
Princess Benson, Eastwood:
The Grade 9 speedster swept the sprint events at the WCSSAA track and field
championship, pulling away from the field in the 100-, 200- and 400-metre
dashes. The Laurel
Creek track and field
club member will be looking to do more of the same at this week’s CWOSSA
championship at Jacob Hespeler.
Maya Day, Grand River: The
Grade 9 runner also went three-for-three on the track, winning the 400-, 800-
and 1,500-metre races at the WCSAA championship. Day’s success comes as
something of a surprise since she spends most of her free time working on her
basketball skills.
Scott Buttinger, Resurrection:
The fifth-year athlete had four first-place finishes at the District 8 track
and field championship, winning the 200-, 800- and 1,500-metre races as well as
helping the Phoenix
to a first-place finish in the 4x100-metre relay. He was also a member of the
4x400-metre team that finished second. Buttinger will attend Stanford University
later this summer on a scholarship.
Chris Green, Cameron Heights:
The fifth-year speedster was on fire at the WCSSAA track and field
championship, winning the 100-metre dash, the 110-metre hurdles and the
400-metre hurdles. He was also part of Cameron’s 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams
that both finished in top spot as the Gaels captured the overall championship.
Courtney Wright, Jacob Hespeler: The Grade 10 athlete also had a WCSSAA meet to remember, winning the junior girls triple jump in record fashion and then capturing the 200-metre dash. A strong basketball player, she also won the long jump competition.
The quarter-finals are set for the WCSSAA boys rugby quarter-finals after Tuesday's round of qualifying games.
In senior play, it's Forest Heights at WCI, Cameron Heights at Bluevale, Waterloo-Oxford at Huron Heights and Sir John A. Macdonald at Preston. All games are 3:30 p.m. starts
In junior play, it's Cameron Heights at SJAM (2 p.m.), St. Mary's at WCI (4:30 p.m.), Preston at Forest Heights (3:30 p.m.) and KCI at Waterloo-Oxford (4:30 p.m.).
Quarter-final games will also be played in the WCSSAA girls soccer league, with Preston at WCI (RIM, 3 p.m.), Bluevale at Grand River, Cameron Heights at SJAM, and Huron Heights at KCI. The latter three games are 3:30 p.m. starts.
In senior boys play, it's Preston at Eastwood, Jacob Hespeler at Cameron Heights (Woodside), Southwood at WCI (RIM) and Forest Heights at Grand River. Three games start at 3:30 p.m., with Southwood and WCI to start 30 minutes earlier.
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board is to conduct a review into
the death of Rowan Stringer, 17, who died over the weekend after
suffering a traumatic brain injury during a high school rugby game last
Wednesday.
The review, according to a story in
the Ottawa Citizen, will no doubt focus on head injuries and what
coaches and players can do to recognize them. Director of education Jennifer Adams wouldn’t say if the review would
also look at whether rugby would continue to be offered as a sport for
students.
My knowledge of rugby is minimal but I've been to enough games over the past four years to see quite a few students injured playing the bruising sport. In the past week alone, I've seen two players leave with head injuries . . . at a boys game between Bluevale and Preston, as well as a girls game between Galt and Forest Heights.
I've also seen plenty of crutches, slings and casts along the sidelines during my time as a high school sports reporter.
The walking wounded I saw during the first week of this year's District 8 and WCSSAA rugby seasons prompted me to contact both organizations -- as well as OFSAA -- to find out whether injury statistics were tracked on a sport-by-sport basis.
They are not, so I really have no idea whether rugby is more dangerous than hockey or football, two other contact sports that immediately come to mind.
All I can say for sure is that students who play rugby seem to love it, and the teachers who coach it are passionate about it.
You just have to wonder whether the reward is worth the risk.
As always, reader comments are both welcome and appreciated.
It was another week
of strong performances by local athletes. Here are eight that caught my eye:
Jamie Noonan and
Quinn Cameron, Grand River: Both girls scored four goals as the Renegades
closed out their WCSSAA girls soccer season with 4-0 wins over Sir John A.
MacDonald and Forest
Heights. Noonan, a Grade
11 student that also plays basketball and volleyball, had three against Forest Heights.
Cameron, a Grade 12 student, had three against SJAM
and is back with the soccer squad after taking a year off.
Braedon Feehan, Huron
Heights: The Grade 12 striker had back-to-back two-goal games as the Huskies
closed out their WCSSAA senior boys soccer schedule with a 5-2 win over KCI and
a 3-1 win over Galt. The wins allowed Huron
Heights to claim the final spot in Tuesday’s
playoff qualifying round against Forest
Heights.
Aly Jacobs, Huron Heights:
The Grade 11 striker scored four goals in a 5-3 win over Elmira
as the Huskies claimed the final spot in Tuesday’s WCSSAA girls soccer league
playoff qualifying round. She also scored once in a 2-1 win over Glenview in last week’s must-win games. Huron Heights,
which would have been eliminated with anything less than two wins last week,
will face Southwood in a playoff qualifying match on Tuesday.
Lukas Seibert, Bluevale: The Grade 12 flyhalf had an outstanding
performance for the Knights in a 26-5 win over the Preston
Panthers in WCSSAA senior boys rugby play. He scored a lengthy second-half try
and made the most of his strong foot on several occasions to stall Preston
advances. He is also a football and basketball player at Bluevale.
Sarah Reed, KCI:
The Grade 12 centre had two solid games as the Raiders scored a pair of wins in
WCSSAA girls rugby play. The first-year player, who has also participated in
cross-country, volleyball and cross-country, had 12 points in a 17-10 win over
WCI and nine points in a 14-5 win over Huron Heights.
The gifted athlete also runs half-marathons in her spare time.
Victoria Borys, Resurrection: The Grade 12 midfielder scored two
goals in two games last week as the Phoenix
clinched first spot in the District 8 girls soccer league. Rez defeated St.
Benedict 5-0 but it was a 4-1 win over St. Mary’s that clinched the
regular-season title.
Emma Jada, St.
Mary’s: The Grade 12 player turned in a strong performance as the Eagles edged Resurrection 15-10 in District 8 girls rugby league
play. A D8 basketball all-star, she also had a try one week earlier in St.
Mary’s 20-0 win over Rez, which is aiming for its 10th straight D8
title.
Details are sketchy but it appears Forest Heights forfeited Thursday's WCSSAA senior boys soccer game against Cameron Heights after an incident with the referee.
Trojans coach Mike Wilson declined to comment, saying in an email It was "an unfortunate situation that I just want to put in the past and move on."
Scoring details of the game have yet to be recorded on the WCSSAA website and both teams are still listed as having played six games.
A parent at the game informed me the game was abandoned in the second half.
* * *
There was nothing but positive energy in the air at Thursday's WCSSAA girls soccer game between Forest Heights and Grand River.
The Trojans trailed after just two minutes of the 4-0 loss but they never stopped trying and there was steady encouragement and laughter coming from the bench.
* * *
Matchups have been set for Tuesday's WCSSAA girls soccer league playoff round. All games are 3:30 p.m. starts.
Huron Heights at Southwood Cameron Heights at Forest Heights Waterloo-Oxford at Bluevale Preston at Jacob Hespeler
St. Mary's High School is hosting its inaugural "Spring Blast" girls rugby tournament on Friday, an event that will attract seven teams from WCSSAA and District 8 as well as Barrie's Joan of Arc.
St. Mary's and St. David are the D8 entries, while WCI, Bluevale, Cameron Heights, Jacob Hespeler and Grand River are the WCSSAA teams.
It is hoped the event will grown in subsequent editions and increase the profile of this rapidly growing women's sport. It's also an opportunity for schools to play outside their leagues.
Resurrection turned the tables on St. Mary's in D8 girls soccer play Wednesday with a 4-1 win over the previously undefeated Eagles. Paula Rau scored twice, while Victoria Borys and Niki Paiva added singles as the Phoenix bounced back from the 3-2 loss they suffered to their Kitchener rival on April 24.
Both teams finished with 5-1 records but Rez gets first because it outscored St. Mary's 6-4 in head-to-head competition.
Playoffs start next week.
* * *
First place in the D8 boys league will be on the line for St. Mary's on Friday when the Eagles visit Rockway on Friday afternoon.
A win and the Eagles will overtake St. David.
A loss and they could actually fall to third if Rockway is able to defeat Rez in Friday's only other game. The Flames are currently fourth but could move into a tie with St. Mary's with a win and.hold the tiebreaker
Here are the various scenarios, as per D8's Mike Grobe:
Games Remaining - May 10 – PRDG @ RCSS (3:30pm) - May 10 – SMHS @ RMC (4:00pm) Scenario Facts - SBCSS, PRDG have both been eliminated from playoffs based on points - WCHS has clinched 6th place based on points - RCSS has clinched 5th place based on points (cannot improve standing regardless of Friday’s outcome) - Playoff positioning for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th – will be determined with result of SMHS vs. RMC game on Friday Playoff Scenarios SCENARIO 1 - If RMC wins and SMHS loses on Friday then: - SDCSS will be 1st place with 17pts - RMC will finish 2nd place with 15pts (hold head-to-head tiebreak over SMHS) - SMHS will finish 3rd with 15pts (lose head-to-head tiebreak over RMC) - MDCSS will finish 4th with14pts Quarterfinal - Monday May 13 - Woodland CHS @ St. Mary’s HS – 3:30 pm - Resurrection CSS @ Monsignor Doyle CSS – 3:30pm - SDCSS and RMC receive quarterfinal bye
SCENARIO 2 - If SMHS wins and RMC loses on Friday then: - SMHS will be 1st place with 18pts - SDCSS will be 2nd place with 17pts - MDCSS will be 3rd place with 15pts - Rockway will be 4th place with12pts Quarterfinal - Monday May 13 - Woodland CHS @ Monsignor Doyle CSS -3:30 pm - Resurrection CSS @ Rockway MC – 3:30 pm - SMHS and SDCSS receive quarterfinal bye
SCENARIO 3 - If SMHS and RMC tie on Friday then: - SDCSS will be 1st place with 17pts - SMHS will finish 2rd with 16pts - MDCSS will finish 3th with 14pts - RMC will finish with 13pts Quarterfinal - Monday May 13 - Woodland CHS @ Monsignor Doyle CSS – 3:30 pm - Resurrection CSS @ Rockway MC – 3:30 pm - SDCSS and SMHS receive quarterfinal bye
It's crowded at the top of the WCSSAA girls rugby league standings.
Galt and Waterloo-Oxford are both at 5-0 won-lost with one game remaining in the regular-season schedule, while Forest Heights and Bluevale are both 4-0 with two games to play. Because of the unbalanced schedule in the 15-team league, there is a real possibility that three of these teams could finish the season with 6-0 records.
Waterloo-Oxford looks to be a lock to stay perfect as its sole remaining game is against winless Elmira (0-4) on Monday, while Bluevale also looks good with remaining games against Grand River (2-2) and Preston (2-2).
Forest Heights finishes with Eastwood (0-4) before closing out with Galt on Monday. The loser of that game will likely drop to fourth in the standings, while top spot will be decided by a tiebreaker.
* * *
Over in the District 8 girls rugby league, St. Mary's remained perfect with a 15-10 win over Resurrection on Monday.
St. Mary's is attempting to end Resurrection's nine-year run as D8 champion.
On a more disappointing note, St. Benedict pulled the plug on its girls rugby team on Monday because of insufficient numbers.
* * *
That'll teach me . . . just when I started pumping the tires of the Monsignor Doyle Mustangs in D8 senior boys soccer, the Cambridge boys get it handed to them in a 4-1 loss to St. Mary's on Monday.
* * *
I'll be taking in the Bluevale-Preston boys rugby game later today in Cambridge, which means I won't be able to check out the Grand River-Eastwood game in senior boys soccer.
Here’s another quick look back at some of last week’s top
performers. I’ll keep adding when requested information becomes available.
Kayla Ferko, Preston: The
Grade 12 striker continued her storybook return with a two-goal outing for the
Panthers in a 3-1 win over Galt in WCSSAA girls soccer play. Ferko suffered a
serious knee injury during her Grade 9 season and has rebounded to score six
goals in five games.
Courtney Harley, Southwood: The Grade 12 track and field
competitor gets the nod for her finish-line ‘promposal’ to her boyfriend, Joel
Webster at Friday’s Track Wars meet. The plan went off without a hitch and
Webster, of course, said yes. Harley also found time to compete in three
events, finishing fourth in the triple jump, sixth in the long jump and 16th
in the 100-metre dash.
Courtney Wright, Jacob Hespeler: The Grade 10 student made
the most of her height to score a pair of wins at Track Wars. Wright, who
stands six-foot tall, won the junior girls triple jump and long jump events,
and finished eighth in the 100-metre dash. Her twin sister, Candace, who stands
six-foot-two, also competed at Track Wars. Her best finish was 11th in the shot put. Courtney and
Candace both played senior basketball for the Hawks in the fall with older
sister Brooklynn.
Janek Rempel Bergen, Rockway: He scored twice as the Flames
scored a 3-2 win over the Resurrection Phoenix in District 8 boys soccer. It
was a milestone victory for Rockway, the first time the tiny single-A school
has defeated Resurrection in D8 senior soccer. Rempel Bergen also scored in a
2-1 win over Pere Rene as Rockway sits at 3-1 in the standings, good for a
third-place tie with St. Mary’s.
Ellen Meyer, St. Mary’s:
The Grade 12 striker had a five-goal performance to lead the Eagles to a 6-1
win over St. David in District 8 girls soccer play. Meyer is also a striker
with Kitchener’s
U17 squad.
Tyler Gibner, Preston: The
Grade 11 student piled up the points last week as the Panthers scored
back-to-back wins in WCSSAA senior boys rugby play. He had 10 in a 24-15 win
over SJAM and another 10 in an 82-0 spanking of St. David. A multi-sport
athlete, Gibner is also a standout football player for the Panthers and
Cambridge Lions, as well as a member of the Panthers basketball team.
Antoine Phillip, Preston:
The Grade 12 player also makes the Panthers tick, according to head coach John
Skovsgaard, and is tied with Gibner for tries scored this season. He racked up
10 points against SJAM and had15 against St. David. Phillip is also a football
and basketball player at Preston.
Demi Cottrell, Galt: She had a big week as the Ghosts scored
consecutive wins in WCSSAA girls rugby play. First up, she had 15 points in a
22-7 win over Glenview
Park and then picked up
22 in a 27-0 win over Eastwood.
Mark Bryson is a sports reporter at the Waterloo Region Record. He dreamed of playing for the Liverpool Football Club while playing high school soccer at St. Jerome's and Forest Heights. And then reality set in. Use this space to catch up and comment on the high school sports scene.
Follow on Twitter - @BrysonRecord
