Despite their relative inexperience, the Holy Rosary Raiders brought silver medals back to Lloydminster from the School Sport Alberta rugby 7s 3A boys’ provincial championship last weekend at Lethbridge.
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“Most of this team was brand new to the sport, and to accomplish this with only a few months of training is astounding,” said Raiders coach Ryan Topley.
“We were fortunate to improve on our bronze medal from last year. With a strong core of returning players, and new additions to the team, our goal is to continue to improve and bring home the first gold for HRHS rugby at provincials.
“These boys, like their predecessors, proved that with a lot of hard work, determination and teamwork, nothing is impossible.”
In the championship game Saturday, Holy Rosary lost 39-0 to a talented West Island College club, the Calgary zone representatives who also defeated the Northeast zone’s Raiders 34-7 in pool play.
“The boys competed with heart, determination and sportsmanship until the final whistle,” Topley said.
Holy Rosary’s 2-3 overall record included a 7-5 victory over F.P. Walshe (South zone) in their semifinal earlier Saturday.
In their opening game of the tournament, the Raiders blitzed Strathcona-Tweedsmuir (South Central zone) 33-5, before falling to West Island College and ending Friday play with a 17-12 setback against West Central, the Central zone representatives.
“The Raiders fought hard in a close battle that ended in a very narrow loss,” Topley reported about Holy Rosary’s battle against West Central. “However, because of their strong performance, the Raiders secured another bonus point, allowing them to finish second in their pool and advance to the semifinal round.”
Holy Rosary rose to the occasion in the semifinal and earned a hard-fought victory over F.P. Walshe.
The Raiders’ other victory was their opening match against Strathcona-Tweedsmuir. A dominant performance enabled Holy Rosary to earn a bonus point and set the tone for the tournament.
“Led by captains Mason Topley, Duhan Steyl and Jayden Scarf, the Raiders battled through a highly competitive tournament with determination, resilience and teamwork,” coach Topley said. “Every member of the Raiders squad contributed throughout the tournament, demonstrating tremendous effort, character and pride in representing Holy Rosary High School. Their silver-medal finish stands as a remarkable achievement for the program and a memorable accomplishment for the players, coaches and school community.”
Eleven members of Holy Rosary’s 18-man roster graduate this year. Those seniors are Francis Ekwunife, Cashton Facca, Tymur Ioganson, Kaden Jameson, Isaac Jurke, David Kowalczyk, Daniel Lopez, Michael Malone, Khylar Siegel, Rhett Smith and Mason Topley.
HOLY ROSARY GIRLS STEP UP
On the same weekend, Holy Rosary’s girls competed in their 3A provincials at Lethbridge. The Raiders went 0-3 in that nine-team tournament, but they battled until the end.
Holy Rosary’s best result came in its final game Saturday. The Northeast zone’s Raiders lost 20-15 to Northwest champion Peace Wapiti of Grande Prairie. Pitted against each other in that match were two teams that had posted 0-2 records in their respective three-team pools.
Holy Rosary faced formidable competition within its pool Friday, losing 42-0 to Calgary juggernaut West Island College and 32-5 to South zone representative Matthew Halton of Pincher Creek.
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