Canes tame Lions for Kawartha AA senior rugby title
Holy Cross hoping for first trip to OFSAA if they can win COSSA championship
The Holy Cross Hurricanes have compiled an impressive resume in girls rugby in recent years.
The senior Hurricanes earned a second consecutive Kawartha AA championship and continued an undefeated season with a 60-0 win over the Adam Scott Lions in Thursday’s final at Holy Cross.
The junior Hurricanes haven’t lost to a Kawartha opponent in three years and beat Adam Scott 43-17 for a third straight Kawartha AA crown on Thursday.
The one thing that has eluded Holy Cross is a trip to OFSAA. The seniors will try for their first COSSA AA title next Thursday in Belleville. Last year they lost to Trenton at COSSA.
“Bayside won OFSAA and they’ll be at COSSA and Trenton is always ranked in the top two or three teams in the province,” said Hurricanes coach Jake Fowler.
“Our toughest matches will be next week. We have to beat the best to get to OFSAA.”
“Our goal is to get to OFSAA in the spring,” said Lea Davis.
“We’re trying to win everything all the way up so we can get to OFSAA and hopefully win that. We show up for practice every night and are committed to each other.”
Holy Cross didn’t have a program five years ago when Fowler enlisted retired Adam Scott teacher/coach Brian Greer to assist him.
“You have to have the players and they have to want to work and listen and they do for the most part,” Fowler said. “The seniors have been great models for the juniors. There is an expectation we have now.”
“It’s been a lot of work,” said Kylie Fife. “We’ve practised since before school even started. We have a lot of dedication and hard work.”
“We’ve been preparing for this for four years,” said Erin Preston. “It’s been a long road but it’s coming to an end.… Our team cheer is ‘Commitment, hard work, discipline.’ With commitment, hard work and discipline we will win and that’s our motto.”
Maddie Dimock led Holy Cross with three tries while Jayda Maybee and Laura Sicker scored a pair each against the Lions.
The Lions knew they would be in tough against Holy Cross but needed their 20-5 semifinal win against Cobourg’s St. Mary Thunder earlier in the day to advance to COSSA. Megan McCleary scored three tries for the Lions and Brooke Jank one.
“We saw Holy Cross earlier in the season and they’re a very difficult team to defend,” said Lions coach Sandy Keay.
“They’ve got some very strong, slashing runners so compliments to them on the strong game we knew we’d see.
“Today, for us, was about extending our season. We knew we had to win that morning game. We expended a lot of emotion and energy to get us another week of rugby.
“We got that trip to COSSA we were really gunning for. That’s the pride we have in our girls. They played for each other and with a lot of heart.”
Holy Cross seniors also beat Haliburton Highlands Redhawks 60-0 in semifinals.
The junior COSSA AA playoffs are Nov. 2 in Belleville.
In Kawartha AAA girls rugby, Lindsay’s I.E. Weldon Wildcats swept the junior and senior titles at Thomas A. Stewart Athletic Field.
The senior Wildcats beat the TASSS Griffins 14-5 while the junior Wildcats defeated TASSS 30-20.
Weldon will host the COSSA AAA championships next week with senior on Thursday and junior on Friday.