King’s-Edgehill Highlanders win titles at N.S. rugby tournament
Future of rugby in province considered ‘very bright’
Rugby fans had the opportunity to watch athletes showcase their skills during a special high school tournament in Windsor.
The event, hosted by Canada’s oldest independent school — King’s-Edgehill School (KES), was held April 22-24.
“From our end at the school, we were happy with how it went, and from what we’ve heard from coaches and players and fans, people enjoyed it too,” said Rory Campbell, who coaches the girls’ team and helped organize the tournament.
Traditionally every spring, high school rugby teams from across the Maritimes converge on Rothesay Netherwood School’s campus in New Brunswick for RugbyFest. Due to Covid concerns in New Brunswick, Nova Scotian athletes weren’t invited this year.
After three years of startand-stop rugby action, KES decided to provide the young athletes with a tournament of their own.
“It was nice to see rugby back, nice to invite so many people to our campus and to our town. There were lots of positives; we were very pleased,” said Campbell.
The tournament featured two divisions — the Taylor Division (girls) and the Baker Division (boys); with each division split into two pools of
four teams.
For the Taylor Division, Pool A consisted of KES, Charles P. Allen (CPA), Bay View, and Northumberland; Pool B consisted of Avon View (AV), Lockview, Park View Education Centre and Halifax West.
For the Baker Division, Pool A consisted of AV, CPA, Hants East, and Horton; Pool B consisted of KES, Bayview, Northumberland and Park View.
DAY 1 HIGHLIGHTS
In girls’ action, KES blanked CPA 39-0 to kick off the tournament; Lockview then blew out AV 70-0; Northumberland downed Bayview 42-0, and Halifax West edged out Park View by a score of 27-22.
On the boys’ side of play, the scores were much closer. CPA took down Avon View
DAY 2 HIGHLIGHTS
The girls’ teams had less blowouts on the second day of play. Bayview defeated CPA 20-5 and KES downed Northumberland 21-5. Lockview took no mercy against Park View, winning 61-7.
AV and Halifax West remained tied 17-17 at the end of their match. King’sEdgehill Highlanders defeated Bayview 28-0 and Northumberland blanked CPA 50-0. Avon View put on a strong showing against Park View, winning 41-10.
Lockview’s second game of the day ended with them winning 66-7 over Halifax West.
CPA eked out a 10-7 win over Hants East to start the second day of play for the boys.
AV defeated Horton 20-12, then Northumberland edged Bayview 19-17. Following lunch, KES blanked Park View 30-0 and Hants East held on defensively to record a 17-0 victory over AV.
One try by CPA proved to be the only points scored when they took on Horton, finishing the match 5-0. KES had a close match with Northumberland, winning 15-12. Bayview defeated Park View 43-22 to close out the day.
DAY 3 HIGHLIGHTS
King’s-Edgehill’s girls’ team bested their across town rivals Avon View 35-5 in a spirited match that remained close throughout the first half.
The Lockview Dragons once again emerged victorious for the girls during the play downs, winning 33-0 against the Northumberland Nighthawks.
KES and Lockview advanced to the afternoon final, with the Highlanders winning 35-31.
Campbell said it was a great game to watch.
“They’re a very strong team. They had won all of their games all weekend and we had won all of our games,” Campbell said. “It was very, very close game.”
He said there were several highlights, including the play of Windsor’s Ava Shearer, who is in Grade 10, and Hayden Lilly, who has scored a try in every single rugby game she’s played. Sarah Hardy, a senior, also put in a strong weekend performance.
“The highlight for me was just seeing 16 teams from
New Glasgow to Bridgewater and everywhere in-between playing rugby together,” said Campbell.
“At the end of the day, the scores don’t matter. The wins and losses — the kids will all forget about that stuff but they will remember being with their teammates and meeting someone after a game. That, to me, is the best part.”
National rugby star Emma Taylor, a former King’s-Edgehill student, was on hand to present the banner named in her honour.
On the boys’ side, CPA defeated Northumberland 24-12 and KES defeated Hants East 20-5 to advance to the final.
The Highlanders then emerged victorious over CPA with a 17-5 win.
Michael Baker, the father of the late Josh Baker, who the division was named in memory of, was on hand to speak to the teams following the tough battle.
“It was cold and it was windy. I can tell you it would not have been an easy 45 minutes. These guys and gals came out in their rugby uniforms, which was shorts and short sleeves, and they gave it their all. I was impressed,” he said in a phone interview.
“To me, the skill and heart that makes rugby so exciting was on display for sure,” Baker said of the tournament.
“I think the future of rugby in Nova Scotia is going to be very bright.”
Baker’s son Josh, who developed a love of rugby while at KES, died in April 2021.
“Josh was described as the fiercest competitor yet the gentlest of gentlemen; tough as they come and a friend to all. A gentle soul — and you know what, that captures rugby as a whole,” said Baker, reflecting on the words that headmaster Joe Seagram said about Josh when he graduated from KES.
“Together, these teams are fierce and competitive. Independently, they’re respectful, they’re just a great group of kids,” Baker said.
He said his family was touched by the school naming the division after their son and said Josh would have been humbled by the recognition.
“It was quite an honour to see Josh remembered this way and moving forward, if this could be an annual tournament, I think it would just serve Rugby Nova Scotia wonderfully.”
Campbell said making it an annual event is something the school is considering.