On the flight home from Quebec earlier this week, every member of Team BC’s rugby program needed to pass a medal through the security check.
Four provincial rugby sides – which included 17 players from South Surrey, Cloverdale and White Rock – finished on the podium at the Rugby Canada National Championship Festival, which wrapped up Aug. 12 in Sherbrooke, Que.
Team BC’s U18 and U16 boys teams both rolled through nationals undefeated en route to gold medals, while B.C.’s U18 girls team and U16-2 (development) team claimed bronze.
The U18 boys – which had former Semiahmoo Totem Dylan Kiselbach, and former Earl Marriott Mariners Quinton Willms and Ian McMaster on the roster – won their gold-medal game convincingly, 40-16 over Alberta. In the semifinals, they edged their rivals from Ontario, 25-19.
“This is a great group of guys… They are a diverse team which shows how much talent we have all around the province. This is a great way for them to finish off their under-18 rugby careers,” said BC head coach Jeff Williams.
“We had a tough game against Ontario yesterday and a lot of the guys were pretty beat up. I think it says a lot about their character that they were able to go out and play like they just did. Heading into today’s final we were striving for a complete game and I think we came pretty close to that.”
The U16 champs, meanwhile, edged Ontario 15-13 to take top spot, one day after beating B.C.’s other U16 team in semifinals, 24-5.
Five local players dotted the U16 lineup – Drew Coles, Nick Collett, Nico Docolas, Calixto Martinez and Gavin Rowell, while two more – Tim Stephens and Nick Wright – suited up for the B.C. development team. That squad won bronze with a 12-7 win over Ontario-2.
The U18 girls team lost just once during round-robin action – a 15-10 loss to Alberta – but also earned three wins by shutout: 13-0 over Saskatchewan, 48-0 over Manitoba and 92-0 over New Brunswick.
In semifinal action, Team BC again fell to Alberta, 13-8, but rebounded in the bronze-medal match, beating Quebec 13-0.
The girls team was heavy on local talent, as Nikolina Boundy, Jenna and Jade Elidoros, April Martin and Alex Mueller – all of Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary – were on the team, as were Semiahmoo’s Sierra Bonner and Earl Marriott’s Nicole Bengco. All seven are members of Bayside Rugby, which plays out of South Surrey Athletic Park.