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(Posted
10:30 a.m., May 31)
Knights successfully defend high school rugby championship
By Fred Sherwin
Orléans Online
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 Members
of the St. Peter Knights senior boys rugbey
team pose with the championship trophy after
successfully defenong their NCSSAA title on
Tuesday. Fred Sherwin/Photo
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The
St. Peter Knights senior boys rugby team is heading back
to the OFSAA provincial championships after success-fully
defending the National Capital high school championship
last week.
The
Knights managed to avoid the drama of last year’s title
game, which went into sudden death penalty kicks, by scoring
early against the Sacred Heart Huskies and keeping them
out of the goal area and off the scoreboard for the rest
of the game.
The
match was not without controversy, however, as the second
half was marred by a number of stoppages due to questionable
conduct by the Huskies, including at least one incidental
blow to the head of a Knights player. Fortunately, time
was called before the situation got a chance to get out
of hand entirely.
The
Knights got on the scoreboard early in the first half
on a try by Dominic Wheeler which capped several phases
with the ball starting near midfield.
The
early try was reminiscent of the regular season match
up between the two teams which the Huskies won 14-12.
That game came down to a missed convert attempt by St.
Peter.
The
Knights failed to convert their early try in the championship
game which left the door open for the Huskies to steal
the title with a converted try of their own. As things
turned out, they would never get the chance. St. Peter’s
defence and tackling were stellar and the Huskies didn’t
even get close to the try line.
After
the game, Knights veteran head coach LeeAnn Napiorkowski
was asked to compare this year’s championship squad to
last year’s side.
“It’s
their passion and the support they have for each other.
They’ve really bought into the notion that were a family.
Before a big game, I always ask each player what are they
playing for, and they all said my brothers, my teammates.
They’ve formed a really solid bond and that’s hard to
break,” said Napiorkowski.
The
Knights finished the regular season with a 4-1 record.
Their only loss was against the Huskies on May 16. They
beat the Glebe Gryphons 19-5 in the semi-final to earn
their spot in the title game. The Huskies received a bye
into the final, thanks to their first place finish in
the regular season.
The
Knights will now head to the OFSAA AAA provincial championships
in London which will be held from June 7-9.
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The St. Peter Knights pose for a team photo following their win over the Sacred Heart Huskies in the NCSSAA senior boys rugby final on May 29 Members of the team include Liam Curran, Dom Wheeler, Zak Karim, Devon Connors, Pierre Hardy-Gouombas, Alex Issa, Connor Millenor, Tristan Oullette, François Therrien, Dan Aucoin, Brayden Gray, Blaise Rego, Liam Massey, Nick Andre, Jackson Bender, Ethan Cahill, Miguel Kabore, Peter Tran, Bobby Lachambre, Sam Henriques, Jeff Xia, Pat Bouchard, Sean Brownrigg, Liam Paquette, Kieran Blair, Phil Dionne, Josh Cochrane, Nathaniel Mulugeta, Jake Auclair, Adrian Poirier, Mike Tough and Ayam Qawas.. Fred Sherwin/Photo
(This
story was made possible thanks to the generous support of
our local business partners.)
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