The middle school rugby season wrapped up with a final series of games between Neill and Dunn Middle Schools.
In the end the EJ Dunn Seahawks out numbered and out lasted their crosss-town rivals to walk away with the title of Lamb’s Cup Champions.
The Seahawks had a number of players contribute to scoring in the games.
Anthony Ashby, Nolan Badovinac, Tynan Smyth, Warren Jimmy, Josh Marshall, Tyler Lavoie, Micaela Dick, Sophie Vanderlee, Julia McGowan, Courtney Lescorbeau, and Michel Kurucz all crossed the goal line to score trys for their team.
Boots on the field was the name of the game, Seahawks coach James Messenger said.
“At the middle school level the goal of our rugby program is to expose our athletes to the sport, start building their basic skills,” he said.
The teams played a modified version of seven aside and mix up the teams to maximize playing time and get the best match ups possible.
“I certainly saw all the players develop over the course of the eight week season,” Messenger said.
Rugby is offered to both boys and girls in Grades 6, 7 and 8 at EJ Dunn and Neill Middle Schools.
In March the Black Sheep Rugby Club visited PE classes at Neill and Dunn to introduce the sport to more than 800 students.
Following the introductory lessons the Black Sheep helped coach the after school program which had approximately 50 students from both schools participate.
At the end of Tuesday’s game ADSS women’s coach Ryan helped select a man and woman of the match from each team.
Hall and AW Neill Middle School coach Josh Shannon selected Micaela Dick from Dunn.
Bailey Atleo and Emma Offerin, both of whom attend Port Alberni Christian School but play for AW Neill, received woman of the match honors as well.
Coach Ryan Turner selected Anthony Ashby from Dunn and Trent from Neill as man of the match for their teams.