Shawnigan Lake School is celebrating after winning three medals, including gold in the 2A girls’ tournament, at the BC School Sports provincial rugby championships in Abbotsford on June 3.
Seeded first going into provincials, Shawnigan’s senior girls’ rugby team — known as the Iron Women — dominated the 2A girls’ tournament.
Shawnigan opened with an 84-0 win over North Delta, then defeated Abbotsford 77-0 in the semifinals the following day.
Finally, they beat D.W. Poppy 22-5 in the gold-medal match on Saturday, June 3.
“The Iron Women really came together to finish the season on a high,” senior girls’ head coach Shannon Atkins said. “They executed perfect rugby the whole tournament and that was because of the extreme effort that all 38 players put into improvement. We are so pleased with the passion and dedication that each player exhibited.”
Atkins also lauded the play of Shawnigan’s captains, Sofia Atkins and Ava Ference. Sofia Atkins has committed to play at the University of Guelph next year, and Ference has committed to Harvard University.
“They were terrific leaders, and helped the team really reach their potential,” said the coach.
Shawnigan’s senior boys were also seeded first going into the 3A boys’ provincials.
They beat Mount Boucherie 57-3 in the first round on June 1, then downed Oak Bay 38-10 in the semifinals on June 2 before ultimately falling to St. George’s 20-14 in the final on the evening of Saturday, June 3.
“The final game was a tight, hard-fought battle,” senior boys’ head coach Jeff Williams said. “Saints took the lead with about five minutes to go, and we were unable to pull it out in the end. Overall, it was a great season, with good player leadership. The coaches are extremely proud of how far this group has come.”
Shawnigan’s junior boys’ team — the Colts — placed third in their provincial tournament, matching their pre-tournament seeding. Shawnigan defeated South Delta 41-0 in the first round, then lost to St. George’s, the eventual champions, in a 24-22 semifinal nail-biter. They regrouped for the final, beating Oak Bay 26-8.
In other provincial high school action, Brentwood finished seventh at the 2A tier 2 boys provincials while Cowichan Secondary was fourth at the 3A girls provincials.
