Strathmore Spartans rugby split against Oil Fields

Times Reporter

 

The Strathmore High girls rugby team shut out Oil Fields High School by a score of 19-0 on May 8; however, the boys lost a tough match, 22-12.

The young ladies put forth a great team effort, with strong tackling and ball movement. 

“In the last 15 minutes of the first half, the girls started to gain their rhythm,” girls’ coach Jerry Flaws said. He also noted that Erin Warrack played her best game of the year, quickly becoming one of the team’s most consistent players.

At the beginning of the month in the Vulcan Tournament, the Strathmore High Girls finished fourth among eight teams, with a record of 2-2.

On the boys’ side, coach Brad Steele couldn’t name names, but said the team had excellent tackling and rucking against Oil Fields.

“Unfortunately, just the little errors caught up with us and kept us from completing many plays,” Steele said. “We need to work on our basic skills, we just made too many ball handling errors. I think we played well enough overall to win, but some of our basic passing skills broke down.”

With a 2-2 record to start the season, the boys are most likely to finish third in their tier, and have a good chance to qualify for provincials. Steele’s team will lose roughly eight players after graduation; however, the younger students have gained experience and future seasons look hopeful.

“When both the girls and boys teams play well, they’re capable of beating anybody,” Steele said. “We haven’t seen a team that completely dominates us.”