Eden eighth at OFSAA rugby
The Eden Flyers girls rugby team saw its season come to an end at the Ontario Federation of Secondary School Association championships in Peterborough with a 17-10 loss to second-seeded JF Ross in the quarter-finals.
JF Ross would go on to win the gold medal while 10th-ranked Eden ended up in eighth place.
The quarter-final game went back and forth with the Flyers trailing 10-5 at the half.
“We played out of this world and were right in it until the final whistle,” Eden coach Stef Pavlovich said. “The team we lost to went on to win their semi-final game by 20 points. Our only loss all season was to the OFSAA gold medal team in the quarter-finals.”
Madeleine Templeman and Lauren Vanderwier shared player of the game honours. Templeman was selected for her all-around play and kicking and Vanderwier was recognized for her defence and scoring Eden’s lone try.
The Flyers advanced to the quarter-finals with a 15-12 upset victory over Uxbridge, a former OFSAA silver medalist.
The game was tied 5-5 at the half before Uxbridge grabbed a 12-5 lead with five minutes left in the game. Eden tied the game 12-12 with two minutes left. There was a penalty against the other team on the last play, 30 metres back from the goal line and the Flyers decided to go for the penalty kick.
“The ref said, ‘Are you sure you want to go for the kick? There’s no time left on the clock. If she misses the kick, we would go into overtime.’ We made the penalty kick and won the game 15-12,” Pavlevich said. “Lots of university coaches said it was the best game they have seen in a very long time.”
Templeman was player of the game with a try, a convert, and the game-winning penalty kick.
“The girls played the game of their lives, and upset the former silver medallists on the very last play. For the first time in school history, we advanced to the championship side of the bracket. A milestone in itself.”
Last year, Eden finished in the top 12 at OFSAA.
“Despite the draw, the girls played with exceptional class, skill, execution and discipline throughout the entire tournament. Every post-secondary, provincial, and national team coach came to speak with our coaches about the talent and character of the Eden team,” she said. “While the end result is not what we had hoped for, our success as a team this season was far greater than the scoreboard because we gave it everything we had and left it all on the field.”
The OFSAA tournament impact player was presented to Nasia Priftis for her all-around game play and rising to the challenge each game. The teams OFSAA tournament MVP was Madelaine Templeman.
“The coaches want to say a big thank you and give a special mention to all the graduating student-athletes on leaving an incredible legacy with our program,” Pavelich said.
