2006 - Jr. Sundevils ranked 5th out of 43 Teams
Delta, B.C. -The South Delta Sundevils Junior rugby team has finished the season ranked 5th out of 43 teams within the Fraser Valley High School Rugby League – the best ever showing by an SDSS Junior Rugby team. Finishing first among all Delta Schools, the Sundevils were still required to win a wildcard match against Aldergrove Secondary if they hoped to qualify for the Fraser Valley Championship.
The Sundevils scored a decisive 24-3 victory over Aldergrove. Nick Mills opened the scoring with a nice try and Keagan McCabe successfully converted it. The second try was taken over the line by Tanar Rushworth and then McCabe took the ball over himself and successfully converted. Late in the game, Akiyasu Hammura made it defnitive, when he broke into open field and shuffled the ball to Jeremy Parks who took it over for the Sundevils finnal score. The win against Aldergrove advanced the Sundevils into a match against top ranked, Rick Hansen School of Abbotsford, who ultimately, ended up in the finnals against Semiahmoo.
The Sundevils lost in a hard played match with some great tackling and defensive grit. The loss forced the Sundevils into the lower half of the draw, now playing for the 5th – 8th positions.
The Sundevils rebounded in their next game with a hard fought 7-5 victory over 3rd ranked Robert Bateman School of Abbotsford. Will Blackwell scored the single try for the Sundevils and there was great drama when Robert Bateman School missed a penalty goal that would have won the game for them in the final seconds of play.
The Sundevils advanced into the finals against Clayton Heights School of Surrey. The first half was a tightly contested game by two evenly matched teams. The Sundevil pack played with lots of grit and determination and it paid off when Keagan McCabe went over for a score and successfully converted. Later in the game, Kevin Scott ran in a nice try and the Sundevils we able to hang on for a 14-5 victory .
Coach David Backwell was extremely happy with the play of his SDSS Junior squad this season. “ We had our most successful season in the history of the school and we have an excellent group of players. The grade 10 players will help stock our senior team next year and we‘ll still have a strong core group of grade 9 players returning next year.”
