What a way to prepare for provincials.
The Holy Trinity Academy Knights downed the young Foothills Falcons 37-7 in Big Sky Girls Rugby Union action Thursday Knight at HTA.
Rack it up to experience and a close-knit group.
“We worked really well as a team and knew exactly what to do,” said the Knights Grade 12 fullback Atlanta Evis. “It just came naturally tonight.”
The Knights moved the ball as naturally as a bee heading for a flower – with precision and purpose.
They also stung hard.
“We were passing really well and we made sure that we hit the tackles hard and that we were in the rucks — we won the rucks,” Evis said.
The Knights took an early 7-0 lead on a try by their all-league no. 8 Rylee Stone.
The Falcons rebounded with a try from speedster Larissa Little to tie the game at 7-7.
The Knights were then off to the races.
HTA racked up 30 unanswered points en route to the victory. They also racked up experience — they substituted freely in the second half to give their younger players playing time.
Knights coach Katie Marchant was pleased with the team’s discipline in what is always an intense game when these two cross-town rivals hit the pitch.
“We didn’t get scrappy, we kept our composure,” Marchant said. “Foothills brought it and played tough.
“This is a hometown rivalry and we came out on top.”
The Knights had two trys from Stone and Julianne Gross while Evis, Colleen Rab and Grade 10 rookie Payton Kaenel contributed one try.
The rookie Kaenel was a beneficiary of the Knights’ strong overlap – the ball often ending up in her hands after a series of precise passes.
“I like being the wing, because I’m always at the end,” Kaenel said. “I’m the last person to get the pass and it’s usually open and I can just run.”
It’s not a coincidence.
“We have been focusing on drawing the person in and creating the overlap,” Marchant said. “It’s back to basics. Our forwards can only work so hard, we have to monopolize on our backs. Our backs are quick and they have good hands.”
No excuses from the Falcons.
Foothills just came up against a talented, experienced team hoping to go deep into provincials.
“They are a very good team, I’m not going to lie,” said Falcons prop Eden McCarthy. “Their rucks were amazing. In the second half, I think we got more aggressive, we battled.”
Falcons no. 8 Denver Van Der Kooi said it was a learning experience for the young squad.
“This is my first year playing and I learned I have to play a lot tougher,” she said.
Falcons head coach Jeff Mason, ever the educator, agreed.
He said his girls played hard and it did them some good to play a tough Knights team that battles for everything and doesn’t give an inch.
“That’s the way we want to be, but we are young and learning,” Mason said. “We are getting there.”
The Knights, who are 4-0 in the Big Sky, will now go straight to the Tier I rugby provincials in Lethbridge on June 3-4. HTA opted to move up to the higher division.
The 2-2 Falcons will host Springbank at 5 p.m. on Thursday before playing Strathmore on May 25 at the Calgary Rugby Union for the South Central zone Tier II title.
The Oilfields Drillers will play the Highwood Mustangs at 5 p.m. in High River Thursday. Both of those teams will play-a-yet-to-be-determined opponent in the Tier III South Central zone semifinal on May 25 at the Calgary Rugby Union.
