This high school rugby icebreaker wasn’t short on dramatics.
The Foothills Falcons saved their best for last, securing a game winning try from Kyle Hartle on the final play of a seesaw Big Sky Rugby season opener to edge the host Strathcona-Tweedsmuir Spartans 31-26 on April 14.
“We kept our heads down and went straight to get a try at the end,” said Hartle, who notched the game-winning try in his high school rugby debut. “We had one rush left and executed it very well. Thomas (Isherwood) passed it back and I ran it in.”
The Falcons looked to have a firm grasp on the contest in the first half with a number of newcomers to the sport strutting their athleticism.
Falcons star quarterback Trey Kellogg showcased a rugby acumen on the wing position with a massive run setting the stage for a 20-yard try from Grade 10 scrumhalf McKinley Roberts along with a successful convert from Isherwood.
The Spartans, defending Tier II provincial champions, would bounce back almost immediately.
The STS forward pod grinded its way down the field and Jack Dexter finished off the move to get the hosts on the board.
The Spartans were marching again minutes later only to have captain Ethan Dokter’s offload deftly picked off by Falcons winger Mwambi Chali. The Foothills ace wide receiver then turned on the jets for a brilliant try to bring the Falcons lead to 14-5 at the break.
Boasting a much deeper bench, the Spartans managed to work their way back into the contest by wearing the short-bodied Falcons down. Roberts and Noah Law both went down to injuries and STS took advantage on a try from Michael Kashmirian to cut the deficit to two points.
The momentum swung right back to Foothills when Josh Clutterbuck refused to go down, carrying a number of Spartans tacklers with him near the try line. After being turned back, Foothills’ Isherwood quickly worked the ball to the right flank for outside-centre Brendan Lowry to finish the move off.
The topsy-turvy contest would swing back in the Spartans’ favour.
On a line-out, Dokter took advantage of some confusion in the ranks and smartly scampered into the try-zone.
“We have a lot of guys and typically we’re quite fit as a group which means we can go the distance,” said Spartans head coach Chris Ruskay. “We’re usually a little undersized compared to other schools, but that physical fitness carries us through.
“That kept us in the game and allowed us to keep running with them.”
The Falcons jumped back into the lead with the Grade 10 Isherwood again serving as playmaker as he found Kellogg for a sublime 30-yard major.
With only seconds remaining, the Spartans quickly secured the ball right back on the kick-off and Dokter again provided the finishing touches on a 40-yard try in the final minute. Ryan Verburg would add the convert to give the Spartans a 26-24 advantage, their first lead of the contest.
It would not last. The Falcons were able to swiftly return the favour on the kick-off before Isherwood sprung Hartle for the last second major. Isherwood added the convert from an acute angle for good measure to see out the five-point victory.
“This is a pretty big deal for us,” said Isherwood. “Most of our team hasn’t played (rugby) before, they’re all ex-football players. We’ve just got to come out to next practice and keep firing on all cylinders.”
Minus some late-game execution, the Spartans impressed with a largely new roster themselves. STS lost 11 of its players from last season to graduation.
“We knew they were going to come in with a big, strong team with athletic guys,” Ruskay added. “We have a lot of newbies and we were kind of thinking well ‘where are we at?’ And this really is a good yardstick for us. We were able to run with those guys and played good rugby against them the whole way through.”
The Spartans will look to get in the win column in Big Sky Rugby when they get back on the pitch on April 20 and host the Highwood Mustangs.
Foothills’ home debut on April 20 against West Island College was cancelled. The Falcons’ next game action is April 27 at Bow Valley.
