The Foothills Falcons first foray into sevens rugby had a golden last-second finish.
Savanah Sommerfeldt broke a 10-10 deadlock with a game-and-provincial winning try, running through the Raymond Comets defence to lift the Falcons to the Tier I girls title in their debut at the Alberta Schools’ Athletic Association Provincial Rugby Sevens Championships.
“We knew it was going down to the wire,” Sommerfeldt said. “Me and every single player on that field gave everything we had to get that try through and be here now.”
The seesaw final saw the Comets rally for a late try in regulation with sudden death overtime looming.
Not so fast.
Sommerfeldt returned the ensuing kickoff, barreling into the Comets defence and then turning on the afterburners for a dramatic game-ending score.
“They’re a very talented team and every team we have played has been, I’ve been impressed with the level of competition,” Sommerfeldt said. “They’re a solid team, know what they’re doing and kudos to them for getting here as well.
“What really pulled it together for us was everyone on our team came together.”
The Comets jumped out to a 5-0 lead and following a stalemate first half were poised to go into the break with the lead.
A last-minute counter from the Falcons changed those plans with Anna Murray teeing up winger Ciera Schmirler for a 50-yard scamper into the try zone.
“Anna popped it to me and I just ran knowing their girl was right behind me and just sprinting, that was intense,” Schmirler said. “When we scored, I thought we have a chance, we’re going to do this and then it got really nerve-racking.
“But it was just knowing that we could do it, that we have the skills and the level to play.”
Sommerfeldt gave Foothills its first lead following strong work off a scrum early in the second half after the halftime talk reiterated what it was going to take to win.
“As soon as it was tied at halftime, we came together and said let’s work together, this is how we’ve got here, working together and it doesn’t stop now, it’s a collective effort,” Sommerfeldt said.
Foothills got by Memorial in the semifinal and in pool play earned victories over Medicine Hat High, John Maland and St. Francis Xavier.
Schmirler, a Grade 11 student, said the title gives the team a jolt to go and win it again.
“I’m so glad to be a part of this,” Sommerfeldt added. “This is huge for us, I really hope that what we’ve been able to do inspires other people to come play next year and in future years.
“To know this is the first time we’ve ever put in a sevens team and we were able to win provincials, I really hope we’re able to continue on this legacy.”
Knights on cusp of provincial medal
The Holy Trinity Academy Knights also showcased the strength of Okotoks rugby with a fourth-place finish in the Tier I boys ranks at the ASAA Provincial Championships.
“I saw our sevens team really step up and I saw them basically get better every game,” said HTA head coach Jason Krueger. “We had a relatively inexperienced rugby team with our sevens team with a lot of really good athletes.
“And this weekend it was just nice to see them bring a lot of things together and play really good rugby.”
In the bronze medal match, the Knights rallied in the second half to force sudden death overtime versus the Catholic Central Cougars. Following a stalemate extra session, the Cougars quickly capitalized off a penalty deep in the HTA zone to take the five-point victory.
“I can’t fault my boys for their effort,” the coach added. “They played every game until the end and it’s one of those things, did they run out of a bit of gas there? It’s hard for me to pinpoint exactly where we could have played differently.
“I think in the last game our guys were maybe a bit tired and they took a few chances and sometimes that pans out and sometimes it doesn’t. That’s just how rugby goes.”
HTA got to the playoff round with a perfect opening day of competition, earning the top seed in Pool B with convincing wins over John Maland, Archbishop O'Leary and Catholic Central. On day two, the Knights were knocked off by the Henry Wise Wood Warriors in a competitive semifinal.
The Warriors went on to defeat the LCI Rams in the gold medal match. Calgary's West Island College took the Tier II provincial title with the Strathmore Spartans capturing the Tier II title in the girls competition.
