The path to provincials will be decided this week in the South Central Zone.
Five Okotoks teams will take part in the senior boys and girls South Central Zone Championships at both the Tier I and Tier II levels vying for a spot in the first ASAA provincial rugby championships to be held in three years.
“We just need bodies, we’ve been short numbers, injuries, sickness, illness,” said Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School Spartans boys rugby coach Marc Boulianne. “When we went up to Croxford this week we only had 16. I just want to get everybody healthy so we can play.
“Our preparations are like always, we want to be solid on our defence, we want to ruck, want to have good set piece and then see where it falls.”
For the Spartans, a Tier II boys zone final date with the Springbank Phoenix is set for May 26 at the Calgary Rugby Union.
STS is looking to punch its ticket back to provincials after most recently finishing seventh at the 2019 championships along with a silver medal performance in 2018.
“I have no clue what (Springbank) is like,” Boulianne said. “They seem to be very competitive, they seem to be beating the teams that we’ve been beating and the teams we’ve been close to, they’ve been close to.
“It looks like it will be a nice even match. Hopefully it will be a good game for everyone involved.”
The Spartans produced a 4-1 record during the regular season, bookended by victories over Foothills Composite and Croxford.
“It’s really tough to decide what’s going on because these are schools that traditionally beat up on us,” the coach added. “I think it’s probably a question of experience, once they get the experience they usually do really, really well.
“I don’t know what to read about this season, it’s been so up-and-down, injuries here and there.”
The May 26 slate at zone also features semifinal action at the Tier I boys level with the Foothills Falcons clashing versus Bow Valley.
Awaiting the winner of that game is the Holy Trinity Academy Knights in the Tier I boys final on May 30.
The Tier I girls final will also feature Foothills and Bow Valley with the Tier II girls final pitting the Knights and Croxford.
All of the May 30 zone finals are 3 p.m. starts at the Calgary Rugby Union.
The ASAA Provincial Rugby Championships run June 3-4 in Edmonton.
