WINDSOR, N.S. — King's-Edgehill School's senior girls' rugby team had hoped to face off against their Hants County rival at least one more time this year but Horton dashed those dreams May 22.
The Horton Griffins took on KES in the Western Zone Division 1 semi-final and won 29-15. While they outscored King's-Edgehill, both teams put on a good show for fans of the local rugby scene.
Rory Campbell, the coach for King's-Edgehill's girls' team, said the mood was sombre after the loss but was pleased with how they fared over the entire season.
“It's one of those things. I said to the kids, sports are great in that you have the highest of highs but you (also) have the lowest of lows... It's much like life,” said Campbell.
“The girls were disappointed but I really tried to tell them and encourage them to focus on all the good things that happened... this year.”
Campbell said they saw an increase in interest in the sport on campus — providing them with enough players to form a junior varsity team for the first time.
The senior girls team will be losing a lot of key members due to graduation, including team captains Tessa Firth, Morgan Rogers, Amy Marchand-Dion and Kenzie Cecchetto, who all played their hearts out in the semi-final.
“When we were down by more than we probably could recover from, they never quit. You can't help but be nothing but proud of the kids when they do that,” said Campbell.
King's-Edgehill made a strong push in the second half of the game but couldn't capitalize on their chances.
“We had a couple of injuries that we were trying to manage. We didn't get some breaks early on and Horton played really well and we just couldn't really get into our groove,” said Campbell.
“Coach (Dave) Galloway, he's been doing this for years, and he's an exceptional coach. It showed today. His girls were ready.”
Avon View, who defeated KES to claim first place in the final league game on May 17, easily defeated Parkview 66-5 in their semi-final match on May 22. Avon View now hosts Horton for the Western Region Division 1 final on May 24 at 4:30 p.m. Both teams will be advancing to provincials.
“Definitely we would have loved to have gone to provincials and we still think we can play with anyone in the province... but we knew long ago that three of the best teams are in the western region and we knew that only two would go,” said Campbell.
“I wish both Horton and Avon View the best of luck. I won't be surprised if we see one or both of these teams in the provincial final, which would be great to see for rugby in this region.”
