The Grade 10 players took on the Crimson Tide U16 squad, as part of the latter’s preparation for the upcoming Provincial Regional Championship. In glorious conditions, and just after a fly-by courtesy of the Snowbirds (in Esquimalt as part of the Canadian Royal Navy’s 100th Anniversary), SMUS captured an entertaining and well-played match 36-15. Winger Dawit Workie, centre Joe Erlic, flanker Jeff Nishima, hooker Peter Harrison and lock Truan Forsyth (2), scored tries with fly half Derek Hyde-Lay adding three conversions.

The pack laid the foundation for the victory, with props Jacky Chuang and Jacob Duvenage impressive in all phases of play. Flanker Quinn Kliman made lots of tackles while scrum half Alex Davies enjoyed his best outing of the year.

In a 13-aside game, the Grade 9 squad helped the Vancouver Island U14 rep side prepare for the BC Summer Games. Led by a Wayne Lin hat trick, and with fine contributions from captain Sam Reid, centre Colton Stockus and forwards Alex Campbell and Charlie Gannon, SMUS prevailed 50-33 in a thirteen try thriller. Of note for the Island side were the performances of both Max Pollen and Simon Gray, who, though only in Grade 7 at SMUS, displayed great skill.

It was also a memorable weekend for two SMUS coaches, as Nanyak Dala and Ander Monro were part of an impressive Senior Men’s performance in the Churchill Cup, being played in Denver. Both were outstanding in Canada’s 48-6 victory over Uruguay and then again in a spectacular 33-27 upset of France “A.” The team now moves on to play England Saxons in the tournament final on June 19.

Our Senior men placed sixth in the finals of both their events, the Senior Men’s Quad and Senior Men’s Four with Coxswain. Our Senior women placed fourth in the Senior Women’s Quad and fourth in an exciting finish of the Senior Women’s Double. The Senior Lightweight Women’s Four with Coxswain won the bronze medal in SMUS’ first entry in this event!

In the Junior Women’s Four, SMUS rowed at the front of the field for the length of the course, finishing with 2 lengths clear to win the gold medal and the Beta Sigma Phi Trophy.

The SMUS teams in the Junior Women’s Double, the Junior Men’s Four with Coxswain and the Junior Men’s Double came through their heats to reach the semi-finals on Saturday in very competitive events. Two Grade 9 boys, Liam Hyatt and Luke Friswell, entered in the Senior Men’s Lightweight Pair and performed well in their strong heat.

Thank you very much to our coaches Mrs. Walker-Curry, Mr. Curry and Mrs. Hall for their encouragement and support through the whole season and at the regatta- despite snow, rain, wind and sun. Thanks also to coaches Brett Malcolm and Bea Seaman. Our appreciation to St. Michaels University School for the generous support of our crew and to all the parents for your support – your athletes did you proud!

• Senior Men Quad: Harrison Duncan, Maxim Ellison, Kieran Hyatt and Brandon Ewonus
• Senior Men Four: Harrison Duncan, Maxim Ellison, Brandon Ewonus and Kieran Hyatt, with cox Alicia Pawluk
• Senior Women Double: Mickey Aylard and Maryann Watson
• Senior Women Quad: Caryn Dooner, Rachael Ellis, Mickey Allard and Maryann Watson
• Senior Womens Lightweight Four: Julia Milden, Hannah Nielson, Rachael Ellis and Caryn Dooner, with cox Alicia Pawluk
• Junior Women coxed Four: Julia Milden, Lihani Du Plessis, Alexis Thind and Hannah Nielson, with cox Chris Fenje
• Junior Womens Pair: Lihani DuPlessis and Alexis Thind
• Junior Mens Coxed Four: Liam Hyatt, Luke Friswell, Logan Gilmore and Taylor Ellison with cox Chris Fenje
• Senior Men Lightweight Pair: Double Liam Hyatt, Luke Friswell
• Junior Men Double: Logan Gilmore and Taylor Ellison

Senior Girls Soccer
The Senior girls soccer team were in their final week of competition this past week. The team was in Kamloops competing at the provincial championships. On day one, SMUS was matched up against LV Rogers from Nelson and Brock from Kamloops. The girls earned two victories winning 3-0 and 2-0 respectively. Lisa Evans found the net once and Marta Bakowska scored a pair in each game.

SMUS had their final pool game against St. Thomas More on the morning of day 2. A 2-0 win put them atop their pool and into the semi-final game. Goals were scored by Sydney Green and Meredith Witoski. In the semi –final, SMUS was matched up against Burnsview from Delta. An early goal made Burnsview the eventual winner.

The girls still had a chance to bring home a medal in the third and fourth place game against Archbishop Carney on day three. Carney scored in the 19th minute which left SMUS down 1-0 for most of the game. In the 72nd minute of the 80 minute match, Lisa Evans capitalized on a cross and tied the game at 1. SMUS didn’t let up and with two minutes to go in the game, Marta Bakowska found space in front of the net and put away her fifth goal of the tournament. The final score would remain 2-1 for SMUS who brings home the bronze medal. Selby Knudsen was named to the tournament’s commissioner 11 for her solid goalkeeping and Marta Bakowska earned the Golden Boot for most goals scored by a player throughout the tournament.

Senior Rugby
The 10-7 defeat to Yale in the first round of the BC AAA Tournament ensured that the 1st XV could do no better than a 9th place overall finish in the event, as the final three rounds took place June 2-5 in Abbotsford.

In a season wrecked by injury, there was a certain irony that a number of key players, though not perhaps 100% healthy, were able to at least take part in the final three games. That the group then played so well only underlined what might have been possible had all been available the past ten weeks.

In the end, and en route to the aforementioned 9th place, SMUS easily defeated Rick Hansen (43-7), Handsworth (29-10) and Earl Marriott (36-15), with the latter game the team’s best of the year in terms of balance, skill and overall performance.

Hopefully, though outstanding servants of SMUS Rugby, such as Joe Shan, Mike Fuailefau, Jure Erlic, Won Jin Kim, Luke McCloskey and Marc van der Wal move on, the younger players who were thrown into the breach will show the benefits come the 2011 season.

At Grade 9-10 level, some 40 players continue to train, with an eye to matches on June 12 vs the Crimson Tide U16 and Vancouver Island U14 select teams.

For SMUS, at Grade 10 level, the decision to try and field teams in both the A and B competitions was probably unwise, as both squads only just made it to the end of the day after five matches each. The A squad, after going 1-1-1 in pool play, fell 20-15 to Shawnigan in a well played semifinal, while the B squad, in a six team round robin, beat Brentwood and Spectrum to open proceedings before falling to Oak Bay, Shawnigan and Claremont.

Of the Grade 10 players, Colin Hawes and Jorge Canedo played with distinction.

The Grade 9 teams proved more fortunate, with the A team mowing down all comers in an impressive performance. In every game, the speed and guile of Dawit Workie, allied to the experience and general ball skills of Dave Pollen, Sam Reid, Keenan Manhas, Fynn Kehl and Marcus Lelewski proved too much for the opposition, with Oak Bay on the wrong end of a 40-15 scoreline in the final. Colton Stockus, Wayne Lin and Cole Tamburri rounded out this championship squad.

The B team also acquitted themselves very well, drawing 20-20 with an athletic Spencer crew before upsetting Vic High in the semifinals. In the final, with Zach Kahn and Steve Whillans to the fore, a last second Shawnigan try proved to be the difference in a 10-5 final game.

After a regular season marred by setbacks and narrow defeats, the 1st XV took to the field in the first round of the BC AAA Tournament, hoping to write a good concluding chapter to an otherwise disappointing season. But it was not to be. Denied any possession for long periods by a well organized though limited Yale side, SMUS, led by Marc van de Wal, and Grade 10s Joe Erlic and Jeff Nishima, defended efficiently and in numbers. With ten minutes to play, flanker Joe Furness blocked a clearing kick and pounced on the ball for a try converted by Charlie Southwell. However, while this gave SMUS a 7-3 lead, the advantage was shortlived, as Yale scored shortly thereafter and hung on for a narrow 10-7 victory.

With the loss, SMUS is condemned to the consolation side of the BC draw, with Rounds 2-4 of the tournament set for the Fraser Valley from June 2-5. The team is matched first with #15 seed Rick Hansen of Abbotsford.

The next match, against a depleted Lambrick squad was a 10-1 blowout and gave a variety of players the opportunity to see some action. As the number one seed SMUS entered the semifinals in what should have been the most advantageous position; however, as luck would have it, a very strong Shawnigan team was upset by GNS, forcing a premature playoff between the top two teams on the Island.

While SMUS played hard, we came up short in key matchups, ending the tennis season far too quickly for everyone’s taste. A strong showing with an unfortunate end captures the essence of the 2010 Island Championships. However, if the returning players continue to work hard throughout the next year, SMUS will undoubtedly come away with a far more favorable outcome in 2011.

Junior Rugby
A busy and important week saw four games played, two at Grade 9 level and two at 1st XV level.
At the younger age group, the squad travelled first to North Vancouver, for a return engagement with powerful Carson Graham. Any hope of a flowing, open game was sabotaged by the relentless rain, which pounded down from the opening kickoff right to the end.

Nonetheless, with Dawit Workie’s kicking from flyhalf gaining lots of territory, SMUS hung in throughout, and, following a Fynn Kehl try, narrowed an early deficit to 26-17. However, a late turnover allowed the host Eagles one final score.
The next day, this time at Oak Bay, the team weathered an early home onslaught and bounced back impressively to lead 10-5 through much of the second half. A late Oak Bay tally leveled the contest at 10-10, but the result still represented for SMUS a significant improvement – they were defeated by the same team three weeks earlier. As usual, Keenan Manhas, Marcus Lelewski and Sam Reid stepped up, while the addition of Dave Pollen steadied the backline.

Next week, the Grade 9 and 10 players take part in the 1st Annual SMUS Junior Boys Sevens Tournament. Then, the Grade 10 team will travel to Oak Bay for a return engagement, anxious to reverse the disappointment of a 17-15 Alumni Weekend defeat.

Senior Rugby
The 1st XV, absolutely riddled with injury and illness, had to field several 2nd XV players and give debuts to Grade 10 players Derek Hyde-Lay, Joe Erlic, Jeff Nishima and Forrest Paton in a key playoff match vs Reynolds. With BC AAA qualification on the line, an early try by Mike Fuailefau settled nerves, and the team, with fullback Eric Beban notching two tallies and three conversions, put enough play together to advance 31-0. All the newcomers performed with credit.
This win advanced the team to the Howard Russell final against an in-form Oak Bay side. Effective use of a strong wind, a tactic lacking in previous games, allowed SMUS to go to the break 7-5 ahead. However, playing into the elements in the second half was always going to prove problematic, and so it proved. At 13-7 down, a critical SMUS handling area near the goal-line gave Oak Bay position to punch in the crucial try, with the eventual 25-12 home score-line a fair reflection on 70 minutes of play.

For SMUS, Zac Austin, moved up to prop, enjoyed another stellar outing, while Eali Hopper, Nishima and Joe Furness formed an all action backrow. Joe Shan marked his welcome return from a knee complaint with a superb display, anchoring the scrum and popping up time and time again in defence around the rucks and mauls.

The loss, on the heels of the other recent defeats, condemned SMUS to a #10 seed in the upcoming provincial championships and a place in the tournament’s toughest quarter of the draw. Still, there is cause for optimism. A repeat of the gritty effort displayed by a seriously outmanned side vs Oak Bay and the possible return from injury of key performers such as Marc vander Wal, Luke McLoskey, Jure Erlic, and Reed Plasterer suggests that the team could return to the form of seven weeks ago, when seeded #2 in the province and a very real medal contender.

Next, the 1st XV begins BC AAA play with an opening round contest against powerful Yale.

Other rugby news of note sees the Canada U20 side playing in Moscow for the iRB World Trophy. The team is captained by Andrew Crow ’08, with fellow 2008 SMUS grad Beau Parker also in the squad. So far, the team has beaten Zimbabwe 22-6 but lost to the host Russians 17-15. A critical pool match vs. Japan remains, with the winner almost certainly advancing to the tournament final and facing either Italy or Uruguay.

Track and Field
The 2010 track and field season came to a close this week with the completion of the Island championships held on May 19th and 20th. Although no senior athletes secured a berth to the upcoming provincial championships, strong performances were delivered by Austin Smith in the 8oo metres as well as Musu Ofusu, Emily Mulroney, Jim Wei and Adain Morrice in the 100 and 200 sprint events. Leo Marchand ran an excellent 3000m, finishing 4th and narrowly missing a chance to compete in the provincial meet. On the junior team, Allie White placed an impressive 3rd place in the shot put and challenged the top runners in both the 800 and 200 metre races, while Lindon Carter ran an outstanding 200 metre race to finish 3rd in an extremely competitive 200 metre final. Congratulations to all the competitors and finalists that took part in a busy and productive season.

Middle School Rugby
Grade 6 and 7 rugby rounded out their spring season by traveling to St. George’s School, Vancouver to play in the ISA tournament. Three teams were entered, one team playing in the open weight division and two teams in the under 115lb division.

After an early departure from SMUS and a ferry ride, all three teams were quickly into action. The Grade 6 team, playing their first ever games with scrums and lineouts, opened up against St. George’s and garnered a nice win. With little rest, they were back into action against Collingwood and, despite some very good play, a draw resulted.
After some lunch and a rest, they then faced Mulgrave who proved a little too strong on the day. All 15 players received plenty of playing time and there were several notable performers on the day, but none more so than flyhalf Jonas Robinson, fullback Mark Piazza, centre Tyler Strandberg, and centre/lock Connor Fenton.

The Grade 7 lights team with two Grade 6 players, moving up from 9-aside to 11-aside 5-man scrum play, began their day against one of two St. George’s teams. Unfortunately, this ended in a close loss, despite some promising play. After a break, they quickly rebounded though with a win against the second St. George’s team, before ending their day with a close loss to Collingwood. Thirteen players were involved on the day, with centre/wing Dave Lee leading the way, along with good performances by flyhalf/centre Jake Wilmott, fullback/centre Austin Vaza and utility forward Doug Peerless.

The open weight Grade 7 team that also included two Grade 6 players, playing 12-aside, opened their day against Collingwood where they scored soon after the kick off. Collingwood were not going to go down easy though, but in continuing to play their free open running and wide passing style, the team scored a deserved win.

With only a few minutes rest, the team were back in action against a large and powerful St. George’s side. The game was a contrast of styles with St. George’s, who were playing a direct approach making use of their size advantage while the SMUS team looked to use their skill and handling abilities. Both teams traded tries throughout, before St. George’s unfortunately took the lead with only a few minutes remaining. Despite their best efforts and some solid scrums to regain possession, the team ran out of time to get the tying score. There is no doubt that these two teams will meet in several close match ups in the years ahead.

After some lunch and rest, a somewhat tired side was back out for their final match against Mulgrave. The toils of the previous game had clearly had their effect as the side struggled to find their rhythm and were down three tries at the half. After a few pointed halftime words, the team played with far more vigour in the second half in not letting any more tries against them and scoring three of their own, the last right at fulltime to end the game as a draw. All 14 players deserve credit for the day’s play, with many making telling tackles against much larger opponents, as well as playing with much skill.

Top performers on the day were prop Jack Sherrod who was a tower of strength in the scrum and ran strongly with ball in hand, centre Max Pollen who contributed tremendously both in attack and defence, winger Alex Caton who ran with much purpose, and Grade 6 lock/wing Ryan Totz who showed much promise for the future.

All-in-all 45 Grade 6 and 7 players were involved in spring rugby, and all developed most positively for the future. The Grade 6’s can look ahead to next February when practices will begin again for them, whilst the Grade 7’s can look forward the start up of rugby again for them in September for the fall season and the promise of a tour to Australia over spring break.

The SMUS team began their pool play against St. George’s before also playing George Bonner, North Saanich and Central. The team put together two wins and two close losses from these games, and went on to face Monterey in the final game of the day. Playing their best game of the season, the team defended extremely well, on top of putting some good running rugby together to round out the day with a sound victory. Many of the 17 players deserve mention for their good play, with Mark Piazza, Jonas Robinson, Tyler Strandberg, Hari Ikonomou leading the way on the day.

At the Grade 7 jamboree, nine teams from seven schools were in attendance, including Mulgrave and Collingwood from Vancouver and George Bonner from the Cowichan Valley. The weather was even brighter and warmer than the day before and SMUS had two teams competing. The White team began their day with a match against GNS before also playing Mulgrave in pool play. Although close losses were recorded, the team showed signs of improved play in both games. The afternoon saw the White team face each of the two teams from Royal Oak. Again in both games, the team continued to improve, rounding out their day with a much deserved win for all their hard work. Amongst the 12 White team players, scrumhalf Dave Cunningham, flyhalf Jake Wilmott, and centres Ryan Totz and Austin Vaza led the way.

In their pool, the Blue team played one of the Royal Oak teams as well as George Bonner. Solid wins were scored in both games, though it was evident that more team play would be needed in later matches. The Blue team were then matched up against other unbeaten teams from the morning: Collingwood and Mulgrave. Collingwood was the first of these games, with the Blue side playing a much freer open team game to record a thorough win. After some rest, the Blue team matched up against Mulgrave in the jamboree’s final game of the day. An uncharacteristic nervy and soft start saw Mulgrave score an early try. The Blue team players were quick to rebound from this, however, with a number of tries being scored via expansive passing movements.

The SMUS Blue team remained the only unbeaten team at the jamboree. Several of the 12 players in Blue team deserve mention, with centre Max Pollen, flyhalf Graeme Hyde-Lay, scrumhalf Simon Gray, hooker/centre Matty McColl, centre Mitch Newman, and wing/scrumhalf Owen Sudul at the forefront.

All the Grade 6 and Grade 7 players end their season in the coming week on Thursday May 20th when they travel to St. George’s School in Vancouver to play in the ISA tournament. Two teams are entered into the less than 115lb division, with one team playing in the open weight division. These games will be tests of how far they have come this season. Whatever the results, which are secondary to their development, the players will for sure try their very best and finish the season on a high note.

Junior Rugby
It was a relatively quiet week on the rugby front, with the Grade 9s away on their annual outdoor-education week and the Senior team taking a week off in the hope that a bizarre run of injuries, which has shorn the team of numerous key players, would ease.

However, the Grade 10 XV was focused on its key match of the season, at Shawnigan in the Island semifinal. In the end, while SMUS produced a very gutsy display, especially by the forward pack, the hosts advanced courtesy of a 33-12 victory.

For SMUS, the two killer blows came just before and after the halftime whistle, with two Shawnigan tries taking the scoreline from 12-0 to 24-0. The latter score was especially cruel, as a Joe Erlic chip kick, with the defense at sixes and sevens, bounced maddeningly away from the SMUS chasers and instead popped to the speedy home winger who sprinted in from some 70 meters.

An Erlic try, followed by a late Jacky Chuang effort, did put a nicer gloss on the final scoreline. However, credit to Shawnigan, whose players took all their scoring chances well.

For SMUS, the backrow of Jeff Nishima, Quinn Kliman and Marcel Sanati was impressive and outplayed their more fancied opponents. Hooker Peter Harrison was also very prominent in loose play. Among the backs, though under massive pressure, Erlic was always dangerous, while fullback Forrest Paton also had his moments.

Two days later, the team regrouped for the bronze medal game vs Brentwood, and prevailed 43-26. Both sides scored some lovely tries. For SMUS, Johnny Huang and Johnny Sipos performed well at both wing and centre, while Colin Hawes and Marcus Lelewski led the forward effort.

The Grade 9 and 10 players look forward to a busy week, with the younger group away in North Vancouver to Carson Graham on May 18 before both teams play at Oak Bay a day later. Congratulations also to Erlic, Nishima and Derek Hyde-Lay, all of whom will make their 1st XV debuts May 17 vs Reynolds in the Howard Russell Cup playoffs.

Senior Rugby
At the Senior level, the injury spree has resulted in a series of call-ups from the Grade 10 XV. Nonetheless, matches against Reynolds on May 17, hopefully Oak Bay on May 20, and then the BC AAA Tournament May 29-June 5 represent an opportunity to write a good concluding chapter to what has been a somewhat inconsistent and disappointing season.

Track and Field
This week the SMUS track and field team competed in the Lower Island Track and Field Championships held at UVIC’s Centennial Stadium. A number of students performed personal bests at the meet and posted excellent times and distances. Highlights included Allie White gaining 2nd place in the shot put, Lindon Carter running a stellar 200 metre run to finish 3rd, Leo Marchand taking 5th in the 1500 metre race and Austin Smith improving his league time in the 800 metre race by an impressive 5 seconds.

This Wednesday and Thursday athletes will compete in the Island Championships, looking to earn a berth to the BC Championships later this month.

The two Grade 7 teams were also in action, with the White team traveling to Cedar Hill, whilst the Blue team hosted Royal Oak. Both teams scored solid victories, but more importantly continued their positive team and individual developments. Several players performed very well, few more so than scrumhalf Dave Cunningham, centre Alex Caton, wings Ryan Cui and David Lee, and Mitch Newman in a new position at hooker. Continued work is still needed on getting shoulders in when tackling, and on getting players to the breakdown area quickly are still needed.

This week SMUS hosts the Victoria area end of season jamborees with the Grade 6 jamboree on Tuesday May 11th and the Grade 7 jamboree on Wednesday May 12th. The SMUS teams then travel to St. George’s School, Vancouver on Thursday May 20th for the ISA tournaments to round out their seasons.

Rowing
This past weekend, the SMUS rowing team attended the Shawnigan Lake School Regatta. It was the final regatta of our season on the west coast. It was great to have warm sunny days for a change, but this played havoc with the water, delaying the racing and finally causing the regatta to be called off before all the finals could be raced on Sunday. Many of the final placings on Sunday were determined by the racing done in the heats. Our own Robert Wyatt in the Junior A Novice Boys 1X was the last race run at the regatta before the rough water cancelled the rest of racing. Sitting in second place with 250m left, Robert dug in and made up open water to finish a half a boat length ahead to win the race. It brought the spectators to their feet!

Our small team of 20 athletes qualified for 14 finals with three gold finishes, two silver finishes, two bronze finishes, two fourth place finishes, as well as one fifth and sixth place finishes.

• Gold: Junior B Girl’s 4+, Junior B Girls Novice 4X+, Junior A Boy’s Novice 1X (Robert Wyatt)
• Silver: Junior A Girl’s 4x, Junior A Novice Boys 4X+
• Bronze: Junior A Girl’s 2-, Junior B Boys 4+
• Fourth: Junior A Girl’s Novice 1X (Gwendolen O’Connor)
• Fifth: Junior B Boys 2X
• Sixth: Junior A Girls 2-, Junior A Boys 4X

A great weekend of racing! Congratulations to the entire SMUS rowing team!

Our final racing event will be the Canadian Secondary School Rowing Association Championships (CSSRA’s) June 4-6 in St. Catharines, Ontario.
Vivat!

Junior Boys Rugby
The Grade 9 squad defeated Ladysmith 46-36 in a fourteen-try thriller. Some of the attacking rugby on display, from both sides, was most enjoyable to watch. Not to be outdone, the Grade 10 players won all three of their games, defeating Claremont, GP Vanier and Brentwood, and scoring 22 tries in the process. And, while the backs grabbed the scoring headlines, it was the work of the forward pack, led by hooker Peter Harrison, props Jacku Chuang and Jacob Duvenage, lock Truan Forsyth and flankers Marcel Sanati and Quinn Kliman, that set the platform for success.

The Grade 10 team’s demanding season now continues, as the team looks forward to a May 13 showdown at Shawnigan. At stake is the Island Grade 10 Premier league title and a berth in the Island Junior Boys final two days later.

Senior Boys Rugby
Alas, the picture was not as rosy at Senior level. With the two-point Alumni Weekend loss to Oak Bay still stinging, the 1st XV travelled to Courtenay to take on a big and robust GP Vanier side. Unfortunately, the sour taste did not improve, as a late home score allowed the Towhees to scrape home 24-20. Of much greater concern was the loss of centre Jure Erlic, halfback Marc vander Wal and No. 8 Eali Hopper, all of whom fell victim to the injury bug. Indeed, the game descended further into chaos in the final frantic minutes, with the referee giving conflicting information to the two teams as to the actual score!

A battered SMUS lineup then had to back up at Brentwood two days later. With captain Won Jin Kim also incapacitated with a sore neck, the team that finished the game featured only seven players who had started a week earlier vs Oak Bay. Nonetheless, having scored three fine tries, SMUS led 20-14 with only four minutes to play, before two crazy decisions gifted the game to the hosts: an ill advised tap and run from a handy penalty position led to a turnover and a Brentwood try while a second attempted tap and run ended with the ball being thrown forward after a wild attack on the try line.

A ten-day break, before the Howard Russell semifinal vs Reynolds on May 17, will hopefully allow the squad to heal up, consider its tactical approach and rediscover its mojo.

Junior Rugby
The week began with the Grade 10 boys winning 42-7 at Claremont. Despite conceding a score after 30 seconds, the team regrouped nicely and managed seven tries in reply, with Dave Pollen’s, to end the first half, coming after multiple phases and sustained pressure. Derek Hyde-Lay added two important early conversions and a long-range penalty kick to keep the scoreboard ticking over.

The Grade 9 players then took part in a sevens tournament at Spencer, winning all their games and playing some nice rugby in the process.

And so it was onto Alumni Weekend. The Friday evening featured the Grade 9 and 2nd XV matches, while the Grade 10s and 1st XV followed the next day.

At the Grade 9 level, despite facing a clear gap in pace and athleticism, the SMUS XV stayed tough up until 10 minutes into the second half, scoring three nice tries in the process. Then size and speed took over, with Oak Bay running in four more scores to win 41-17. The backbone of the team, Sam Reid, Fynn Kehl, Marcus Lelewski and Keenan Manhas all performed well, while newcomer Jorge Canedo, on the right wing, finished off the best score of the game when outlegging the cover from some 60 meters.

If the Grade 10 squad entered their game with any trepidation whatsoever, a bright start capped by a Hyde-Lay penalty goal settled their nerves and the team should have gone further in front at the 15-minute mark when hooker Peter Harrison crossed the line but did not get ball down to the referee’s satisfaction. Oak Bay, with pacy fullback Keegan Reed in deadly form, then scored a superb try, sweeping down the right to claim a 5-3 halftime lead.

With No. 8 Jeff Nishima and centre Joe Furness, with the full backing of all their mates, marshalling the home defenses to good effect, SMUS continued to contain the dangerous Oak Bay backline. Excellent tackling by flankers Marcel Sanati and Quinn Kliman stifled several promising attacks, but eventually the pressure produced two more scores, as Oak Bay led 17-3 with twelve minutes to play.

Then, having repelled yet another goalline sitution, SMUS engineered a thrilling comeback. Waves of pressure finally saw Truan Forsyth crash over, and while Hyde-Lay could not add the extras and then shaved the post with a further penalty goal, he did manage a superb touchline conversion of a subsequent Dawit Workie try.

Now back to 17-15 with two minutes remaining, SMUS attacked again deep into the Oak Bay 22. An unlikely victory beckoned, but the visitor’s defense held and the ball was cleared safely to touch to end an absorbing and extremely well played contest.

Senior Rugby
The 2nd XV, fresh off a 22-15 win over Esquimalt, played some solid, multi-phase rugby, but, shorn of several key players, lacked punch at the critical moments. While Stefan Hall and Johann von Schack both enjoyed fine afternoons in the lineout, and Fraser Magee was rock solid at prop, the team could not get the ball over the Oak Bay line, in what, in the end, was a 29-0 defeat.

The 1st XV match, played as always before a sizable crowd of over 600, saw SMUS off to an absolute dream start. Flanker Joe Furness charged down an Oak Bay clearance after just 30 seconds, regathered and touched down in the corner for a 5-0 lead.

However, Oak Bay, playing with the benefit of a strong diagonal wind, hit back straight away with first a penalty goal and then a fine team try after a series of forward drives exhausted the home defense. Still, while SMUS scrumhalf Marc van der Wal missed an equalizing penalty of his own, centre Mike Fuailefau scythed through the Barbarians defence for a converted score just before the half.

Up 12-8 at the break, with the elements in its favour, SMUS looked to be in the box seats in terms of securing an 11th consecutive win over Oak Bay. But the script did not play out as planned. The Barbarians, behind #8 Luke Campbell and fly half Aden Jack, dictated possession and territory, while the hosts played far too much ineffective rugby in its own third of the field. Inevitably, two penalty goals and a pick and go try put the visitors in front 21-12.

Finally waking up, SMUS scored a fine set piece try, with flyhalf Connor Mackenzie knifing through under the posts from 30m after a dummy scissors move. There was still time for one final flourish, but a scrum that had come under increasing pressure throughout the game conceded a critical tight head only 20 metres from the visitors try line seconds before full time.

Full credit to Oak Bay on a deserved win, and for doing the basics better when it counted. Almost certainly, the two teams will play again on May 20 in the Howard Russell playoff final, with this year’s series knotted now at 1-1.

Middle School Rugby
Middle School rugby continued this past week with the two Grade 6/7 teams in action. The blue team traveled to Royal Oak, where they came away with a sound win, playing solid open-running rugby. The white team hosted Lansdowne and GNS, and after a slow start in their first game against Lansdowne, the boys produced two solid victories. All the 26 players involved on both teams continue to improve; some need special mention for their efforts on the day, notably winger Alex Lupin, centre Trevor Smith, Grade 6 centre Ryan Totz, flyhalf Graeme Hyde-Lay, scrumhalf Owen Sudal, prop Byron Huang, and Matty McColl in a new position at hooker. Some attention on tackling, support of the ball carrier, as well as getting players to the breakdown area quickly are areas that would benefit from further work.

This week on Wednesday May 5th, the white team travels to Cedar Hill, while the blue team hosts Lansdowne and Royal Oak.

The Grade 6 team’s sechduled opponent, Glanford, was unable to make the trip and so the boys used their time to practice and play an inter-squad game. This week on Tuesday May 4th, the Grade 6 players travel to Monterey where they will also face Cedar Hill.

These games are the last in the regular season before SMUS hosts the local Victoria area jamborees. The Grade 6 jamboree is on Tuesday May 11th, while the Grade 6/7 jamboree is on Wednesday May 12th. Both groups then round out their seasons, with a trip to St. George’s School in Vancouver on Thursday May 20th for the ISA tournament.

Senior Girls Soccer
The SMUS Senior girls soccer team was back in action on Monday, continuing league play at Vic High. A slow start left SMUS down 1-0 at the half. The girls picked up their play in the second half and came out with a 4-1 win. Teryl Noble led the scoring with two goals and Kelly Adam and Tanya Rossa both added one each. The following day, the team was at Tyndall turf taking on Lambrick Park. A solid team effort earned the girls a 3-0 win. Laura Simandl, Marta Bakowska and Sydney Green all found the net in the winning effort. On Thursday, the team travelled to Parkland to play their final league game of the season. The two sides battled hard and shared the play but an early goal by Parkland would be the eventual winner. The 1-0 loss puts SMUS as the south berth #2 going into the Island Championships on May 17-18.

Track and Field
Last week, the track and field team was again busy competing in the 5th league meet of the Lower Island Series. Top results included Allie White in the Grade 9 girls shot-put and 200 metre race and Austin Smith placing 3rd in the senior boys 800 metre race. With one meet left in the qualifying meets, Alex Economou is ranked 4th and 6th in the 200 and 400 metre races respectively; Raquel Solmer is 5th in the 1500 metre race; and in the senior boys 3000 metre race, Leo Marchand is ranked 6th while Chris Madsen is 8th.

Best of luck to all athletes as they compete on Wednesday in the sixth and final league meet and as they prepare for the Lower Island Finals on May 12th.

Junior Girls Soccer
The Junior girls soccer team competed in the city championships this week. Their first game was against powerhouse Stelly’s. SMUS put forth amazing effort, but unfortunately Stelly’s was dominating the play for the majority of the game. Leah Hall was incredible in goal and managed to stop all but two shots against her. In the last five minutes of the game, SMUS finally broke through and Abbey Piazza scored a brilliant goal. Thriving on momentum the Jags came back again and Meriah Drabkin just missed the net with a fantastic shot. All players played well but unfortunately lost the game 2-1. This match was a single-knockout game which sadly brought the season for the Jags to a close. Thank you to all our fans for your continued support on the sidelines throughout our season.

Our small team of 20 athletes qualified for 11 Finals with three gold finishes, two silver finishes, three bronze finishes as well as two fourth place and one fifth place finishes.

• Gold: Junior A Women’s 4x, Junior A Lightweight 4+, Junior A Men’s Novice 4+
• Silver: Junior B Girls 4+, Junior A Girls 4x
• Bronze: Junior A Women’s 2x, Junior B Lightweight Boys 4+, Junior B Boys 4x+
• Fourth: Junior B Girls 4x, Junior A Women’s Novice 4+
• Fifth: Junior B Boys 4+

As a team, we placed 12th out of 38 teams, some of whom fielded well over 100 athletes each. A good weekend of great racing with excellent results, thanks to the coaches Mr. and Mrs. Walker Curry, Mrs. Hall, Bea Seamen, boatman Brett Malcolm and to the school for support and beautiful boats to race in!

Our next racing event will be the Shawnigan Lake Regatta on May 8th and 9th.

Junior Girls Soccer
The Junior girls soccer team had a busy week with the last few games of league play wrapping up. They started the week off with a tough game against the top team in the pool Oak Bay. The girls held Oak Bay to a 1-0 lead at half, but an onslaught from the Oak Bay strikers concluded the game, defeating SMUS 5-0.

The girls finished on a high note, wrapping up league play with a game against St. Andrews. Abbey Piazza played an unreal game, staying strong in the middle of the pitch and contributing all three goals to make it her first hat-trick of the season. The girls dominated the game and the defense: Ali Pollen, Ali White, Leanne Farmer and Kate Cluley were solid and distributed the ball well.

To conclude this busy week, SMUS hosted the ISA tournament. With the sun, wind and rain that Friday brought, the girls played four games. Things started out well for the team with a win over Southridge 4-0, which was a real team effort with goals from a variety of team members: Shade Souc and Cortney Ewonus with their first goals of the season as well one each from Abbey Piazza and Erin Hope.

The girls continued to dominate on the pitch in their second game and were rewarded with a win over West Point Gray. Erin Hope and Orla Glen were both able to find the net in the first half and then the team worked hard to defend their lead into the second half. Leah Hall was stellar in net and received her second shut-out of the day with a 2-0 win. Immediately following their win over West Point Gray, the girls had to take on Collingwood. The game went back and forth with both teams having some close chances. Bairavi Murugakumar was strong in the net and Cortney Ewonus and Ellie Patmore had a great game up front. The outcome was sadly decided in the last 10 minutes when a penalty shot was rewarded to Collingwood, allowing Collingwood to upset SMUS 1-0.

After a grueling day, the girls fought for third place in their final game against WPGA. Erin Hope dominated upfront with two goals to her name and Meriah Drabkin and Shade Souc did a great job of getting crosses into the box. Ellie Patmore fought hard upfront and scored the last goal for SMUS, making it a 3-0 win for and resulting in a bronze finish.

The girls finished third in their pool in league play meaning they will be facing second place finisher, Stelly’s, on Tuesday in the first game of the City Championships.

Golf
Last week was a very busy one for the golf team beginning with a match on Monday versus St. Georges from Vancouver and ending with a team practice session on Friday, with a two day tournament in between.

Monday afternoon saw four members of the team squaring off with a foursome from St. Georges, who were in town for the Victoria Police Tournament the following two days, at Victoria GC. On a very pleasant afternoon that saw little or no wind at the start and finish of the round SMUS was victorious in all four matches. The breeze became noticeable midway through the round and contributed to the somewhat surprising high scores but did not prevent the home squad from claiming victory in what is hoped to be the first of many matches to come.

Tuesday and Wednesday were spent at the Victoria Police Tournament at Gorge Vale GC and Olympic View GC. This tournament featured over 100 players from over 20 different schools on the island and lower mainland. Day one at Gorge Vale saw some very good scores from the SMUS squad but most were not able to sustain that good play through day two at Olympic View. Grade twelve student Mark Wizinsky was the exception shooting stellar and steady rounds of 78 and 79 respectively.

The week concluded with the second of three team practice sessions scheduled with associate professional Germain Francoeur at Gorge Vale GC. These sessions are focusing on the short game and proving to be very beneficial to all involved.

Next week features the ISA Tournament at Arbutus Ridge GC.

Senior Rugby
All the Senior rugby squads were in action this past week, with the main focus on the 1st XV in Vancouver taking part in the St. George’s Invitational. The weekend’s festivities and matches were in honour of the Saints retiring Headmaster, Mr. Nigel Toy, and featured a celebratory dinner followed by matches involving most of the province’s top 10 schools.

SMUS played Argyle and, in an encounter that featured lots of good play and some that left a bit to be desired, the team (still minus captain Wonjin Kim, prop Joe Shan and flanker Luke McCLoskey) protected its number-two provincial ranking with a 39-15 victory. When in possession, the team played some fine rugby, with Mike Fuailefau (2), Jure Erlic (2), Marc van der Wal and Robbie Trusler all dotting down for tallies. Van der Wal added a further three conversions and one penalty goal to complete a fine all-around performance, while Brad Sawyer performed well as prop.

A somewhat depleted 2nd XV travelled to Brentwood April 20, and suffered a nightmarish first half before recovering well after the break. The team will have a chance, hopefully at full strength, to reverse the 30-7 scoreline in a scheduled May 8 rematch. Logan McColl continued his steady play, running strongly and making countless tackles.

Junior Rugby
At Junior level, a combined Grade 9/10 squad travelled to Ladysmith for an exhibition match. Some of the rugby played over the five 15-minute periods reflected well on the hard work put in by all players this term. Jeff Nashima was a powerful presence at No. 8 while Truan Forsyth, Jacob Duvenage and Jacky Chuang controlled the set pieces.

Also, the Grade 9 squad hosted an Invitational Sevens event, winning three and drawing one of four matches against Vic High and Spencer. All 22 players involved enjoyed thoroughly the experience, running in some fine tries on a rainy afternoon. Keenan Manhas and Sam Reid led from the front, while newcomers Jorge Canedo and Juan Pedro Gandoulf showed some neat touches.

Upcoming for the Junior teams are an important away league game to Claremont on April 28, as well as home matches vs Oak Bay as part of the Alumni weekend celebrations.

Middle School Rugby
This past week the three Middle School rugby teams played their second round of matches.

The Grade 6 squad hosted both Cedar Hill and North Saanich. The boys had obviously paid heed at practice the day before, as their defence and playing the ball into space showed much improvement in a very-even encounter against Cedar Hill, resulting in a draw. Unfortunately, North Saanich was not able on the day to bring a full complement of players. All credit to the few SMUS boys who willingly stepped in to fill the North Saanich squad in their match with Cedar Hill. These SMUS boys were then replaced by another set for the second half of play.

This helping each other out is what sport and rugby is all about so compliments to the boys who did this. When it came time for SMUS to play North Saanich, a sufficient number of SMUS boys were loaned across in each half so that each side had the proper numbers. In doing so, everyone received lots of playing time. Though not taking away anything from a number of others, top SMUS players on the day were Mark Piazza, Myles Duncan, Hari Ikonomou, Trent Norris and Michael Wong-Harrison.

The Grade 6 players next play Glanford at SMUS on Wednesday, April 28th.

The Grade 7 players all traveled to Cedar Hill, where the SMUS teams faced each other, as well as each playing against Cedar Hill. All players have shown much development already, especially in their tackling and ball handling. A number of tries were scored, with Cedar Hill also getting their share, but both our blue and white teams earned victories. Against each other, there was little love lost between the two teams, with the white team earning the win on the day. A focus at the next practices will continue to be on supporting the players following a tackle, as well as on support play to keep the ball alive. Among the 22 who were able to play on the day, there are too many names that deserve mention. However, props Jack Sherrad and Steven Piazza, scrumhalves Owen Sudal and David Cunningham, centre Alex Caton, and Grade 6 wing/centre Ryan Totz do deserve mention for their improved play.

This week the two teams will be re-split into two new relatively even teams with the white team hosting GNS and Lansdowne and the blue team traveling to Royal Oak, both on Wednesday April 28th.

On Wednesday, the girls were feeling fairly confident about their win the past day, however knowing that Reynolds is a strong team that had tied Spectrum they were a little anxious as to how they would fare against them. In the first minute of the game, Reynolds scored on a corner kick (not a good way to start the game for SMUS). The Jags showed that they were not about to give up and fought hard to tie the game up with a beautiful shot coming from Shannon Toogood from the end line that rebounded off the Reynolds goal keeper. Shortly after, a successful penalty kick by Hannah Keziere moved the Jags into a 2-1 lead.

The game continued to be well fought by both teams, with Reynolds scoring another goal and Toogood popping another one in to make the game 3-2. The Jags had good momentum and continued pressuring the defence and Toogood scored her third goal of the game to give the Jags a 4-2 lead. In the last ten minutes Reynolds scored another goal but the Jags played a bit more defensively to keep their lead with a final score of 4-3. Abbey Piazza played a very solid game in the midfield, and keeper Leah Hall was very strong for the team in the second half. Hannah Keziere played a very good game on right midfield but unfortunately was injured in the last few minutes of the game. This incredible win was a full team effort and we are really pleased to see how much the girls have improved as a team in such a short period of time.

This week the team will be facing Oak Bay on Monday, and hosting St. Andrews on Tuesday. SMUS will also be hosting the ISA tournament on Friday this week.

Middle School Rugby
Middle school spring rugby began this week with one Grade 6 team and two Grade 6/7 teams playing in the local Victoria area middle schools competition. Most unfortunately, due to a lack of numbers, there is no Grade 8 team this spring. Hopefully a rethink from the current crop of Grade 8’s along and an influx of new students come September will ensure that a Grade 9 team does operate.

The Grade 6 squad traveled to Cedar Hill for their first games, where they were up against Gordon Head Middle School and Cedar Hill, which resulted in a draw and a loss. All 17 players received lots of playing time, many getting their first taste of rugby, and showed lots of development across both games. A greater willingness to tackle and allowing the ball to do the work by passing into space will be their keys to greater success. It is not possible here to name all those who displayed improvement, however some do deserve mention such as Josh Khan, Samuel Perelmuter, Jonas Robinson and Trent Norris.

The Grade 6 players host North Saanich and Cedar Hill on Tuesday, April 20th.

The 25 Grade 7 players (with three of the bigger Grade 6 players) were split into two relatively even teams for their first games of the season. The blue team hosted Glanford and put on a top showing scoring a number of tries. Forward Haydn Hopkins, flyhalf/scrumhalf Simon Gray, and centres Max Pollen and Trevor Smith were amongst the many who performed well. The white team traveled to GNS where they faced Lansdowne. Leading the way in this group on the day were prop Byron Huang, flyhalf Graeme Hyde-Lay, and centres Mitch Newman and Matty McColl, along with many others performing very well. For both teams, supporting the ball-carrier when tackled, trying to claim the ball back at the tackle, and better defensive organization will be the focus of the next practice.

Next week on Wednesday, April 21st the white team hosts Shoreline while the blue team travels to Cedar Hill.

Senior Girls Soccer
The Senior girls soccer team started off the week with their second league game at home against Esquimalt high school. SMUS set the pace of the game early and dominated the play throughout the game. Laura Simandl, Sydney Green, Marta Bakowska and Teryl Noble found the net to give SMUS a 9-0 victory. On Wednesday, the team played their first away game at Victor Brodeur. The team had a shortened bench due to the grad fashion show but despite lack of numbers, the players that were there put on a show of their own and sailed to an 8-0 win. Lisa Evans, Teryl Noble, Marta Bakowska and Maddy Petersen netted goals on various occasions in the winning effort. The team had their first tournament of the season at UVic featuring 24 teams, the majority of the which were from AAA schools.

SMUS won their first game against the local Mt. Doug squad. Nicole Bunyan and Lisa Evans scored a goal apiece to give SMUS a 2-0 victory. Against a strong South Kamloops team, the game was even up to the final whistle with a 0-0 tie. SMUS came up short in shootouts. The team finished pool play against South Delta and a 3-1 win found us finishing at the top our pool. We then met Handsworth in the quarterfinal game. This was an even game all around but no scoring on either team’s part. A 0-0 final meant shootouts again and this time SMUS pulled out the win. We advanced to the semi final against Gulf Islands where both teams battled to a 2-2 tie at the end of regulation. For the third time of the tournament we found ourselves in a shootout. In the end, SMUS lost to a sharper shooting Gulf Islands team. Despite the semifinal loss, it was the best the team had finished at this tournament and the players should be credited for their great team play throughout.

Track and Field
On April 1, the SMUS track and field team was in action at the third meet of 2010. It featured the Victora schools as well as a travelling Australian girls team and the St. George’s boys team from Vancouver. Final results have still not been posted, but this week’s highlights included strong runs by Lindon Carter in the Grade 9 boys 200 metre race, Cole Turner in the junior boys 800 metre and Leo Marchand in the senior boys 3000 metre. The next league meet on April 22nd will allow athletes to again try new events, hone their skills and improve their current standings.

Rowing
This weekend, the SMUS rowing team competed at the Maple Bay Regatta. Of a total of 10 clubs participating, SMUS came in third place beating both Shawnigan School and the Gorge Rowing Club. Of the 17 races in which our small team of 20 athletes participated, they placed in virtually every event and in several events, SMUS placed multiple boats in the top three across the line for a total of 8 first places, 7 second places and 3 third places and one fourth place. Of note were men’s single openweight and lightweight events in which Robert Wyatt placed 4th and 3rd respectively in only his 3rd regatta of the season!

The team is now looking forward to racing at the 40th Annual Brentwood Bay Regatta which takes place this coming weekend – good luck team! Many thanks to coaches Ms. Walker, Mr. Curry, Ms. Hall, Bea Seaman and Brett Malcolm.

Golf
The 2010 high school golf season began last week with a two round team qualification tournament at Uplands GC and Gorge Vale GC. Round one was played after school at Uplands. The weather was great and the greens were very firm and fast. Most of the scores were in the high 70s and low 80s with Alex Davies the leader in the clubhouse after shooting a very tidy 78. Day two at Gorge Vale was a very different story. If the greens’ being much slower due to punching and sanding two weeks earlier wasn’t enough, the wind gusting to over 60kph certainly garnered everyone’s attention. Scores were significantly higher to say the least with one golfer, who shall remain nameless, being 19 strokes higher than the previous days round. Mark Wizinsky was low man on the day shooting a very impressive, given the conditions, 83, which ultimately made him the low qualifier after two rounds.

The week that lies ahead is a busy one. Monday after school features a friendly match with St. Georges from Vancouver at Victoria GC. Tuesday and Wednesday the school will be represented by Mark Wizinsky, Nathan Haussmann, Josh Edgar, and Cole Turner at the Victoria Police Tournament being held at Gorge Vale GC and Olympic View GC.