The Carson Graham senior girls rugby team won the provincial title over the weekend, re-booting a dynasty after three years of heartbreak.
The Eagles won eight championships in nine years starting in 2004, including seven in a row from 2006-2012. Then there was a three-year title-drought – nearly an eternity for such a powerhouse program – that was broken in dramatic fashion in Kamloops on Saturday when Carson Graham got a try in the dying minutes to knock off Courtenay’s G.P. Vanier 11-10.
“We’ve been knocking on the door,” co-coach Brad Baker said of Carson Graham’s golden quest. “These girls this year had special motivation within their own minds. They wanted to get us back on the winning track.”
It was, however, no easy task to get back on top of the podium. The Eagles opened the provincial tournament with a blowout win over South Kamloops but were pushed to their limits in a semifinal matchup against Surrey’s Semiahmoo secondary. The game was tied 8-8 through regulation time and most of two five-minute overtime periods until Carson’s Lyric Atchison, who is also an elite wrestler, grabbed the victory with a sudden-death try.
“We scored pretty much on the last play of the second overtime period to win,” said Baker.
The Eagles had extra motivation heading into the final as they took on Vanier. The Towhees were looking to cement their own dynasty following championship wins in 2014 and 2015. Last year’s title came at the expense of the Eagles – Vanier beat Carson Graham 39-14 in the 2015 championship final.
“After getting thumped by Vanier last year, to come back and beat them this year felt pretty good,” said Baker. “They’re a very good team. It was nice to beat them.”
Carson held a slim 3-0 lead at halftime thanks to a penalty converted by Leina Dueck, who kicked another in the second half to restore the lead at 6-5 following a Vanier try. It was a tight game throughout.
“We played defence for the first 10 minutes of the first half – they were pounding us, we kept them out,” said Baker, who was joined on the sidelines by co-coach Rick Pimlott and assistants Hilary Leith and Lindsay Pimlott. “We knew each other’s game plans. They had a lot speed outside and our plan was to keep the ball in tight.”
The Towhees battled back again, scoring a crucial try to take a 10-6 lead with only five minutes left in the game. Baker was in the endzone with his players when Vanier took the lead late in the game and he could see that the Eagles weren’t going to go out like that.
“We were saying to the girls, ‘There’s three or four minutes left. There’s lots of time to score – don’t give up.’ You could just tell the desire on these kids’ faces. They wanted it.”
It took only two minutes for the Eagles to regroup and score their own late-game try. Atchison again played a part, driving the ball down the field to put Carson into position to score. Scrum half Heather Ranger then scooped up a loose ball and found open space, setting up a two-on-one with Devan Baker, who took a pass and dove into the corner of the endzone with defenders at her heels.
Vanier again fought back in the last minute but the Carson defence held fast and the whistle blew on a one-point win. After the game Carson Grade 12 winger Stephanie Julio was named to the President’s 15 tournament all-star team.
“She’s a hard defensive player,” said Baker. “She encompasses Carson Graham rugby – her heart is so large. She plays to defend the goal line at all times. She works so hard.”
Only three players in the starting lineup for Carson Graham were in Grade 12, meaning there should be a lot of returning players next season as the Eagles go hunting for a new title streak.
“They want to start one,” said Baker. “We always talk about motivation and the heart of Carson rugby.”
