Spartans Senior Boys' Rugby 2007

ETIAC champions!

The Senior Spartans travelled to BCS Wednesday, May 30 for the final of the league championship against rivals BCS. The two teams matched up well in the regular season with BCS having a slight advantage in the series with one more win. The second-place Spartans entered the game with a record of 3-2-1, while the first-place BCS First team had a record of 5-0-1.

The game began with both teams being piped on to the field, which really set the stage for a memorable day. Both teams were fired up and this showed when Matt Root ( Stowe, VT) laid a devastating hit on the BCS forward who caught the opening kick-off.

From that moment Stanstead took control of the game. Stanstead drove down numerous times in the first half but wasn’t able to put the ball through for points. In the last minute of the first half Stanstead attempted a penalty kick that unfortunately sailed wide.

Going into half time the score remained 0-0. Both teams took a well-deserved rest and came back out ready to battle in the second half.

The kick-off saw Stanstead gain position but quickly lose it on an unfortunate knock-on. BCS gained possession of the ball and showed the first signs of steady attack. Stanstead was on their heels and looking to stop them from moving any further downfield.

It was on an aggressive offside that BCS took the first lead of the game. A Stanstead player was caught in the wrong place at the wrong time and BCS, being inside the 22 metre, elected to kick for points. The kick was good and even with the dominant attack of the Spartans, they were down 3-0.

The play went back and forth until winger Brian Cho ( Montreal, Que.) stepped up and intercepted a pass going down the line. He took off on a partial breakaway until he was stopped by the last man back. With strong pursuit from Julian Perrotta ( Lorraine, Que.) and Barry Roytman ( Staten Island, NY), a tackle was made and Roytman took off and was never caught. The bench and fans erupted and the Spartans finally had their first lead of the game. The kick was converted by Will Murphy ( Richmond, Que.) and the score stood at 7-3.

Down by four, BCS did not hang their heads but came out firing. The Spartans were on their heels and managed to keep holding at the goal line. It was impressive to see the boys’ determination to not let BCS get over the line.

With time running out BCS had one last overpowering drive. However, again at the goal line the Spartans made one final stop causing a knock-on and the sound of the final whistle. It was an amazing display of hard work and will power.

A big thank you to all the fans who stood out in the rain with us and gave the boys the extra boost needed to finish off strong. It was a great day where two classy teams battled hard. Thankfully for the Spartans, we came out on top.

- Coach Spirk