Adam Prudhomme
Beaver Staff
For a third straight year the NDSS Golden Hawks girls’ rugby team will play for the KASSAA league title.
Napanee punched their ticket to the finals in style at home Tuesday evening, scoring five tries and adding three converts for a 31-5 semifinal victory over the Frontenac Falcons.
After spinning their wheels in the first quarter of the game, struggling to gain any ground, the Hawks found their second gear towards the end of the half, posting 19 points. Jasmine Dennis had a pair of tries while Cailyn Barton had one. Maddy Marlow kicked two converts.
Charlotte Elliott and Jasmine Kadkhodai each had one in the second half while Marlow added another convert.
They closed it out without much trouble in the second half, even working in some of their younger players into the game. They held the Falcons scoreless until the final play of the game.
“We knew Frontenac was going to come in and really try to test us physically and we prepped for that,” said Hawks coach Sean Dunleavy. “This time of year it’s about trying to keep the motivation up.”
Dunleavy says the long season of training nearly every day mixed with a compact schedule of games appeared to be catching up with the players.
“We were like we don’t know what we’re going to get here but (Frontenac) sort of poked the bear and we woke up,” said Dunleavy. “After that we couldn’t have been happier, one through 15 they moved the ball around.”
He said he was pleased with how the forwards applied pressure when Frontenac had the ball and then moved the ball up the line when they gained possession. He also noted how well the team did picking up their converts, which could prove to be the difference in the game as they move on to the league finals.
“I was happy on both sides of the ball,” said the coach. “It was clinical.”
With the victory the Hawks have set up a rematch of last year’s KASSAA finals against the La Salle Black Knights. NDSS won that game in overtime. In their lone meeting this year, the Black Knights emerged with a 22-5 victory, Napanee’s only loss of the season.
“We have a little bit of unfinished business with them,” said Dunleavy. “It was two or three little things we didn’t do that we know how to do and they got us. We’re pretty pumped to have another crack at them.”
That game will take place Wednesday at Queen’s University’s Nixon Field.
“We’ll come in as the underdogs and that’s ok,” said Dunleavy, noting if they play like they did in the semifinals, they’ll be alright.
NDSS’ senior boys rugby team saw their run for a KASSAA title come to an end Tuesday night, losing 38-5 on the road to La Salle. NDSS entered the game as the third seed. They’ll have a chance to play for the third place on May 25, when they host Frontenac for a KASSAA third place bowl final at Nixon Field.
The NDSS junior boys rugby team were looking to clinch a playoff home field advantage yesterday afternoon when they hosted Holy Cross. Results weren’t known at press time. They entered the game in third place, their playoff position already secured, but had a shot at second place with a win.