There were tears. There were also lessons. Friday’s 55-17 loss to Sir Wilfrid Laurier in the Western Ontario girls’ triple-A rugby final represented the end of a successful season for Stratford District secondary school.
But it showed the Golden Bears, most of whom are eligible to return in 2025, what it takes to become an elite team. “You looked at (Laurier’s) starting lineup and there wasn’t one girl out there who wasn’t the most athletic version of that position you can hope for,” SDSS head coach David Redfern said. “They obviously have some football influence the way they run, spinning off tackles and things like that — things we never see in this area.
The girls had trouble adjusting. Second half we started getting a little flow to it, but I’m proud of the girls. They kept their spirit up the whole way and played hard the whole way.
One of our three goals we didn’t meet, so be it. It’s a tough one to get.” The Golden Bears will only lose four or five starters to graduation, including Morgan Otten, who scored twice Friday.
Redfern will have several fifth-year players next season, and young talent like Erika Horan, Jordan Keller and Alexa Baker-Phillips, who scored a try Friday, will be another year better. “There’s a lot of good core there to keep building,” Redfern said. Sam Gilchrist, who sat out Friday’s game with a pulled hamstring, was named the team’s next captain.
“She’s not the biggest voice,” Redfern said, “but she play.