Carolien Oyens
Oakville Trafalgar High School's senior boys' rugby team wins gold at the OFSAA AAA championship for the second time in a row.
After a hard battle, Oakville Trafalgar High School's (OTHS) team seized a tight victory over Uxbridge,13-12. Not only did the team win gold this year, but it also made history, winning back-to-back OFSAA rugby championships twice in the school's history.
The last time OTHS won back-to-back championships was in 1984/1985. After winning the championship in 2022, the 2023 win was against Iroquois Ridge High School 29-0 last year.
"The rugby program at OT (Oakville Trafalgar) has picked up where it left off prior to Covid. Last year's team was perhaps the most dominant that we've ever produced, so this year's team had an almost impossible task, commented David Schaffler, co-coach for the rugby team.
"Some key members of this year's team are only in grade 11, so the expectations were realistically to get into the medal games at OFSAA.
"We played a very disciplined defence game style and were able to rise to the occasion against pretty much any team. Once we got to provincials, we were remarkably healthy throughout the tournament and had a great kicker (Adam Stander).
"The games at that level come down to a few key moments, and we were extremely methodical and disciplined."
In the last six rugby seasons, OTHS teams have won three gold, two silver and one bronze at the OFSAA AAA playoffs, five of those medals achieved from gold medal games.
"Going into this season, the idea was to treat it as a building year," says James Wood, co-coach of the rugby team on this season's performance.
"We have a young team, and while we always strive for success, our expectations were tempered.
"However, the boys played with a level of maturity well beyond their years and demonstrated that while size is an obvious advantage, a high rugby IQ is what ultimately wins games."
