Western High School Cardinals of Calgary brushed back the Fulton Maroons 30-26 in exhibition senior boys rugby play Saturday at A.L. Fortune Secondary in Enderby.
Ike olson, Ty Cheyne, Sean Jasminez and Carson Harrower provided tries for the Maroons, while Evan Trottier went 3-for-4 on conversions.
“It was a good game for our kids,” said Fulton head coach Mike Scheller. “Wwe played a big school with a lot of subs. We were missing five starters due other commitments and we played a lot of rookies. Four guys got their first taste of rugby, which is good. We showed a lot of good things, but are still giving up too many penalties. Our in-game discipline needs to improve. Olson was great for us once again. He tackles and runs hard. Pablo Hurtado made his debut at prop and showed well. Outside centre Ty Cheyne made some very nice tackles in the backs.”
The Maroons battled the Pen-Hi Lakers in league play Tuesday afternoon.
In the junior boys friendly Saturday, Western bounced Fulton 26-10 in the season opener for the Maroons.
Seth Pallister produced both converts for the Maroons, while Trottier missed both convert attempts.
“We had a lot of kids play their first rugby game ever, so we got some good experience,” said Scheller. “Ethan Schiman was force for us. He was all over the field and did a great job of captaining the squad. Seth Pallister made some very nice runs, punching in two tries. I also liked the play of Jordan Sitko in the backs.”
Scheller gave major props to Western for making the long trek. The Cardinals also got in games with Salmon Arm Golds and Kelowna Owls.
“They were a classy group and it was a good couple of games for us,” said Scheller.