The Fulton Maroons ruled the tier two division in the St. George’s Invitational B.C. High School Rugby Sevens Tournament in Vancouver, stopping the Fleetwood Park Dragons of Surrey 36-21 in Sunday’s final.
The Maroons went undefeated over the two-day event, opening Saturday with a 24-10 win over the Argyle Pipers of North Vancouver and rolling over the Edward Milne Wolverines of Sooke 41-10 and grounding Vancouver’s Prince of Wales 38-7.
Day 2 saw Fulton ambush the Rutland Voodoos 34-0 in the quarterfinals and maul the WJ Mouat Hawks of Abbotsford 38-7 in the semis. There were a dozen teams in the Tier 2 category.
Fulton shocked Fleetwood at the opening kick-off of the final with a thundering try from Isaac Olson and a second try by Olson minutes later.
Caden Doyle and Evan Trottier added a pair of tries each later in the game to put Fulton well ahead. Fleetwood rallied late in the second half to close the gap but Fulton hung on for the provincial title.
“This was a very dominate team effort from our boys and they deserve this championship,” said Fulton assistant coach Gordon Cheyne. “Sevens is a game that very much suits our style of play. We have some real horses.”
Olson earned team MVP with 15 tries for the weekend and dynamite defensive play.
“Honorable mention must go to Ryan Rumsey, Yano Janssens and Evan Trottier for their high work rate and commitment on both sides of the ball.”
Ty Cheyne earned Most Improved Player with his finest play of the season, scoring three tries and shutting down the opposition on the outside and support play that resulted in points on the board.
“Ethan Schiman made good contributions at scrum half, spotting Trottier,” said Fulton head coach Mike Scheller. “He is an intelligent player. Forwards Carson Harrower and JJ Heaton provided some solid hits and attacking runs for us. Brett Hansen and Japanese exchange student Hiro Kaga made some solid contributions to our backs in reserve roles. Really, all players had a great weekend. I would really like to thank coach Gord Cheyne for all his hard work and dedication in leading us to the championship.”
The tournament also provided an opportunity for the athletes to demonstrate their skills in front of university and Canadian Rugby Union representatives.
“There are real education and playing opportunities available with rugby and the players were able to have these discussions at this tournament,” said Cheyne.
The Maroons host the Salmon Arm Golds today at Grahame Park with the juniors meeting at 3 p.m., followed by the seniors.