What a year for the Seaton Sonics girls rugby sevens team.
In their inaugural season, the Sonics would emerge out of the Central Okanagan playoffs undefeated, punching their spot to Valley Championships in Kamloops.
Wednesday, May 17 saw the four teams from the Okanagan play (Salmon Arm Secondary, Jackson, Rutland and Seaton), with the top two advancing to Valleys.
The Sonics first game against SAS was a hotly contested battle, where Seaton emerged with a 19-17 victory, their first over SAS all season.
All three tries from the Sonics was courtesy of Mya Koleba, with two of three successful conversions kicked by Emery Britton, giving the Vernon side the two-point advantage in the win.
The Sonics second match was against Jackson. The hard fought defensive game was extended in time due to injury stoppage. An excellent defensive effort by Josi Schlautmann, Allie Westhaver and Ally Hobenshield helped lead to the Sonics 10-5 win. The first try was scored by Koleba, with the clutch second one coming in by Britton.
The final match of the day was a battle against RSS, which was a tight victory for Seaton, due to key tackles made by Elia Collins, Elysha Souch and Naomi King, with scoring coming from Koleba, Britton and Ruby Kaltiainen.
The games were marred by a smoky and hot atmosphere. Seaton officially has 24 rostered players, however rules dictate that for regionals and beyond, the team can carry only 14, with two alternates.
“We are all so proud of this team,” said coach Alyson Lypchuk. “To think that two months ago, 22 of these 24 players had never played a rugby ghame, and now we are the top team in the Central Okanagan division is amazing. They have absolutely exceeded our expectations and shown themselves to be exceptional athletes.”
Next Wednesday, May 24 is the Okanagan Valley Championships hosted in Kamloops. Seaton, along with RSS will play off against the top two Kamloops teams to determine rankings for provincials in Abbotsford on June 1 and 2.
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