Any high school sports team is only as good as the athletes who come out to play and with the crop of young men that tried out for the Nantyr Shores Junior Rugby team this year, they fielded the strongest team the school has seen in many years.
“We’ve always had rugby,” said team Captain Eric McCathie, “but we’ve never had a top team.”
What made the team so strong this year was a core group of Grade 9 athletes who brought their already considerable talents to the team.
“It’s a very athletically talented group,” said coach Matt Riccoto, “Many of the boys are playing lacrosse, hockey, and mountain biking at a competitive level.”
While the new recruits had talent, what they also had was a willingness to learn. In preparation for a short four-week season, the team started 6 a.m. practices in December to work on new types of plays. But what made the difference was the ease with which they managed the sometimes-difficult leap of executing the plays in a game situation.
“It was a pleasure to coach them,” said Riccoto, referring to their ability to learn the game.
Part of the ease of execution came from the strong leadership on the field. Riccoto selected three team captains for the year, with each bringing a different but critical skill to the field.
Ryan Jones, who also plays on Team Ontario and Team Canada, brought the aggression and dominating physical style often associated with rugby. Johnny Laplace plays more of a finesse game with exceptional kicking skills, and McCathie, the main team captain, provided strong tackling and defensive skills along with an ability to verbally manage the team on the field.
“Each was chosen for their specific strengths,” said Riccoto.
The overall team also had its own balance of abilities.
“We have guys who are really strong defensively and then guys who are really fast on their feet,” said McCathie.
The team went undefeated during regular season play and while they’d hoped to match up against the historically strong team from Central in the semis, an upset in the quarter finals to Barrie North left them disappointed.
“In my mind, I thought they should have been at the semis,” said Riccoto.
In the first round of playoffs they bested Bradford 19-17 and were 12-7 against North at the half in the quarter finals, but in a second half that Ricotto described as ‘getting out of control,’ they couldn’t pull off the win.
McCathie credits much of the success of the team to the coaching staff, who created a contending team from a roster of uninitiated players.
“When I started I didn’t know any of the rules,” he said, “We got a lot of help from the coaches. Good coaching was definitely a big aspect.”
The good news is that with a strong core of grade nine players, two-thirds of the team will be returning next year for another try.
“Next year we’re expecting a great turnout,” said McCathie, “We’ve got a core group of guys committed to playing and we’re expecting an amazing season.”
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