Pender Harbour Secondary School (PHSS) opened the 2004 senior boys' high school rugby season last Friday with a home game.
PHSS put up a strong fight against the Argyle Pipers from North Vancouver, but in the end, Argyle pulled away for the win.Teacher sponsor Dave Gibson said both parents and students came out in force to enjoy the sunshine and a good rugby game.Michael Cyr is once again coaching this year's team.
"I think everyone was thrilled with how the boys played," Gibson said.
"Despite having a much smaller school and having students from Grade 8 to 12, our boys played extremely well. Argyle out-scored us in the end, but much of the play in the second half was in Argyle's half of the field."
Gibson said Pender tackled well and showed spirit and determination with many solid rushes that thrilled the crowd."We were missing a few key players, and that certainly didn't help our chances," Gibson added. "Last year we beat Argyle 38-0, so maybe it was their turn to beat us. We play them again later in the season down in North Vancouver. Hopefully we'll be able to exact some revenge next time around."
Pender is next in action against Seycove in Vancouver and plays Argyle on March 29. The squad is also in Kamloops on April 22 for a three-day rugby fest tournament and plans to have several games against Chatelech Secondary School.
Chat is still finalizing its squad for this year and has yet to see any game action.
"Rugby certainly rules at PHSS," Gibson said. "We've had teams here ever since I've been at the school, which is going on 22 years now. Despite our small size (140 students in Grade 7 to 12) close to one half of the boys at PHSS play on our rugby teams. Our junior team, made up of Grade 7 to 9 players, plays in the fall.
"It's tough getting in game action, but when we do, we get good support from our students and the parents of the community. It's good to see."
