The Foothills Lions ended the season for the Bow Valley Grizzlies men’s rugby team with a second-half surge on Aug. 23.
It was a reversal of fortune for the Grizz, who dominated the second half of their regular-season meeting and got their hands on the newly established Country Cup.
Now the Lions advance to the Div. 2 semifinals, clutching the coveted trophy.
The Grizz struck early, holding an earlier 14-3 lead, but by the half, it had dwindled to 19-17. They stretched it to 26-17 when play resumed, but the Lions chipped away, took their first lead at 30-26, and pulled away in the dying minutes.
“We knew this game could go either way,” said David Hoang, Grizz game-day captain. “Now we have to keep our chin up and get ready for next season.”
“Everybody on the team was a leader, always trying to get better and help other people get better,” Hoang said. “It was just a great season overall.”
Long-time Grizz and Bow Valley Rugby Club president Anthony Battistone said the two teams enjoy a friendly rivalry. They also field a joint Div. 3 team.
“It’s always a great game playing against them,” said Battistone. “We played our hearts out. Some boys were playing hurt and putting everything out there, so I couldn’t be prouder.”
Lions captain Branden Powell said his side believed they could win after a narrow loss to the Grizz earlier in the season.
“We’ve been building all season to this,” said Powell. “We had a great finish to our regular season, beating the top-seeded team and knocking them down a few pegs. In our two-week break, we built on that momentum and focused on this game, because we knew it was going to be the most important.”
While advancing in the playoffs is a thrill, the players seemed most excited about reclaiming the Country Cup from the Grizz. The trophy, contested only by clubs outside Calgary, goes home with the visiting team if the host loses.
“We love playing against each other, so much more than the city teams,” said Powell. “They’re their own pretentious lot who don’t like playing the country folks, so we decided to start up a little Country Cup and found this one straight from England.”
Taking a closer look at the vintage cup, Powell noted it may have originally been for cricket.
The Lions finished sixth and the Grizz third in the regular season, with only a few points separating the eight Div. 2 playoff teams.
“I feel super privileged to play with such a balanced group here in Div. 2,” said Powell. “Wins and losses were going both ways for everybody.”
The season isn’t over for the Div. 3 Babas. They finished third in the regular season and face the Calgary Knights on Sept. 6 on Field 2 of Calgary Rugby Park.
