MOHAWK SNATCHES DIVISION I RUGBY TITLE

If you are a fan of men’s rugby, you loved the 2009 OCAA Men’s Rugby Championship games that took place this past weekend at Fletcher’s Fields in Markham. Unlike years past, athletes and spectators could not have asked for a better day weather wise and were rewarded with a level of play that kept everyone on the edge of their seats.

With two excellent games coming down to the final minute of play, the Mohawk Mountaineers used a final push in the dying seconds to dethrone the Humber Hawks 16-15 to earn the OCAA Championship title for the first time since 2006.

The first half of the Championship match opened with Mohawk finding their way into the end zone, after Joshua Moore ran the ball in for the first try of the game. It only took seven minutes for the Humber Hawks to come back and add a try of their own, with John Bianci scoring the try to tie the game at five points apiece to conclude the first half scoring.

The second half was something special to watch as the large crowd on hand because increasingly vocal in support of their team and the Mohawk faithful were rewarded with two successful penalty kicks from Chris VanSickle to give the Mountaineers an 11-5 lead.

Despite the momentum, the Hawk collected themselves in hopes of coming back and scored when James Thompson notched a try. Rob Lefler then took over for the Hawks, hitting the convert and following it up with a successful penalty kick to give the Hawks an 11-15 lead.

With the referees signaling less than one minute to play in extra time, the Humber fans were gearing up for their third consecutive championship celebration, but the Mohawk players were not quite finished with the Hawks. After several quick plays to move the ball forward, Joel Clark of the Mountaineers closed in on the goal line, unaware if he had actually crossed the magic line, until the referees signaled the try and blew the final whistle to end the game and snatch the Championship away from the Humber Hawks.

This was the third time the Mohawk Mountaineers had captured the Championship title, with the previous two titles coming in 2006 and 2000.

For his heroic last second effort, Joel Clarke was presented with the Mohawk Man of the Match award, while James Thompson of the Humber Hawks earned the title for the silver medalists.

The comeback tone of the day was set early when the Seneca Sting and the first year team, Trent Excalibur, squared off in the OCAA Bronze medal game. 

With the score going back and forth the entire match, the Excalibur looked poised to claim their first OCAA medal in men’s rugby, holding a 15-12 advantage when the referees signaled the final minute of play in the game was remaining.

Chris Boake of the Seneca Sting had another welcome gift of his own to present to Trent and it arrived just in time. In the last moment of the game, the 5’6 rookie crashed through the end zone to give the Sting a 17-15 advantage. A missed convert ensued and the time in the game expired, leaving Trent University empty handed and Seneca earning its 10th OCAA rugby medal.

For their efforts, Adam Walsh of the Seneca Sting was named the Man of the Match, while Dan Santos earned the honour for the Trent Excalibur.

Following the Championship game, the OCAA announced the League Awards at the Champions Banquet.

Division I Player of the Year
Steven Johnston - Mohawk

Division I Rookie of the Year
Joel Clarke – Mohawk

Division I East Region Rookie of the Year
Chris Boake – Seneca

Division I West Region Rookie of the Year
Joel Clarke – Mohawk

Division I Coach of the Year
Alex Paris – Mohawk

Division I Scoring Champion
Chris VanSickle – Mohawk

Division I All-Stars
Cale Meesters – Conestoga
Kyle O’Neill – Conestoga
Tyler Daly – Fleming P
Eric Abbott – Fleming P
Jason Costa – Humber
Rob Lefler – Humber
Steve Johnston – Mohawk
Adam Davidson – Mohawk
Chris Boake – Seneca
Adam Walsh – Seneca
Andrew Boyd – Trent
Kevin MacLean – Trent

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME SCORING RECAPS

Mohawk Mountaineers wins the OCAA DI Rugby championship with a score in the final minute of the game. Final Score 16-15

Scorers:
Humber:
James Thompson, Try
Rob Lefler, Convert, Penalty Kick
John Bianci, Try

Mohawk:
Joel Clarke, Try
Chris VanSickle, Penalty Kick (2)
Joshaua Moore, Try

Men of the Match:
Humber: James Thompson
Mohawk: Joel Clarke

Seneca wins bronze with a try in the final minute of play. Final Score: 17-15

Scorers:
Seneca:
Chris Blaok, Try
Adam Walsh, Convert
Dylan Stewart, Try
Jason Speers, Try

Trent:
Dan Santos, Convert, Penalty Kick
Graham Abbott, Try
Matt Strain, Try

Men of the Match:
Seneca: Adam Walsh
Trent: Daniel Santos