High school rugby is alive and well on the Sunshine Coast.
Pender Harbour has had a strong program for many years and now Chatelech Secondary School has resurrected its program this year.
The two schools tangled in Sechelt last Thursday with Pender coming out on top 17-12 in a high tempo, spirited affair.
Kaare Jensen, Ross Antilla and Derrick Duncan scored Pender tries while Dominic Christian scored the converts.
Chat actually scored more tries than Pender, but a little inexperience in the scoring zone proved to be their undoing, according to coach George Gibb.
"We had a few players who forgot where to go once they got into the end zone," said Gibb. "We only had three guys who had played a game before, so as a group, I thought they did really well."
Chat has been practising twice a week for several weeks in preparation for the start of their season.
Gibb said despite the spring break and students off school, he still had 20 guys show up for practice on Monday.
"Chat used to have a strong program with several high-end coaches including Drew Murphy [now the teacher sponsor and stepping back from the program]," said Gibb. "Then things dried up a bit. I think it's great to have the program back. The enthusiasm and willingness to learn is very high - the kids can't get enough of it."
Gibb said many on the team recognize that more fitness is needed if they want to be competitive as a team and the players have committed to hitting the weight room and running more to improve that aspect of their game.
Pender sponsor teacher Dave Gibson, who has been coaching for more than 20 years, is equally pleased with the continued development of Pender's program.
"It was a really good game - good rugby on both sides of the ball," said Gibson. "I'm really impressed with the work ethic of our team. That was our second game of the year. To get a win against Chat is great. When I made the announcement on Friday over the school's PA there was a lot of cheering. This is a big rugby school, so it's great for the whole school environment when the kids do well."
Gibson said he is also happy to see Chat's program back up and running.
"We've always had good matches with Chat. It was sad to see the program go away for a few years, but it's nice to see it resurrected. If we could get a program down at Elphi we'd have a nice Coast rivalry with all three schools," he said.
Gibson has stepped back from coaching this year, turning the reins over to Mike Cyr and John Gideon. Both are former rugby players and live and work right in the community.
"We're very lucky to have Mike and John join our program. They bring a lot of knowledge and enthusiasm," he said.
Pender has 23 players on their team this year, both male and female from grades 9 to 12.
Both Chat and Pender hope to get in more game action with several North Vancouver schools later in the year. Next Thursday, Pender will return the favour, playing host to Chat, and in April, Pender is off to Kamloops for Rugby Fest.
"Hopefully we can re-arrange the score when we play those guys next week," Gibb said.
