BANFF – The Banff Bears are licking their wounds after its first rugby match in nearly three years.
Rocked by injuries early on, the senior boys' high school 15s team fell to the sword of rival the Strathcona-Tweedsmuir Spartans, 26-14, on April 20 in Okotoks.
The first half ended up being a rough re-entry into the full-contact sport for the inexperienced Bears squad as one Banff player was taken to hospital with a separated shoulder, two players left the match due to concussion protocol, and two more were removed with other injuries.
“At this point, we were like, ‘Oh, man, we don’t have the depth yet to be throwing five young guys out on the field,’ but we had no choice,” said head coach Ian Higginbottom, who left the field to drive the player with a separated shoulder to a nearby hospital.
“If anything, it was a good way to just rip the Band-Aid off of them because some of the younger guys, they were pretty nervous going into a senior game.”
Rugby, which is traditionally the high school's strongest and most competitive sport, only had four Bears with experience in the sport before training camp – the Grade 12s who played in Grade 9 in 2019.
With rebuilding mode in full effect, it will be a few years before the team returns to its pre-pandemic levels of efficiency, said Higginbottom.
“We have some talented athletes, but just a lack of experience,” he said.
Higginbottom added the team’s forwards are its strong point this season and other positions are a work in progress. Although he still expects the team to be able to fight for a zones banner in June.
“From the sidelines, it was a bit scrambled, but once they got the flow of the game it was a good learning experience,” Higginbottom said.
The team's next game is May 5 in Springbank against the Phoenix.
The boys have two home matches this season at the Banff rec grounds against Rundle College Cobras on May 10 and Westmount on May 19. Both start at 5 p.m.
From a rash of injuries to bad weather, the Bears senior girls' first game was scrapped due to some classic Alberta weather patterns.
The Bears match against Rundle College was cancelled April 20 after Calgary was hit with a snowstorm that blanketed it under the white stuff.
The girls season opener is now Thursday (April 28) in Airdrie against the Croxford Cavaliers.
The team has two home matches this season at Banff rec grounds against Rundle College on May 10 and the Strathmore Spartans on May 19. Both start at 6:30 p.m.
