In high school girls rugby, the year of the Polar is on the horizon.
This year's senior PGSS Polars are formed mostly by junior-aged players. Despite the team's youth and relative inexperience, it bashed its way to a bronze medal at the seven-a-side zone championships in Williams Lake on the weekend.
In a qualifier for the gold-medal final, PGSS faced Columneetza of Williams Lake. Unfortunately for the Polars, their two captains -- scrum half Rebecca Read and standoff Hailee Forsythe -- were knocked out of the game by first-half injuries. With Read and Forsythe sidelined, the Polars fell 34-0 and were awarded bronze medals.
In pool play, PGSS posted a 2-2 record. The Polars beat Peter Skene Ogden of 100 Mile House 30-0, lost to Williams Lake secondary 35-5, downed Kelly Road 20-5 and fell again to Williams Lake, 35-0.
Against Peter Skene Ogden, Read scored three tries, Forsythe had two and Ashley Noble finished with one.
In the first game against Williams Lake, Chelsea Merkell gave PGSS its major score.
In the Polars' win against Kelly Road, Forsythe rumbled across the goal line for two more tries, while Read and Erin Haftner also scored for PGSS.
Team MVPs at zones, as selected by Polars coach Jeremy Greenfield, were Read, Forsythe, Noble, Tricia Brownmiller and Nikki Halls.
"PGSS gutted it out and played some rough, tough rugby," Greenfield said. "(The girls) clawed their way through the season, with dramatic improvements at every step."
Including their 2-3 record at zones, the Polars completed the 'sevens' season with a mark of 8-5-3.
Greenfield said the team is now looking forward to the 15-a-side season, which will start in the spring.
"PGSS plans to travel to Edmonton and possibly down south to the Okanagan for much-needed game experience before beginning regular-season play in the zone, with the ultimate goal of attending provincials in late May," Greenfield said.
