For the first time in eight years, Frances Kelsey Secondary is sending a team to the provincial boys rugby championships.
The Breakers earned their berth in the B.C. AA tournament with a convincing 52-10 win over the Wellington Wildcats at home last Thursday.
"It was a beautiful sunny afternoon with little wind, and this allowed for an open and positive game of running rugby," Kelsey assistant coach Tom Fogarty said. "The conditions definitely benefited our style of play, as we were able to get the ball into the hands of our key runners and carve open the Wellington defence on a regular basis."
Leading the way in scoring was inside centre Jed Leech, who amassed 22 points on two tries and six conversions. Robert McDermit was named Man of the Match, however, for his outstanding performance, including determined tackling and what Fogarty termed "general-like control of the game." McDermit was responsible for the try of the game, a 60-metre run past four defenders that ended with him putting the ball down between the posts.
Also scoring for Kelsey were Karl Mattison, Mitch Empey, Rhys Fowler, Masaru Evans Kimoto and Connor McGarry.
Fogarty commended Wellington's play, but it was Kelsey's superior skill level, and particularly their set pieces, that allowed them to triumph.
With the victory, the Breakers, under the direction of Fogarty, head coach Craig Schmidt and Kelsey athletic director Adam Johnston, have qualified for the provincial AA tournament in Abbotsford on May 28-31, the first time the team has reached that level since 2006.
"This has been an extraordinary season to date, and Craig and Adam should be applauded for all the amazing work they have done in bringing this program back to the forefront," Fogarty said.