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LCI and WCHS take home provincial 15s rugby championships

It was a championship weekend for two Lethbridge School Division teams at the Alberta Schools’ Athletic Association Rugby 15 Provincial Championship in Lethbridge.
Lethbridge Collegiate Institute took gold in the 4A girls category, while Winston Churchill High School secured first place in 3A girls.
LCI was part of an eight-team field, as the southern Alberta zone champions kicked off the tournament with a dominating 54-7 victory over Notre Dame Red Deer.
LCI went on to defeat Strathcona 43-0 in the semifinal before the team took home gold with a 17-12 win over Raymond.
The team entered provincials as zone champs as well, after a 22-10 win over Raymond in the zone final.
"We had an excellent season," said coach Laura Murphy-Burke, who added her team went undefeated in league play, with one tie. "We are extremely proud of our players and their accomplishments, and our graduating class of 15 players will be deeply missed."
The LCI roster for 2025 included Aanchal Tripathi, Dilyn Brown, Porter Pierson, Abiageal Hyland, Ella Dubber, Portia Olsen, Addy Selk, Esmae Ricard, Reese Jones, Addyson Waites, Grace Clawson, Rylan Masson, Alana Janse Van Rensburg, Kamille de Jong, Sadie Depew, Ashtyn Cordeiro, Katelyn Lowry, Sarah Broad, Audree Walburger, Kenji Bootsma, Sloane Hirsche, Aurora Morgan, Kuniko Nelson, Sydney Campbell, Ayva Smith, Laryn Hyggen, Sydney Shields, Brielle Steed,  Liv Swift, Taya Skelton, Brinley Kutsch, Madison Kutsch, Taylin Loose, Brookelynn Jones, Micah Atwood, Tylee Walburger, Camryn Veurink, Myla Baker, Zoey Stephan, Charlee Tanner, Nevaeh Mangal, Dasha Tuckova and Peyton Hendrickson.
WCHS opened play Friday with a big 29-0 win over Strathmore. Churchill followed that up with a 53-0 victory over Matthew Halton.
In the gold-medal match, WCHS defeated W.R. Myers 46-5.
The Griffins had an undefeated record against 3A teams this season, and carried that momentum into provincials.
"The players focused on growth and skill development this season and entered the weekend with the goal to work together and get better each game," said WCHS coach JJ Ondrus. "This was a great mindset for facing a team we had never played before in Strathmore. We continued to build confidence against Matthew Halton from Pincher Creek, who we play in the Southern Alberta High School Rugby League."
The coach added everything then came together perfectly in the team's final match of 2025.
"Finally, we met W.R. Myers from Taber for the third time this season in the gold-medal match," said Ondrus. "Although we knew Myers very well, the team did a great job of focusing on their own strengths. We were led to a dominating victory by 13 graduating players in a very physical match. Our Grade 12 players were fantastic leaders and our 10s and 11s showcased our depth for the future."
The roster included Addison Graham, Emery Bassendowski, Leandra Ricketts, Ally McDonald, Evie Miller, Payton Young, Atti Yanga, Faith Tokariuk, Ronni Arcand, Ava Fletcher, Gaby Gomez, Rowina Abera, Avery Wilson, Jayda Hosgood, Ruby Ramirez, Brooklyn Saunders, Jayda Lietz-Greenway, Sara Chali, Brynnley Kowal, Karlee Peterson, Shanelle Mann, Caprica Desrosiers, Kayla Schimanski, Zoe Forsyth, Cassie Trechka and Kylie Challenger.
The LCI boys fell 17-7 to Bowness in the team’s first match on Friday I the 4A draw, and rebounded with a 31-20 win over Strathmore and a 17-0 win over McNally in the consolation final.
Churchill’s boys also took home the 3A championship by virtue of the team's victory over Strathmore in game one by a score of 25-2.
WCHS went on to compete against teams in the 4A portion of the draw, and then lost to Bowness 29-12 in the semifinal. The team then dropped the 4A bronze-medal game by a score of 40-5 to Henry Wise Wood.
The team included Carter Robertson, Isaias Belloso Rivera, Porter Forsyth, Codey Mackinley, Jace Grainger, Sanad Yousef, David Belloso Rivera, Jay De Richards, Seth Harding, Dominik Friesen, Johnny Heggie, Simon Klassen, Edenilson Argueta Baires, Kendyn Mann, Topher Olesen, Ethan Dudley, Kian Olsen, Tyler Sweetgrass, Haven Balingit, Lisandro Morales, Zach Light, Hunter Sangster, Maksym Chernezkyi, Zackry Hosgood, Ian Benkoczi, Mitchell Conrad, Isaac Morrison and Payden Graham.
The team was coached by Jonathan Dick, Alex Halvorsen, Brenden Albrecht, Eric Burwash and Nevin Morrison.