OAKVILLE, Ont. - They were a bit sluggish to start, but once they got some momentum, the Sheridan Bruins men's rugby team (3-0 OCAA) rolled to a 54-7 victory over Conestoga on Sheridan Homecoming.
"I think the boys were just a little bit over-confident today. We worked hard in practice, we worked on a lot of things, but unfortunately with young athletes confidence can be a pretty fine line. You want to build them up, but you also want them to have a hunger to prove themselves at the same time," head coach Rick Bria said. "We have a good bunch of athletes, we have good systems in place, it's just getting them in the proper mindset and keeping that killer instinct in play."
JP Munro (eighth minute), Brandon Roberts (22nd minute), and Justin Tota (40th minute) all scored first half tries, with conversions from Jad Hamade, as the Double-Blue led 21-0 at the interval.
Feeling they had left some points on the board in the first half, the Bruins got off to a quick start with Matt DaCosta and Andrew Zandona scoring tries in the first two minutes.
Conestoga got on the board in the 57th minute, but the Bruins responded with a try from Owen Schimpl, and a penalty try on the game's final play.
DaCosta led the Bruins with 12 points (two tries, one convert) and joins Schimpl at the top of the team's scoring list this season with 24 points.
The club has a quick turnaround, hosting Mohawk just prior to Thanksgiving weekend on Oct. 4 (4pm).
For a third straight game this season, the Bruins set new team records for points (54), tries (eight), and margin of victory (47), while also establishing a program-high three wins.
Bria says that although they have enjoyed great success this season, they are maintaining the same approach every week: full effort to the task at hand.
"From the beginning we've take a one-game-at-a-time attitude," he said. "Our philosophy is that we take one step at a time, one game at a time, and one win at a time. We're pretty close to securing a playoff spot, but that's not enough for us. We know that we have the talent to be a contender, and that's our goal."
