BARRIE, Ont. - The Georgian Grizzlies men's rugby team capped off their incredible season with a gold medal win over the Humber Hawks on Sunday afternoon.
After finishing the regular season with a 3-1 record and winning the West Division, the Grizzlies received a bye through to the semifinals. Facing the St. Lawrence Surge, the Grizzlies earned a convincing 57-10 win to compete for gold for the fifth time in the last five seasons.
At J.C. Massie Field, the Grizzlies would host the Humber Hawks for the first time this season. They met in the regular season at Humber, where the Grizzlies won 26-22.
In the gold medal match, Georgian was on the board first with a try scored by Jack Ahern (Minesing) in the first four minutes of the match, putting the Grizzlies up 5-0 early.
Thirty minutes later, Ahern scored his second try of the game putting the Grizzlies ahead 12-0, with a successful kick from Matthew Turco (Stouffville). The lead was short lived when Prince Ndukwe scored Humber's scored their first try of the game seconds before the end of the first half. Grizzlies entered halftime leading 12-5.
In the second half, Humber quickly scored a try by Jah'ma-l Drummond, bringing the score to 12-10.
Not long after, Ethan Phillips (Minesing) put the Grizzlies ahead 17-10. Turco successfully kicked his second of the match, making the score 19-10.
In the final minutes, Georgian scored a game sealing try by Rylan Moulton (Barrie). The final whistle blew not long after and the Georgian Grizzlies celebrated their first rugby gold medal after winning silver the last four seasons. This marks Georgian's third men's rugby gold medal (1996, 2016, 2023).
OCAA Championship MVP
James Robb-Kennedy, Georgian
OCAA Championship All-Stars
Matthew Bembridge, Georgian
Ngatukimbe Kaukumagera, Humber
Rielly Kirk, Georgian
Alex Lee, Durham
Hank Perrin, St. Lawrence
Tye Wallace, Humber
OCAA Fair Play Award
Rylan Moulton, Georgian
Source: Georgian Grizzlies
Live Webcast: www.ocaalive.com
Sunday, October 29
OCAA Quarter-Finals
Humber def. Seneca 28-0
St. Lawrence def. Conestoga 27-15
Saturday, November 4
OCAA Semi-Final
Georgian def. St. Lawrence 57-10
Sunday, November 5
OCAA Semi-Final
Humber def. Durham 23-20 (OT)
Saturday, November 11
OCAA Bronze Medal Match
Durham def. St. Lawrence 29-7
Sunday, November 12
OCAA Gold Medal Match
Georgian def. Humber 26-10