The Bellerose Bulldogs did the unthinkable in premier women’s high school rugby — they beat the Paul Kane Blues.
“It was unbelievable,” exclaimed game star Janna Slevinsky after scoring three highlight-reel tries in Tuesday’s historic 19-10 thriller. “They’ve always beat us but this time it was just more of a want for us. We needed to beat them and we proved it to ourselves that we could and we did and that’s the most amazing feeling ever.”
The lady Blues have celebrated more premier championships (five since 2000) than any Metro Edmonton league team and have competed in eight of the last nine finals, including the last five in a row.
“I’m not going to lie; we came in here a little scared. It’s Paul Kane, right?” said Slevinsky, a Grade 11 eight-man who played for the U17 Alberta bronze-medal team at the 2008 Rugby Canada National Championships Festival.
According to Cory Albrecht, a long-time Bellerose teacher and rugby coach, the only time the Bulldogs beat Paul Kane on the women’s pitch was at Strathcona Druids Lynn Davies pre-season tournament at Outlaws field some years ago.
“We wanted this win and we played with a lot of heart,” said Caitlin Pon, captain of the surprising 3-1 Bulldogs. “This was definitely our best game of the year.”
What made the victory even more impressive was the way the Bulldogs battled back from a 10-point deficit in the worst weather conditions possible.
“Our team is not made of quitters,” Slevinsky said. “It’s just part of the game being behind, you just have to fight your way back.”
With a howling wind at their backs the Blues scored twice in the first quarter. Travonne Pinnock picked up a ball around midfield and bolted into the try area in the second minute and before the first quarter ended Sabrina Kelly broke through for points as the Bulldogs struggled to move the ball out of their end.
“When they got those early tries on us but it gave us more of a reason to keep trying,” said Slevinsky.
Her first try two minutes in the second quarter lit a fire under the Bulldogs. She skated through gaps in Paul Kane’s defence without any threat of getting stopped to cut the deficit in half.
Before the first half ended, after several minutes of intense Paul Kane pressure, Slevinsky was on the verge of going the distance again but was hauled down from behind with a desperation tug of her jersey.
Paul Kane wasn’t the same team after switching ends to start the second half. As the temperature plunged below the freezing mark and the wind howling like a hurricane, the Blues were unable to push the ball past the midfield strip against a determined Bellerose line-up.
“We have such a small team [only two subs] but we worked and worked today for this win,” Slevinsky said. “We really came together as a team. We showed so much heart it’s unbelievable.”
The brutal playing conditions added to the drama of the St. Albert showdown.
“It was really tough but personally I would rather be cold than hot. I can breathe better,” Slevinsky said. “I’m absolutely numb right now. I can’t even feel my injuries. I’m already all iced up.”
The Bulldogs grabbed the game by the throat in the third quarter with some magnificent running by Slevinsky. Three minutes in she slipped through at least three tackles on a frantic dash from midfield to score under the posts to tie the game.
“Janna is an amazing runner. When she gets it she just goes and we try our best to support her,” said Pon, a steady fly-half for the Bellerose 15.
A few minutes later Slevinsky left several Paul Kane players spinning like tops as she bobbed and weaved her way through the Blues en route to the go-ahead try under the posts.
“That last try was the best one. It was the one that won us the game but it was the whole team that made the effort. I had support the whole way so it’s not just a one-person show,” Slevinsky said.
Viveca Robinson added to the point total with a pair of converts to help seal the deal.
The Blues were lucky to escape the fourth quarter without giving up any more points. A gritty Bellerose defence left the Blues spinning their wheels in their own end. The Bulldogs gave them no room to run and when the Blues did try to move forward they were on the receiving end of bone-rattling tackles.
“We played them tough on defence and when we had the ball we ran it hard and low,” said Pon, one of five Grade 12s on the roster.
With only eight returning players from last year’s 1-5-1 team the Bulldogs are resilient and incredible hungry to do some damage in the playoffs.
“We proved something to ourselves today,” said Slevinsky, 16. “We have a fresh batch of girls this year and we’re ready to show the league what we can do.”
The Bulldogs will see how good they really are next Thursday against the powerhouse Sturgeon Spirits in the last game before the playoffs. Kickoff is 4:45 p.m. at the St. Albert Rugby Football Club. The 2006 and 2007 premier champions and last year’s finalists averaged 53 points in four wins.
The Bulldogs can finish no worse than third place in the standings. Their only loss was 12-0 to the Bev Facey Falcons (2-1) last week.
“We can go all the way. I know we can do it,” Pon said.
Meanwhile, the Blues improved to 2-2 in Thursday’s 54-5 thumping of the winless Salisbury Sabres. On Tuesday they play Bev Facey at 4:45 p.m. at St. Albert.
The playoffs start May 26, with the top two teams earning first round byes. The semifinals are May 28 and the final is June 3 at Ellerslie Rugby Park at 5 p.m. At stake is a berth in the tier I (4A schools) provincials, June 12 and 13 at Edmonton.
