Centre Dufferin rugby team congratulated for silver medal at OFSSA

Written By Paula Brown

The Centre Dufferin District High School (CDDHS) girl's rugby team has received recognition from the Town of Shelburne for their silver medal finish at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Association (OFSAA) tournament. 

Shelburne Town Council presented the girls team with certificates ahead of their meeting on Monday (July 8) at Town Hall in commemoration of their achievement.

“It's great that we're getting the recognition,” said CDDHS Royals rugby player Mya Rickerby. “We've put in a lot of work to get this far and it's great to be acknowledged by the town.” 

The Girl's Rugby program at Centre Dufferin District High School is in its third year, and for the last two years the team has returned from OFSAA as bronze medalists.

With many players returning for the 2024 season, the team of 48 girls set forward with one goal – make it to the OFSAA finals. 

The team started the season off strong with a win over St. James Catholic High School from Guelph during their home opener game on April 24. The CDDHS girl's rugby team carried the momentum throughout the rest of the regular season, remaining undefeated until their district finals, where they took a loss against John F. Ross Collegiate.

The girl's rugby team went on to bring home a Central Western Ontario Secondary Schools Association (CWOSSA) championship after winning 29-0 over Holy Trinity Catholic High School in the final game. 

The win marked the third consecutive year that CDDHS has won CWOSSA.

The CDDHS girl's rugby team closed out the season by competing against teams from across the province at the OFSAA championship held in Courtice, Ont. from June 3 to June 5. The team beat out Napanee District Secondary School in the semi-finals and concluded the tournament with a silver medal after losing to Holy Cross Catholic Secondary School, who have been OFSAA medalists since 2006, in the finals. 

“From the beginning of the season they've put in the work, committing to morning and afternoon practices, and it's amazing the Town of Shelburne is taking the time to recognized them,” said Coach Adrian Brown. “When we got through the semi-final game and we won, that was a huge moment for us and the program. The final game came down to one play and while we didn't win, the outcome didn't really matter because the effort was there and you can't ask for anything more.” 

While going undefeated throughout the regular season and reaching the provincial finals are significant milestones, what is also admirable about the CDDHS girl's rugby team is their tenacity to finance their OFSAA trip. 

Ahead of the provincial championships, the team came together to help raise the funds needed to attend OFSAA. The team hosted bottle drives, sold tickets for raffles and reached out to local clubs for sponsorships. In the end, the team was able to raise a total of $23,000. 

“It was a great accomplishment for the team. You've got a group of young girls who went off and competed at the provincial level and earned a silver medal,” said Shelburne Mayor Wade Mills. “While they were competing, I hope they felt the support of the community behind them because it certainly was. It was important to bring them out and show them how proud we are as a community for what they were able to accomplish together as a team.”