Whistler's Wolves bared their teeth on July 26 en route to Rugby League British Columbia (RLBC) championships in both the senior men's and U19 juniors' divisions.
Despite having to go most of the fixture down two players after Neil Irwin's early injury and Michael Balanda being sent off, the men grinded out an 18-16 triumph over the Vancouver Valley Vipers in Langley.
"We've gone back-to-back undefeated seasons, and that's including the nines [tournaments]," said Whistler head coach Blake Stewart. "It's extremely difficult. We actually had two of our U19 players step and play for the men, and one of them got voted Man of the Match. We have a good succession plan in place now, whereas in previous years we hadn't.
"Especially when you're the defending premiers like we [are], most teams put out their best possible team against us. They want to knock us off. It's really difficult to go one season undefeated. To go for two is amazing."
Speaking of the U19 boys, they ran amok to notch a 34-10 breakthrough over a combined Vipers/Mud Bay Mudders squad.
Victory out of a hat
Whistler had to adjust its tactics right away as starting halfback and key playmaker Irwin hurt his ankle during the game's first five minutes. Things went from bad to worse after officials ejected Balanda in the 25th minute, forcing Stewart's crew to deploy just 12 athletes against their opponents' 13 for most of the match.
Vancouver Valley took a 16-14 advantage with 10 minutes to go, but the Wolves found it within themselves to bite back. Joe Griffin and Blake Mahovic mounted a late assault into enemy territory, with Harvey Lew building upon their progress. Ryan Ketler reaped the fruits of their collective labour by scoring a try in the endzone corner.
With just two minutes remaining at that point, the Vipers fell short. Lew was named MVP and Mahovic ended up playing all 70 minutes through the middle.
"We've been able to score lots of points against a lot of opponents, but our defence has been the one aspect most pleasing," Stewart remarked. "The core group have played together quite a few times … but it was the mental strength of our boys to know they had to work harder. They had to get to that next tackle, it's not going to be the other person's job, and that [grit] was across the board.
"We pulled a victory out of a hat and it was really pleasing: the signs that we weren't going to give up."
Contagious passion
Hours before their adult counterparts played, Whistler's juniors entered battle with two Point Grey Tropics athletes filling out an 18-person roster. They besieged the Vipers/Mudders coalition with a quick-strike offence and smooth, sweeping plays to establish a two-try lead going into halftime.
The only blemish on the U19 Wolves' day was Tannen DesBrisay's late first-half injury, but Jack Macalister and Rory Jago took command of the offence nonetheless. Brady Nooski and Will August led the charge up front, and a stout team defensive effort gave up only two tries.
Macalister received MVP honours from RLBC officials and board members.
"Every game that we played in, we got better and better," Stewart said about his juniors. "There's definitely a few standouts who would go very well in the men's league. Brady Nooski and Michael Chandler did play for the men, and a few others would have but they were away trying out for Team Canada in rugby union. The level of U19 rugby in Whistler is pretty strong for both codes: rugby union and rugby league."
Stewart aims to launch a women's branch sooner than later. The junior pipeline will also remain important for fostering a love of rugby among Sea to Sky youth—Whistler is a transient town and its Wolves will need more grassroots backing as current club leaders inevitably begin stepping down or moving away.
Modern Concept Contracting and Base Electric have been vital sponsors for the men and U19s respectively, with a few other local businesses contributing as well. Nonetheless, Stewart hopes to find more partners and further lower the costs of entry into Wolves rugby.
"Blake’s passion is truly contagious and his dedication to the Whistler Wolves is unmatched," said treasurer and team manager Cassidy Arons. "Over the past five years, his tireless energy, steady presence and unwavering belief in this incredible group of young men has shaped something remarkable. His calm, focused approach has brought out the best in the team—and the results speak for themselves. I’m already excited to see what’s in store for next season."
