The Williams Lake Secondary School Stags brought 44 boys to Prince George for the NCD Zones. There are 560 students at WLSS, so approximately one in six are rugby players.

All the more impressive when you consider the schools the Stags compete against such as: PGSS with 1,600 students, Kelly Road with 1,200, and across-town rivals Columneetza with 870.

The Stags boys program came one point away from sweeping the gold medals at the tournament. The Grade 8 boys won the gold, the junior boys won the gold, and the senior boys A team lost a heartbreaking gold medal game to Columneetza by a score of 14-15.

Senior boys captain Trevor Neufeld was the top scorer with 48 points throughout the tourney. In a gesture well beyond his years, Trevor spoke to a crowd of about 200 gathered for the medal ceremony and announced that the A team couldn’t have done it without the help of the whole program. The A team then proceeded to present their medals to the B team.

“Trev is a proven leader both on and off the field,” said coach Mike Levitt. “His tenacity and his character are the attributes of a true captain.”

Other top performers for the senior boys were Kyle Batty, Luke Melney, and Jan Most. The B team was led by Zach Bates.

The junior boys 7s team won every game they played this season, and were seldom even scored on. Top performers for the juniors were TJ Mills Mason Harrison, Eric Smith, and Cody Nunn.

“With the majority of our players being in Grade 9, the juniors look to once again be dominate next year,” said co-coach Nate Barclay.

The Grade 8 boys also came away with gold.

“The whole team made a significant contribution to our success,” said coach Morley Wilson. “The future looks bright.”

Now the Stags will change gears and focus their energy in the off season on fundraising for Newfoundland 2011.