CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. – Jordan Arsenault knew what it meant when Three Oaks Axemen coach James Voye told the scrum-half to kick the ball to him on the sidelines.
They had gone over it at practice before the Prince Edward Island School Athletic Association senior AAA boys’ rugby final with the Bluefield Bobcats Wednesday at UPEI.
“He said, ‘If it is the last play of the game, just touch it, kick it out and the final whistle will go’,” the Grade 12 player recalled. “I knew when I was kicking it out, the game was ending, so as soon as that ball went out I never felt so much joy in my life.”
With the 24-19 victory, the Axemen completed the three-peat and have now won nine of the last 11 championships on the boys’ senior AAA side.
Arsenault, an 18-year-old St. Nicholas native, has been part of the last two, having started with an A championship in Grade 10. He said completing the trifecta felt great.
“This year, for sure, definitely feels the best, though,” he said, explaining, “Last year, we didn't have to work as hard, but this year we played our hearts out in the final and we got the win.”
RELATED: TOSH wins girls' title.
Bluefield got the early lead and took a 12-7 advantage to halftime. Arsenault said they were a little flat in the beginning.
“In the second half, we really came out with energy and we were meeting them at the line and making our hits,” he said.
The Axemen tied the game early in the second half and it seemed to open up the play. The Bobcats went up seven, but Three Oaks responded quickly, cutting the advantage to two.
The Axemen withstood a push from Bluefield and later scored the go-ahead try when Parker Cameron found Stephen Smallwood, who ran down the sideline for his second try of the game.
“It’s quite amazing that my outside centre . . . bobbled it, regathered it and then offloaded it over the top of his head to (Smallwood), who ended up running in the score,” Voye said.
RELATED: Click here for more photos from the game.
The victory came despite two key Grade 12 players (tighthead prop Jackson Clarke and inside-centre Cole Adams) getting hurt in the second half and watching the end of the game from the sidelines.
“Kudos to my boys that walked in there and were able to hold the standard of our play,” Voye said.
“Our guys that came in off the bench played excellent,” Arsenault added. “And our starters kept playing hard and we played all the way . . . to the very last whistle.”
Voye said it was a very satisfying to see his team climb back all game and despite being in a panic situation, not panicking.
“I knew Bluefield was going to be a tough matchup coming into the game,” he said, noting he had a chance to watch them play a few times during the season. “(They’re) very aggressive and they’re well coached.”
Blake Jurkowski and Caleb Dawson each added a try for Three Oaks while Jordan Arsenault kicked two converts.
Bluefield received three tries from David Sato while Daniel Mowatt kicked two converts.
Voye has coached in the high school league for more than 20 years and was pleased with the level of play in Wednesday’s championship game, a good sign for the league and rugby across the province.
“That's the best high school game probably I’ve watched as a coach in a long time,” he said.
