Reynolds Secondary, in its 50th year of existence, received the best birthday present of all Saturday.
The Reynolds Roadrunners defeated the Argyle Pipers of North Vancouver 5-4 on penalties, after a 0-0 draw, to win the B.C. boys’ AAA high school soccer championship in Burnaby.
Soccer has always been the sport of choice at the Saanich school, with some very good teams over 50 years, but this is the Roadrunners’ first provincial title. The previous best finish in B.C. was third place in 1973.
“It goes to show how hard this is to win,” said Reynolds head coach J.J. Atterbury.
“I am so incredibly happy for the boys and for the school.”
Kiyoshi Croke’s goal from the spot was the deciding shot in the shootout. Reynolds centre-back Josh Lamothe was named tournament MVP while co-captain Sam Fletcher and attacking midfielder Will Adams were also standouts for the Roadrunners, as were goalkeepers Aaron Acker-Cavalcanti and Cam Griffin.
“We have depth in every position,” said Atterbury, who is in his 14th season of guiding the Roadrunners.
Several of the Grade 12 Roadrunners have futures at the Canadian university U Sports level, said Atterbury, and they are sorting through potential U Sports recruitment options.
Reynolds’ victory follows St. Michaels University School’s B.C. boys’ AA title won by Cam Hundal’s Blue Jags last week.
“That’s quite an impressive double and shows the strength of Island soccer,” said Atterbury, who was a national champion player for Bruce Wilson’s University of Victoria Vikes and a B.C. champion player with Gorge FC.
Adding to the Island’s good performances was Oak Bay’s third-place finish at the B.C. AAA championships Saturday, with a victory over Sullivan Heights of Surrey in the bronze-medal game. The Roadrunners blanked Sullivan Heights 2-0 in the semifinals while Argyle defeated Oak Bay 3-1.
Reynolds and SMUS meet Tuesday night at 7 at Centennial Stadium in the 2016 Colonist Cup final, emblematic of Lower Island supremacy. The game is held after the provincial tournaments because of scheduling constraints.
Because both the AAA champion Roadrunners and AA champ Blue Jags go in as B.C. champions, this year’s Colonist Cup final has even more marquee lustre. Reynolds and SMUS tied 3-3 in their earlier meeting this year.
