Bays co-coach Rich Fast labelled it the 鈥淏attle of South Oak Bay.鈥�
Whatever they are doing to kick the soccer ball around in that area of town, it鈥檚 working. It鈥檚 a connection that stretches all the way to the 23-player Canadian roster in the recent fourth-round of CONCACAF qualifying games for World Cup Russia 2018 qualifying, which included Oak Bay products Adam Straith and Simon Thomas.
The Oak Bay Bays defeated the Glenlyon Norfolk School Gryphons 2-0 Thursday night at Centennial Stadium in the 2015 Greater Victoria Colonist Cup boys鈥� high school soccer final.
Straith, who just returned from San Salvador after sa国际传媒鈥檚 scoreless World Cup qualifying draw Tuesday against El Salvador, came to the Bays鈥� dressing room and gave the players a surprise pep talk before the Cup final Thursday.
鈥淭he boys were just blown away by that,鈥� said Oak Bay co-coach Brent Garraway.
鈥淭hey were jacked after that.鈥�
And it showed as Eliot Cuthbert, who recently returned to Oak Bay from the Vancouver Whitecaps Academy, scored both goals in the first 16 minutes.
The annual Colonist Cup playdowns have an alumni list that includes World Cup players George Pakos of Esquimalt High and Ian Bridge of Vic High, as well as other highly capped former Canadian internationals such as Brian Robinson from Vic High and Bob Bolitho of Mount View. These kids can always dream, too.
鈥淏oth teams have talented players. And in games like this, it usually comes down to the little thing,鈥� said GNS head coach Justin Parish.
鈥淚鈥檓 proud of our guys. They left it all out there on the pitch tonight.鈥�
One thing is for sure: There were no secrets in this final.
鈥淎 lot of these kids on both teams grew up together,鈥� said Bays co-coach Fast.
The inter-connections run deeper than that. As a student-athlete, GNS bench boss Parish played for Oak Bay under Fast and won three consecutive Colonist Cup championships with the Bays from Grade 10 through 12.
鈥淕NS won the sa国际传媒 Single-A championship just the week before, so they are very organized and well-prepared under Justin [Parish],鈥� said Fast.
That was the Gryphons鈥� seventh consecutive sa国际传媒 title, with six won in Single-A and one in Double-A. The Gryphons have also appeared in five of the last seven Colonist Cup finals, winning in 2009, as it is no longer just a team but has graduated to what is commonly referred to in sporting nomenclature as a 鈥減rogram.鈥� In other words, they seem to be in contention every year.
But this night belonged to the Bays, a program that emulates top-flight standards.
鈥淲e stress eating correctly and proper training. We set the direction for these players to do it in a pro-level way, so they learn the right habits in terms of nutrition and training,鈥� said Garraway.
鈥淚t鈥檚 working. We have two players on the UVic Vikes and other graduates playing CIS and NCAA, as well.鈥�
That鈥檚 not to mention players such as Straith and Thomas, who left the Oak Bay team early to join the Whitecaps Academy. But they never forgot the formative training they received, so 32-time-capped and Canadian starting middle defender Straith invited Fast and Garraway as his guests to the 1-0 World Cup 2018 qualifying win over Honduras last Friday at sa国际传媒 Place.
鈥淭he one thing Rich and I try to impart to the players is that you have to earn it,鈥� said Garraway, who won a CIS national championship with the UVic Vikes and four Province Cup championships with Gorge FC.
鈥淲e battled and loved to compete as players. We try to pass that on to our players.鈥�
It appears to be a formula for success as the Bays added the Colonist Cup to their 2015 treble, which also includes the Lower Island regular-season title and Island Triple-A championship. They go for the quad next week at the sa国际传媒 high school Triple-A championships.
It was the Bays鈥� first Colonist Cup championship since 2008.
