Despite playing just one season of football, West Vancouver's Simon Li has been signed by the Canada West power Calgary Dinos. (Photo property of West Vancouver Secondary athletics 2019. All rights reserved)
Feature High School Football High School Rugby University Football

West Vancouver’s Simon Li: Just 15 months after tackling football and rugby, the Highlanders’ raw rookie answers the call of the Calgary Dinos

WEST VANCOUVER — Out of nowhere, he established his high school’s new gold standard for raw rookies. Now, West Vancouver Highlanders’ graduating senior  Simon Li is headed off to a university career as a diamond in the rough.

Carson Graham's Austin James (with ball) has been recognized as one of Quad-A's Game Day XXIII for 2019. (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Rugby

Meet The Quad Squad: Find out who made the grade in Varsity Letters’ 2019 Game Day XXIII B.C. Quad-A rugby Dream Team!

LANGLEY — The 2019 Premier League season, one which opened with the St. George’s Saints last-second win over the Shawnigan Lake Stags in the opening round of the Stadium Series at Swangard back in April, and closed earlier this month with a B.C. finals re-match won at Rotary by the Stags, showcased B.C. high school […]

West Vancouver
Robert Bateman's Sam Davenport makes his break to the try line during the recent B.C. Triple A Tier 1 championships in Abbotsford. An SFU football recruit, Davenport is also a part of the Game Day XXIII B.C. AAA Dream Team team. (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Rugby

B.C.’s best Triple-A boys rugby players! Meet the Varsity Letters/BCSSRU 2019 Game Day XXIII Dream Team

LANGLEY — We opened our look at B.C.’s best high school rugby players, by tier, with our Tuesday look at Double-A. It’s Wednesday and time to shift attention to the Varsity Letters/B.C. Secondary Schools Rugby Union Triple-A team, one defined by not only a heavy Fraser Valley flavour, but by its exclusive public school membership.

Collingwood's Sebastian Hutton helped his team to a repeat B.C. AA Tier 1 title earlier this month. On Tuesday he was named to the Varsity Letters/BCSSRU's 2019 Game Day XXIII. (Photo by Blair Shier property of Blair.photo 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Rugby

B.C.’s best AA high school rugby players of the year! Check out the Varsity Letters/BCSSRU 2019 Game Day XXIII

LANGLEY — After one year away, Varsity Letters is back with one of the most-read features in our young history. Two seasons ago, through the expertise of the B.C. Secondary Schools Rugby Union, we presented our first B.C.’s Top XV player list, featuring the top three high school players from around the province at each position.

Collingwood Cavaliers' seniors Tyler Preston (left) and Graeme Neill-Klein each lost their Grade 11 seasons to shoulder surgery, but finished their senior seasons as leaders on a B.C. championship-winning team. (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Rugby

A Sunday Read: Rubbing shoulders with adversity helps Collingwood’s rugby brothers Neill-Klein and Preston fashion a dream ending

ABBOTSFORD — You can never mask elation, yet to see it emerge from the deepest of places in a moment of celebration is to better understand why the best things in life are worth fighting for.

Earl Marriott Mariners players celebrate the program's first-ever B.C. boys high school rugby title Saturday afternoon in Abbotsford. (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Rugby

Mariners find their rugby treasure! With the speedy McMullins carrying the torch, Marriott tops Bateman for Triple A Tier-1 gold

ABBOTSFORD — They celebrated a program first knowing full well that their future is bright.With a starting XV boasting 14 Grade 11 players along with its graduating senior captain Erik Niehbur, Surrey’s Earl Marriott Mariners are a juggernaut waiting to happen in 2020.But forget about all of that. How about what they did Saturday?“It was […]

Sir Charles Tupper's George Miller (second left)tries to contain his emotion as he is surrounded by his Tigers' teammates after scoring a dramatic late try to insure the school's first rugby victory since the mid-1960s. (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Rugby

Tupper Tigers bring B.C. rugby title back to East Vancouver! First banner since mid-1960s earned after victory over Byrne Creek

ABBOTSFORD — There is a faded banner hanging at East Vancouver’s Sir Charles Tupper Secondary signifying a B.C. high school rugby championships from the mid-1960’s.

Behind the stellar play of Landon Clironomos, Vancouver's Lord Byng Grey Ghosts won their first B.C. senior boys varsity rugby tile in precisely 20 years. (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Rugby

It was 20 years ago this week! Lord Byng coach Mallette relishes “…a precious opportunity” as Grey Ghosts snap a two decade title drought

ABBOTSFORD — Mike Mallette didn’t need to be reminded that a signature moment had just arrived in his life, and in the lives of the Lord Byng Grey Ghosts rugby program, one which he has made his life’s work.

St. George's Patrick Feng can small the try line during key second-half stretch of Friday's Quad A championship final, but Shawnigan Lake's Ciaran Breen has his ankle, and both Graeme Norris and Nico Falcon close in from the other side. (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca 2019. All Rights Reserved)
St. George's Jacob Murkur navigated the heavy traffic of the SMUS Blue Jags on Thursday, scoring a try as part of a 24-15 Saints' B.C. junior varsity championship win at Rotary Stadium. (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Rugby

Bench power rallies St. George’s Saints past SMUS Blue Jags in B.C. junior varsity rugby championship match

ABBOTSFORD — Plucky St. Michaels University School scored three tries, each of which lifted Victoria’s Blue Jags into the lead over their Vancouver arch-rivals, the St. George’s Saints.