Comets unbeaten in weekend rugby tournament in Okotoks

Posted on May 8, 2025 by admin

By Garrett Simmons
Westwind Weekly News

The Raymond Comets senior girls rugby team continues to pile up victories as the 2025 season rolls along.

On the weekend in Okotoks, Raymond went 4-0 in a tournament, which featured some of the toughest competition the team has faced this year.

Early on, however, it appeared the Comets would make quick work of everyone, as Raymond first faced off against a Notre Dame program that has given the southern Alberta squad tough tests every season.

Instead, it was a 58-0 Raymond win, against a Notre Dame team that was not at full strength.

“I don’t think they had a core of their strongest players there, so it was more of a game against their developmental squad,” said Raymond coach Dan Bikman.

The Comets then took on Edmonton’s Harry Ainlay, and ran away with a massive 60-0 victory.

“They just didn’t have the depth and they didn’t have the attack to keep up with us,” said Bikman, as he praised his team’s ball-handling skills as one of the main differences between the teams. “Our kids can hold the ball through multiple phases, and we don’t drop the ball very much.”

A team that rarely puts the ball on the turf is tough to defend, the coach added, and the Comets took that style to heart in the route over the huge Edmonton school.

But the two lopsided wins were very different from the tests Raymond received in the final two games.

Up against Foothills Composite from Okotoks, the Comets held a 12-0 lead at the half, in a contest with a different feel.

“It was a hard-hitting game and it kind of woke our kids up,” said the coach, as the team raised its battle level in the second half and rolled 42-0. “I think they just saw they weren’t going to just pass the ball three or four times and run for a 35-yard try.”

But the physicality the Comets displayed was just what the doctor ordered.

“It was an impressive level of intensity, so that was good to see as a coach,” said Bikman of his team’s second half.

Raymond’s last game against Holy Trinity was a similar experience, as the Comets led 14-0 at the half and then ran away with a 37-0 win.

“They’re well-coached and well organized, and we ended up having to play a lot of defence in that game,” said Bikman, who added his team held a 60-40 edge in possession, compared to some contests where it has been more like an 80-20 split.

This week, Raymond had a league game against Lethbridge Collegiate Institute (score unavailable at press time) and on the weekend, the Comets will be in Red Deer.

Raymond will face Notre Dame first and if all goes well, will play the winner of Lloydminster and Crossfield in the next contest.

Teams on the other side of the bracket include Taber’s W.R. Myers and the always tough Sturgeon Composite.