The Hawks men’s rugby team secured their third straight win, beating the Georgian Grizzlies 22-19 in a back-and-forth match on Sept. 27.
Humber narrowly gained the victory thanks to winger Cooper Markou's late 79th-minute try.
Markou later earned the OCAA and Humber athlete of the week award on Sept. 29.
Both Humber and Georgian were undefeated going into the match.
Head Coach Fabian Rayne said he considered Georgian’s strength when he talked tactics with the Hawks prior to the game.
“Their forwards are very strong, we’re aware of that. We’re probably not as big as they are, so we’ll have to play to our strengths,” he said.
Although the Georgian Grizzlies had Reilly Kirk, the 2024 player of the year, Humber etched over the try line with a few hard-fought rucks for their opening points.
The game-winning try was an open dart down the right flank.
Fly half Joshua Dunbar, known as “Debo,” pulled through in his last conversion after missing the first three.
Dunbar is second overall for conversions in the league with a total of six and leads the team in points.
Among the other players on the score sheet were scrum Matt Gianfriddo and winger Reuben Hill with one try each.
“We’re willing to put our bodies on the line for each other, and we’re going to do it for the rest of the season and get that gold again,” Gianfriddo said.
The Humber team consists of 37 per cent first-year athletes.
Rayne said the team is looking to have its first year defend the gold title while also building toward the future.
“We’re really big on terms of making sure we have a good, strong foundation, and we’re trying to win in the immediate, but we’re also trying to prepare for the future at the same time,” he said.
Second-year athlete, Harry Lutumba Mpongo, said the players' talk prior to the game gave them the energy to perform well.
“The (speech) of the day was, we have to fight. So, we fought and we won,” he said.
Winning is in Humber's blood, the varsity team hopes to build accomplished young men, Rayne said.
Last season's gold medal marks the first since their suspension from the OCAA for violations of the Varsity Code of Expectations in 2015.
The team has been on a steady medal climb since the end of the suspension, winning the bronze in 2019-20, silver in 2023-24 and then last season’s gold.
Rayne is responsible for four of the seven golds in Humber’s OCAA history. He also holds a 74 per cent winning percentage throughout his career.
The Hawks hired two first-year assistant coaches, Prince Ndukwe and Seth Kirkham, who were brought up to the coaching staff from being “star” athletes in prior seasons, Rayne said.
“They understand what we’re trying to do as a team, and they’re basically bringing their fresh perspective to what we’ve been doing,” he said.
According to the OCAA, Humber and Durham are the only teams in the OCAA to hold a 3-0 record at the midway point.
Gianfriddo previously played for Durham before joining Humber.
“That’s going to be the most exciting game for me,” Gianfriddo said. “I picked the right team.”
The Hawks face off against Durham in three weeks.
The Hawks' next match is against the Conestoga Condors on Oct. 4 at 12 p.m.
