Just how much of a rugby powerhouse the Bow Valley Grizzlies have become might best be summed up by their domination of Edmonton's Leprechaun Tigers to claim the pot of gold.

The Grizz are the tier 2 provincial champs and had the Lep Tigers by the tail early to walk off the field with a 88-5 victory, Sept. 30, in Edmonton.

There was a telltale early in the match when the Grizz had racked up a few penalties, says coach Tyler Hawes.

"We were pinned down in our end for about five minutes and we were defending, defending, defending and they could not break the line," says Hawes. "Eventually they turned over the ball. We got out of trouble, we got the ball to their end and really didn't look back after that point."

The win was a bit of restitution for the rematch of last year's finalist. In that game, the Grizz got off to a slow start, took a red card early and never truly found their stride in the 29-19 loss. Yet Hawes says the need for redemption wasn't a huge factor.

"There was a little bit of let's make right what happened last year, but I don't think it mattered who they were playing, they just wanted to perform and they did."

"I was super proud of the boys," says Hawes. "They just played unreal out of their skin on Saturday. They could do no wrong, really. It was a pretty good game to watch as a coach."

This is the game they have been preparing for all season; it's a championship they have been craving for six years while developing the team.

"The execution was there and there was attention to details. There were a few things we were working on and it really showed on Saturday."

That includes how they scored. The team was able to work the ball to the outside, where they scored 90 per cent of their tries.

Aside from a year-end banquet, it's now off-season for the Grizz until they start training sometime in January. In the meantime, the question remains when or if they will make the jump to tier one.

Hawes says that would seem to be the natural step for the club, but it depends upon what the players say. It also weighs heavily upon the numbers. Between the Grizz and the tier 3 Babas, there were just over 30 players this season. The top tier one teams have 60-70 on their roster, he points out.

"The big thing is the numbers. I guess you could say the quality is there, we just need the quantity. We need really at least two solid teams to go up to the next division," says Hawes.

"We'll talk to the boys and see what they have to say."

SEE MORE:

Grizz off to Provincials for 2nd Straight Year