GRR: St. Edward
The Penn Invite, in its 14th year, saw 21 HS teams from Indiana and nearby states in a preseason effort at the Moose Rugby Grounds in Elkhart, IN.
Every team played two short games to see different opponents, with Boys and Girls teams both seeing action.
The University of Kentucky hosted several boys high school rugby teams over the weekend as a precursor to the regular season.
The Midwest Boys HS Championships kicks off this weekend and it's a new-look tournament.
Previous years have seen the tournament split into HS Club and Single-School brackets. However, that has not been the best option, especially as Royal Irish has won fairly easily on the club side.
Gonzaga HS defeated #1-ranked St. Edward of Ohio Sunday in a crossover non-conference game that may well shake up the FloRugby single-school rankings.
In a tight, back-and-forth game, Gonzaga scored a try right at halftime to lead 22-8 at the break, only to see St. Edward make it 22-15 early in the second half. Gonzaga scored two more to lead 34-15 and held on 34-20.
St. Edward probably secured its #1 single-school ranking for now with a 21-14 defeat of #2 St. Ignatius last week.
It was an exciting all-Rugby-Ohio league game that came down to the final moments, and St. Edward, led by center Grant Gutchall, lock Collin Haas, and tighthead prop Noah DiMichele scored three tries to take the game.