It's not the most crowded weekend now that several states have wrapped up, but there are plenty of playoffs.
Michigan
Michigan goes through quarterfinals and semifinals this week. Leading the way so far is Detroit Central Catholic, which is undefeated in the Wolverine State and has only lost to St. Ignatius and St. Edward (both out of Cleveland). Those early tests set them up nicely for the league season.
"I’m pretty happy with where our team is," said DCC Coach Ian Ronayne. "We've had a lot of growth since we the Ignatius match. The boys just have to stick to the system and perform."
Teams play both Saturday and Sunday with an eye to the final on June 8.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin had an interesting semifinals as Marquette and Green Bay, the teams GRR had ranked the highest out of that state, had both lost league games in the regular season, Marquette to Northshore, and Green Bay to Pulaski.
But in the semifinals the tables were turned with Marquette HS making the final after beating Pulaski 49-14, and Green Bay holding off Northshore 36-31.
Marquette prepared well for that game against the Roos and with seven different players scoring tries and Jayden Costello going a perfect 7-for-7 on conversions, it all came together.
"It's a cliché, but it really was a 1 through 23 effort," said Marquette Head Coach Colin Dillon. "From preparation in the days leading up, to the execution of our gameplan on Thursday night, everyone did their part, and did it well. The boys all showed up to play, even after a two-hour drive. They played together, their communication during game-play being the best I've seen all year. Seven tries by seven different players is the type of unselfish rugby we try to teach and they executed it well."
Green Bay, in their loss against Pulaski, started slowly, and couldn't get out of that hole. Against Northshore the Leprechauns started slowly again. But they got it going earlier.
"Near the end of the first half we started climbing back," said Head Coach JJ Rose. "We continued to battle; the boys never gave up and fought to the end. We are a young team and I think that is why we have had a few slow starts, but they are tough."
Green Bay was down 19-0 at 11 minutes and 24-8 just around halftime. But they scored twice to take a 29-24 lead with just a few minutes left. Avontae Martin's score at the end of the game pulled out the 36-31 win. USA age-grader James Rose scored 21 points with two tries, four conversions, and a penalty goal.
"This will be a true test against Marquette Saturday," said Rose.
Ohio
In Ohio, there are three divisions. The Varsity is the culmination of a four-team school league involving St. Ignatius, St. Xavier, St. Edward, and Moeller. Ignatius and Xavier won semifinals this past Sunday.
This has been a very good season overall for St. Xavier. They beat Moeller and were very close to St. Ed's in their regular season. Their win over St. Ed's, while we did write about how St. Edward was playing their fourth game in four days, was also a testament to St. Xavier sticking to their discipline and their game plan. They were missing some key players but, said Head Coach Mark Weidner, "we expected to win." Good news for St. Xavier was they were in scoring position over St. Edward on a number of occasions. The worrying news? They didn't always score.
"We had four times inside the 5-meter line where we didn’t score; we controlled the ball almost the entire game," said Weidner. Converting on scoring chances have been a work-on this week. Ignatius, meanwhile, did the job against Moeller and will remember that St. Xavier provided difficulties for them, especially in the first half, when the two met earlier this year. Overall Ignatius seems healthy and will be looking for a 7th-straight state championship, and their ninth in the last playoffs (2014-2024; 2020 not played).
In the school final, which is a division slightly below the Varsity level but is still strong, sees Medina vs Warriors. The Warriors, led by 19 points from Ayden Louks in the semifinal and with the powerful play of prop Logan Stentz, did lose a game to club team Olentangy, but overall their offense is clicking nicely. Medina was undefeated in the school league with their 7-8-9 combo of Bryce Morris, Blaine Christman, and Caine Coleman leading the try-scoring.
"This should be a very tough match with Warrior," said Medina Head Coach Brian Scerca. "They play quality rugby year after year and they looked very good in their semifinal win over Dublin. We expect them to be physical and direct in their forward game and their backline brings a balanced mix of athleticism and skill. On our side, we have been playing well focusing on consistency and execution in both attack and defense. We expect the boys to show up ready for all the challenges that a State Championship match brings."
In the club final, it's Olentangy vs Dayton Northern Force. The Northern Force got by a much improved Avon Lake side in the semifinals thanks in large part to three tries from No. 8 Tyler Allison. That scoreline was 26-19 which is credit to Avon Lake, because when there's a slight crack, Dayton busts it open.
Olentangy has been enjoying an excellent season.
"I feel that we’re ready to go," said Kyle Basnett, Coach of the 7-0 Blues side. "Tomorrow’s starting 15 is the most talented group that we’ve had since beginning the program. We’ve maneuvered kids around to different positions which best suits the team. The key is for them to just follow the structure we’ve put in place. We’re hoping that we’ll be able to end the season on a positive note. Either way, this has been the tightest group of players to coach and very fulfilling since we began training back in December."
Illinois
Illinois finds its D1 champion Friday night with a clash between Neuqua and New Trier. Neuqua defeated the Chicago Lions in the quarterfinals and held off Marist 24-10 in the semis, led by Andrew Cohen's two tries. New Trier, which had already lost to Neuqua in the regular season, looked impressive over Brother Rice in the quarters and then battled past Notre Dame de la Salette 17-15 to make the final.
Minnesota
The quarterfinals are this weekend, semis midweek, and then the final next week, which seems emminently civilized.
