Penn HS and Royal Irish will compete for the Rugby Indiana HS Boys Super League championship Saturday after both won their semifinals this past weekend.
Top-seed Royal Irish, fresh off their National Championship run in the HS Club division, defeated Notre Dame De La Salette 31-10.
“I was very pleased with our win,” said Royal Irish Coach Scott Peterson. “We got off to a slow start again, with them jumping to a 7-0 lead early. After that, we settled in and played very well. I think it was a little bit of a nationals hangover, or like a trap game.”
Royal Irish won the National Championship thanks to a strong defensive front, and it was their defense that kept them on an even keel on Saturday. Once they realized they would likely hold La Salette out, it was a case of the offense just plugging away.
“We had no real scoring burst,” said Peterson. “It was just pretty methodical for the entire game, save the first 10 minutes.”
Battered a little by injuries, Royal Irish sat flanker Noah Shrader and No. 8 Kevin O’Hara in anticipation of this coming week’s final.
Meanwhile, Penn had slightly more trouble with Brownsburg, a team they lost to in the Midwest playoffs. Penn prevailed this time 25-19.
William Vakalahi and Bryant Anderson were excellent in defense against a very physical Brownsburg, while Casey Smith provided a great deal of go-forward ball. Smith’s biggest example of go-forward was a rambling 40-meter run right up the gut for a try.
Penn HS Coach Bart Bottorff knows Saturday will be a huge test.
“Royal Irish are a multiple-time national champions for a reason,” he said. “To beat them we will have to be on our very best game for a full 60 minutes. In this very same state final game last year we played to a 5-3 finish in what was a fantastic game of rugby. The top four teams in Indiana are incredibly balanced and provide great competition. On a given day anyone can win. I think the fans could see a very similar match for this seasons final if both teams are clicking.”
