GRR: Xavier HS
Touring for rugby teams is one of the sport's great traditions, so over Easter break, 39 players and six coaches headed across the pond from Xavier in New York City to the ancestral home of rugby, the United Kingdom.
The team left hoping to improve skills and play top-level matches, and they were not disappointed.
A blistering offense against a stalwart defense went the way of the try-scorers as #2-ranked St. Ignatius of Cleveland beat #1 Xavier of New York in a very entertaining matchup in neutral territory in Hollidaysburg, Pa.
It is a rare thing to see a mid-season #1 vs #2; it happens, but it is rare.
This week we get one of those games, with Xavier of New York meeting St. Ignatius of Cleveland in a neutral site in Pennsylvania.
“I think Adaptability was the name of the game today,” said Xavier senior scrumhalf William Scariano. “We came in and we didn't expect the weather conditions to be what they were.”
Xavier vs Greenwich HS kicked off just the temperature dropped 40 degrees and howling winds whipped up. This created creating a 23-minute stalemate in the first half as both teams struggled with the wind.
“They were a physical team,” said Xavier senior lock Hanoi Nelson describing Staples High School after a match played in slippery conditions at Aviator Field in Brooklyn. “They ran at us hard, wouldn’t go down easy, and they tested our grit.”