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Rugby Wins Second Straight National Championship
“There is no doubt they are the best school team in the country," wrote Goff Rugby Report after Gonzaga Rugby captured its second straight National Championship and sixth overall in program history this past weekend. "Some teams get close, but when we’re talking about single-school teams, we’re talking about Gonzaga.”
On Thursday, May 23 the team, which entered the tournament as the #1 overall seed, defeated Xavier (NY) 33-15 in the quarterfinals at the Moose Rugby Grounds in Elkhart, Indiana. The next day, the Eagles dominated St. Edwards (Ohio) 52-0 to advance to the title game against St. Ignatius High School (Ohio) on Saturday. We came away with a 45-25 win.
“Our vision for the last two years was not to just win but to play a brand of rugby that was higher than any played before in high school rugby," said Head Coach Peter Baggetta. "The winning would be the byproduct of the game we would play. We believed that when we played our rugby that no one could beat us. The game we wanted to play was built on power, pace and skill and played with freedom and joy. That also meant that we were willing to take risks and make errors in playing the type of game we set out to play.”
The game was hard-fought, with the Eagles jumping out to a strong 28-3 lead at halftime behind tries from Joey Hurley '24, Brody Johnson '24, and two tries from Steele Dombo '24. Ignatius went on a quick run to start the second half. Johnson responded with another try, scoring two tries in the national championship game for the second straight year. Impact finisher Owen Kent ‘24 helped secure the win for the Eagles with a clutch poach and a try at the end of the game to ensure victory.
On Thursday, May 23 the team, which entered the tournament as the #1 overall seed, defeated Xavier (NY) 33-15 in the quarterfinals at the Moose Rugby Grounds in Elkhart, Indiana. The next day, the Eagles dominated St. Edwards (Ohio) 52-0 to advance to the title game against St. Ignatius High School (Ohio) on Saturday. We came away with a 45-25 win.
“Our vision for the last two years was not to just win but to play a brand of rugby that was higher than any played before in high school rugby," said Head Coach Peter Baggetta. "The winning would be the byproduct of the game we would play. We believed that when we played our rugby that no one could beat us. The game we wanted to play was built on power, pace and skill and played with freedom and joy. That also meant that we were willing to take risks and make errors in playing the type of game we set out to play.”
The game was hard-fought, with the Eagles jumping out to a strong 28-3 lead at halftime behind tries from Joey Hurley '24, Brody Johnson '24, and two tries from Steele Dombo '24. Ignatius went on a quick run to start the second half. Johnson responded with another try, scoring two tries in the national championship game for the second straight year. Impact finisher Owen Kent ‘24 helped secure the win for the Eagles with a clutch poach and a try at the end of the game to ensure victory.
“Hooker Alex Jancy, captain and flanker Andrew LaFrankie, and Matt Grau at lock just play hard, make tackles, win rucks, and make tough yards. You can’t win without those guys,” said Goff Rugby Report. Kimani Laumoli '24 was named MVP of the match. It was a great finish to a fantastic season, enjoy photos from the final here:
Congratulations to Coach Baggetta and and the entire program on an incredible season.
Hail Gonzaga!
Congratulations to Coach Baggetta and and the entire program on an incredible season.
Hail Gonzaga!
Celebrating 200 Years of Jesuit Education in the Nation's Capital
