At the beginning of the 2014 high school season, the Gonzaga coaching staff decided to give the season a theme, emulating a habit of the successful Canterbury Crusaders team in New Zealand, and the coaches chose the conguering of Mt. Everest by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1953.

They identified moments throughout the season as "camps" the way an Everest team divides the climb. Each "Camp" was a key moment to acheive something, reevaluate, and then look further to the top of the mountain.

The top of the mountain was the Boys NIT, which Gonzaga acheived in May, defeating Jesuit in an intense, close game to take their first national rugby title.

"We had always identified the NIT as the culmination of our season," said Head Coach Peter Baggetta. "We looked at the conguering of Everest as a parallel to the NIT - something that has never been done before. We made comparisons to the mountain and the obstacles Hillary and Norgay faced - the weather, and mountain - and how that helped us keep our focus."

When the players encountered a challenging referee, they'd just say to each other, you can't change the mountain, and then keep moving on. 

Throughout the season Gonzaga focused on skills. Baggetta, who has spent considerable time working with rugby people throughout the world (and is now off to New Zealand to work with coaches and scout for the USA women's team), said the lesson of the All Blacks is an important one.

"Their skills are so much better, that's what makes them great," said Baggetta. "Their training sessions are almost all on skill development. Being able to execute those skills under pressure is how they succeed."

Having good players helps, too. Gonzaga was assisted by one of the best, flyhalf Ben Cima, who is a smooth operator running the attack and is as good a kicker as the USA has produced in some time. Born in Argentina but a US resident since he was very young, Cima is a US-trained flyhalf with top-notch skills. But Cima wasn't all of it by a long shot. Scrumhalf and co-captain Jimmy Ronen was superb around the base of the scrum and, when Cima wasn't available, as a goalkicker. Co-captain and flanker Charlie DePont was the lynchpin of the forward unit, while center Michael Barry was a powerful force on offense and defense.

The team benefited from a positive reputation at the school. The varsity football and wrestling coaches texted the team to congratulate them as they made their way through the NIT. Nine of the 15 who started against Jesuit played varsity football, with two more being wrestlers, one a basketball letterman, and another a varsity water polo player. Twelve varsity football players were on the bench.

The accomplishment for Gonzaga had far-reaching effects. At the team's season-ending banquet, eight members of the first Gonzaga rugby team of 1988, along with their coach, attended to congratulate the players. Terry McAuliffe, Governor of Virginia and the father for Gonzaga alum Jack McAuliffe, called the team to congratulate them. 

That's what happens when you climb a mountain.