On the day one of its more famous alumni passed away, Archmere Academy won the HSRC Boys Single-School 7s at PPL Park in Chester, Pa., defeating Rock Rugby out of Texas 17-5 in the final.

The Auks executed their game plan almost to perfection, deciding to stay out of contact against the much bigger Rock team, and with smart passing, agile footwork, and plenty of support, they danced away from tackles and controlled possession for most of the game.

Key to this approach was co-captain Noah Niumataiwalu, who consistently probed the Rock defenses, and when the gap wasn’t there, just pulled out and sent the ball spinning to a teammate.

Archmere controlled possession in this way through much of the first few minutes, and even when the Texas team got the ball back, it didn’t last long. Rock Rugby sought to exploit their size advantage by seeking out contact, but the smaller Archmere players tackled bravely and forced more than a few handling errors.

After playing the entire first four minutes or so inside the Rock 22, Arhcmere scored, sending hands out to Mark Dombroski, who raced to the corner.

Archmere continued to defend well and dominate ball possession, slowly probing for gaps. De’Joun Lee was close to sidestepping through, but while Rock players stopped him, eventually the effort would yield space out wide. A series of penalties for not releasing the tackled player put Rock back on their goal line, where Dan Bark tapped and scored.

In the second half, Rock did get a sniff of the ball and as a result worked their way in for a try, but it was slow going, and Archmere’s passing was too smart. Eventually, late in the game, Bark went over under the posts and Niumataiwalu converted to end it 17-5.

Head Coach Drew Cocco rightly praised the team effort.

“Every single player on the field gave everything they had,” said Cocco. “They played their hearts out. It was intense sevens rugby and Rock played a great match. Noah Niumataiwalu and Nick Udovich have done a tremendous job leading this team as our captains this season. 

“Defense was the key for us this tournament. I'm not sure what the other teams' stats look like, but we allowed only six tries during this entire tournament, while scoring 15 of our own. Playing tough defense and a patient, composed offense allowed us to shut down the opposition and capitalize on scoring opportunities.”

A little-known private school in Delaware, Archmere plays mostly 7s, and won their state championship in a 7s game with Salesianum. The school of, among others, Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Beau, who passed away from cancer May 31, Archmere is a respected institution, but not well-known in rugby circles. Until now.

“Honestly, this has been a crazy ride for us,” said Cocco. “We started the team three years ago just wanting to give these guys a chance to learn rugby in high school. Never in our wildest dreams did we think we'd win a title at the national level. This is a truly special group of young men and this success is a testament to their talent, hard work, and commitment to each other.”