As May comes to a close it's state championship time this weekend.
Ohio
Rugby Ohio sees their Varsity final once again be St. Ignatius vs St. Edward. After the change in leadership at Rugby Ohio, one of the small changes in policy was a plan to alternate the Varsity final between Cleveland and Cincinnati. However, if both finalists are from one of those cities, then the final would be played in that city.
The reason, of course, is to limit needless travel while also opening the potential for a larger crowd. That's what's happening here. Ignatius and Ed's have played three times this season so far, a 27-7 win for Ignatius back in March, a 15-8 Ignatius win at the Midwest tournament, an event that the Ignatius seniors skip because of senior prom, and finally a tense 21-14 Ignatius win May 7.
And despite the fact that Ignatius took 2nd at the Boys HS Rugby National Championships, and St. Edward were 8th, Ed's has to be targeting this game as a chance to bride that seven-point gap and take the title.
The D1 final is between Westshore out of the Avon Lake, Ohio area, and Warrior Rugby out of Dublin. Warrior entered as the #2 seed and did well to beat Medina 20-5 in the semis behind try-scoring sensation Sam Crum's two tries. These two teams met in April and it was four tries apiece, with Westshore converting more for a 26-22 win.
Wisconsin
Elkhorn beat Green bay 28-17 in last week's semis to make this final against Eastside.
The Demon Elks put together a very good team performance and it has been that consistently-good play from every player that has seen them through.
Six of the seniors on this team have been playing since middle school and they are the heart of the team.
Senior experience is also the story for the Eastside Exiles, who edged the Pulaski Roos 13-12 to make the championship match.
A strong, hardworking forward pack set the tone for the Exiles and they play hard all day.
