The Bishop Shanahan boys team took the Rugby Pennsylvania fall 7s title for the third year in a row last weekend.

It wasn't easy, as Shanahan had to get by a Berks County team that had been playing very well, and a difficult St. Joe's Prep squad as well.

In fact, St. Joe's and Shanahan tied each other in pool play, meaning that if they met later on in the tournament, there was some unfinished business. 

As it was, Shanahan faced Berks in the semis, and came away with a pretty impressive 22-5 victory. St. Joe's made the final, too, and it was close once again. This time, Shanahan came away victorious 20-17.

The Shanahan team returned just one starter from last season, captain and senior Sam Rudisill. But Head Coach Mark Shaeffer was able to get everyone on the same page relatively quickly.

"To say how proud I am of this group of guys for how hard they worked to make their mark on our program is a real understatement," said Shaeffer.

Rudisill was a standout not only as a leader but in doing the dirty work, playing defense and securing ball in the breakdown. Senior Brett Nuelle led the team with ten tries in the championship tournament. Six of those came in the semis and final—thus he accounted for just over 71% of his team's points in those critical games. Right behind him was Gavin Pippin, who scored eight tries on the day.

Junior flyhalf Joe Manning took over the kicking duties this season—last year's goalkicker was Rugby PA Player of the Year Dalton Musselman is now starting at fullback for Penn State. Manning dealt with some tough weather conditions to make some crucial kicks and help direct the attack.