The Celtic Elite girls team is 2-0 in the Midwest Regional Cup after a solid first day in Rockford, Ill. as the Ohio select side beat Illinois 37-5 and Wisconsin 41-17.

Populated mostly by players from St. Joseph’s Academy, but with several other programs providing players, the Celtic is coached by Jamie Cleary - a coach who was in a very good mood on Saturday evening.

“I am extremely proud of what my girls did today,” said Cleary. “We came in with some momentum but we really had no idea what to expect or what the other teams would be like.”

The Celtic backline played together well, with outside center Caitlin Weigel challenging defenses, flyhalf Rachael Kean working the offense nicely, and fullback Alex Strasser providing plenty of pace on attack.

Up front they weren’t too shabby, either, with prop Annie Rolf powering through defenses, and scoring one try while one of her boots lay unattended a few meters back. And No. 8 Tayler Valentine was also a force to be reckoned with. 

“We were playing well together and we feel really good,” said Cleary, whose team will play both Illinois and Wisconsin again on Sunday. “We’re going to work harder on our defense, making sure we give them no gaps.”

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