Dallas Jesuit, Strake Jesuit Face Off in Texas School Final
Dallas Jesuit, Strake Jesuit Face Off in Texas School Final
Strake Jesuit faces off with Dallas Jesuit Saturday in Houston for the Rugby Texas single-school final.
Strake Jesuit beat Lake Travis comfortably last week, taking the semifinal 66-17. Strake's Varsity Green team, which is the side that is playing in the semis and final, is now 9-0, including three teams within a try during the early going. Strake has been improving through the season and can point to their March 24 shutout of Dallas Jesuit (31-0).
"We are coming together well I believe," said Strake Head Coach Jason Kimball. "We seem to be gelling more and more each week. The guys understand our system and what each of their roles are. Our senior class in particular has gotten us locked-in as a program. While we are lucky to have some very talented individuals, our seniors have molded our team into a unified core that believes in each other."
Playing with some valuable experience—senior prop Devin Baylor, senior wing Eric Wrzyszczynski, and junior scrumhalf Alessandro Directo—out injured, Strake has shown they have depth, too.
For Dallas Jesuit, the Rangers come into the final 10-1, with only that loss to Strake Jesuit preventing an unbeaten record. They get into the final after last week beating a tough St. Thomas 39-17.
Junior Jordan Mason scored three tries in that semifinal. Mitch Sullivan also scored showing his elusiveness after Mason's first. Mason added another before Dylan Wachsman's effort made it 22-0.
In control at halftime, Dallas Jesuit cruised from there with tries from Luke Lamont, Neil Lancaster, and Chase Brown all scoring. Sullivan added a conversion in each half.
Dallas Jesuit have rebounded nicely from that loss to Strake, and fans should expect their offensive output to improve from the March shutout. For Strake, their lineup adjustments have gone well, said Kimball, and a big part of what they've been able to do is conditioning.
"Our coaching staff has really stressed fitness this season and the upperclassmen have responded and embraced that challenge," said Kimball.
