Day One at the Gonzaga Classic saw some surprises and some teams true to form, especially within the Boys Premier.

Pool A

Gonzaga Purple, SLUH, Fairfield Prep

Gonzaga's Purple side is their front-line group and their backs were firing in impressive fashion as they shut out both SLUH and Fairfled, logging more than a point per minute against the Connecticut side in the shortened games. With their sights set on another tournament title, they mixed up their lineup a bit but unleashed perhaps the most potent attack of the weekend.

St. Louis University High combined some quick thinking and a smart kicking game to beat Fairfield Prep 29-7 to take 2nd. Their halfback combination was working nicely.

Pool B

Shawnigan Lake, Vienna, Belmont HS

This was a a tight pool. Shawnigan Lake held off Massachusetts side Belmont HS 10-7, and Belmont then edged Vienna 7-5. Shawnigan also beat Vienna to take the pool. But for a team getting out of their state for the first time, Belmont did quite well. Missing a few players, head Coach Greg Bruce said he was enormously proud of how tenacious his team was.

It was a learning experience, said the players, adjusting to new ref interpretations and new tactics, but their defense held.

Pool C

Charlotte Cardinals, Pelham, Georgetown Prep

The Cardinals stepped onto the field ready to go and it took Pelham a while to hit their stride. In a 40-minute game that's a killer blow and Charlotte ran away with their opening game 40-10. The Cardinals' speed of play and variations on attack were what torched Pelham. 

It torched Georgetown Prep, too, to the tune of 31-0 as the Cardinals took the pool. Pelham and Georgetown Prep met for 2nd in the pool in a nice back-and-forth game. Pelham lock Massimo Pietranico gained plenty of meters and the team's offloads out of contact kept the attack moving. Flanker Bailey Worsley and flyhalf Leo Venebles also impressed on a Pelham team missing their starting hooker, No. 8, and flyhalf. Pelham 19 Georgetown Prep 12.

Pool D

Clayton, Aspetuck, Fort Hunt

This was wild pool with Fort Hunt tying both of their games 7-7. This was a microcosm of Fort Hunt's season, in which ties and close losses have turned what could have been an impressive record into one closer to .500. Fort Hunt stayed in the fight and then had to wonder what would happen when Aspetuck played Clayton. 

As for Clayton, they had been pulled up to the Premier division after a late pullout. Unsure of what they would be able to do, Clayton sliced up the Aspetick defense to the tune of 31-5. Porter Bennett is enormously elusive at wing and flanker Maquis Rawls was an attacking and defensive threat. Nehemiah Smith and, at center, Jordan Ashworth helped organize an attack that won Clayton the pool.