The Olentangy Blues celebrated their first season with a Large Club D1 championship in Ohio, holding off St. Charles 27-24 with a goalline stand at Fortress Obetz in Southern Ohio.

St. Charles scored an early try but through the rest of the first half Olentangy looked the stronger team. They used the power running of flanker Sam Lacher to great effect and with captain Hank Grace moving the ball nicely from scrumhalf and big Georffrey Kaminski asking questions of the defense from prop, Olentangy scored three tries to lead 15-7.

They were knocking in the door for their fourth try when St. Charles intercepted a pass and was gone. The half ended 15-12, and St. Charles in with a shot.

In the second half once again Olentangy worked their runners and scored two tries to lead 27-12, perhaps the key one being a turnover that fell into Grace’s hands and put him away from 60 meters. St. Charles replied, and then scored again to make it 27-24 with time winding down.

Penalties put Olentangy on the back foot and St. Charles kept at it, got a couple of penalties at the Olentangy five-meter. With time up it looked like St. Charles was poised to run the forwards over from short range; instead they went wide to the backs, a big tackle jarred the ball loose, and the game was over.

“These young guys really came along through the season,” said Head Coach Kyle Basnett, who started the HS team this year. He had coached an 8th-grade team before, which finished second in the state, and several of those players were on this varsity group. But many more had never played rugby before this season.

Basnett credited his coaching staff of Corey Allenbach, Mike Culver, Blasen Archibald, and Brian Bellinger for making it happen.