Gonzaga won the Gonzaga Classic and did so in fairly emphatic style, defeating Fort Hunt 45-3 in the championship game.

Prop Will Carmody scored three tries, and Gonzaga was methodical and smart in winning the shortened game.The game was such a blowout because Fort Hunt had battled through a very fractious semifinal against rivals Vienna. That game had resulted in a yellow card to Fort Hunt and some injuries to both teams—so much so that Vienna played a hybrid varsity/JV lineup in the 3rd-4th game against Aspetuck.

So Fort Hunt was sort of limping into the final, and hit a Gonzaga team that was hitting its stride. Led by a very unified forward pack Gonzaga looked every bit what they can be. 

In the 3rd-4th match, Vienna's quick and eager younger players caused some issues for Aspetuck. Aspetuck's forward pack has a lot of size, and their backs a lot of pace. The trick is to, apparently, punish the backs and make the forwards run. Vienna did relatively well at that, scored a couple of tries by being quicker to the ball, and made it close at halftime. But Aspetuck, playing some younger players as well, stayed ahead, answered try with try, and won 31-17. Pearson Hill remains one of the most dangerous fracture field runners in the high school game, and the prop with the perpetually exasperated face, co-captain Matt Weiner, took charge up front.

Aspetuck pushed Gonzaga 17-12 in the semis.

In the Plate Division, which was made up of the four teams 2nd in their pool, Staples ruled the roost. Both Staples and Charlotte Cardinals showed some ability. The Cardinals came close to beating Aspetuck, while Staples were only in this bracket thanks to losing a tied game on penalty kicks. George Engels and Nick Novello led Staples through a weekend where ultimately they never lost. They tied Vienna and beat Christian Brothers on the first day, beat a tough Raleigh Redhawks team in the Plate Semis, and then defeated Charlotte 21-12 in the Plate Final.

Plate

In that Plate Final, Staples was intense, worked the ball quickly out of the breakdown, and didn't give Charlotte any space to work with. Charlotte has won often by controlling the point of contact and, when give space, stepping to the side to find a gap or at least give their support time to take and offload or hit the ruck. Jason Trevino is superb at this and makes smart decisions.

But Staples closed down that space and didn't give Charlotte time. This frustrated what is a young and developing Cardinals team. Staples took points when they were on offer, kicking three penalty goals to ensure they kept Charlotte arm's length. The Cardinals scored their second try late, when there wasn't enough time. Ultimately it was an impressive weekend for the Connecticut team.

Bowl

In the Bowl Final, Loudoun showed flashes throughout but with their youth they didn't quite have enough to win too many games. Tyler Fraine was one of the younger players who showed talent for the future for Loudoun, but in the Bowl Final Gonzaga Black, which is made up of players pushing for a spot in the Gonzaga Purple side, broke open the game late.

Referees

This tournament is a chance for young and developing referees, plus experienced officiators, to get a lot of game time. Ken Fraine ran this group and the Virginia area is a hotbed for young rugby players to get their referee certification and, importantly, game time. Addressing the shortage in referees, especially young referees, is hugely important work for the game.

HS Scores Here>>