HS rugby teams in Ohio have been able to get on the field a little for some 7s.

As has been the case in many parts of the country, these games had to be played under modified rules. Rugby Ohio’s return-to-play guidelines included a prohibition on rucks, scrums, and mauls. Tackling was allowed. After come consultation, the coaches involved agreed on a format similar to one used in Utah during the summer in which when a tackle is made, the tackled player must present the ball on the ground while the defense retreats.

Then the big news that facilitated all of the season came down right before the season was slated to start—the governor of Ohio announced that sports teams could play more than one opponent in a 24-hour period. This allowed for tournament-style competition, and the 7s season was open.

St. Xavier of Cincinnati, the Dayton Northern Force, Hilliard HS, and Archbishop Moeller HS competed against each other. In addition, Dayton, Moeller, and St. Xavier all were able to field B sides, they competed against each other, with Walnut Hills and Perrysburg thrown in there as well.

So through the fall, nine 7s teams were able to compete.

Hoops To Jump Through

“I’ve got to say the collaboration and collegiality between our league coaches has been a big part of getting approved protocols in place and putting a season together for these young men,” said St. Xavier 7s Coach Kenny Haber.  “A huge shout-out to all the coaches, especially Matt Tracey from Dayton Northern Force, who was a big motivator to make things happen.”

“We had to submit our return-to-play protocol to the competition committee as well as our local health department (for non school-based teams) and get acknowledgement from them that it was received and they did not have an issue with it,” explained Tracey. “This was a strenuous process for clubs as most health departments were overwhelmed.”

But they persisted and after getting approval for the various programs, they went about the business of figuring out what the games would look like. 

The rules changes, which Tracey describers as “part touch rugby and part rugby league” were, he said, by no means ideal, “but we had our players, and, most importantly, our seniors, on the pitch.” 

They were able to follow a festival style of play, which of course also presented some safety protocol issues, such as having enough time between matches to clear a team and spectators from the area.

“This, as well as several other site protocols, had to be met each week,” said Tracey. “Again, while not ideal or easy this gave 80-100 Rugby players a 2020 Fall Rugby season so we consider this a big win.”

The players were fine with it, in general. They got to play.

“No matter what COVID precautions we had to put in place, our guys were all on board<‘ said St. Xavier’s Haber.

St. X, Force Looking Strong

So this weekend it’s the decider. St. Xavier’s Varsity Blue and Dayton have been playing well and will meet on Sunday, while St. Xavier’s Varsity White plays Walnut Hills in another anticipated clash.

Dayton won the state fall 7s title last year, when many more teams were on the field, However, Dayton’s numbers have been stronger than in 2019.

“Our numbers on the team have doubled,” Tracey said. “I honestly think my non-football players who didn’t play last year came out simply because they wanted something to do through this challenging time.”

For St. Xavier, this weekend is the culmination of a conscious decision to take the fall more seriously.

“Last fall we decided as a program to take a much more competitive approach to 7s and the players have responded to it with a lot of enthusiasm,” said Haber. “We had our highest numbers for a 7s season with 25 guys. We had one of our strongest teams in memory last spring and, like everyone else, were disappointed when the season was canceled after two great matches. So, guys were excited to get out and get to work.”

Varsity Blue team captains Josh Foy and Dennis Lucey have led well for St. X, and Patrick Jennings is a standout, and captain, for the Varsity White team. Experiences seniors Sean Face and Dan Gunderson look to lead from the front as St. Xavier chases a state title.

But Dayton is an effective outfit and the Northern Force bring back several players from the winning team from last fall. These include senior and captain Phil Tracey, the very quick senior Evan Bryant, and Jayden Ramsey, only a sophomore but one who has made an impact.