In a tight match, Loyola Blakefield held off Archbishop Spalding 28-21 Wednesday to win the Maryland IAA championship.
This capped off an undefeated season for Loyola and their first Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association title since 2022.
Tries from Nathan Koors, Thomas Rosen, and Andrew Spencer scored tries in the victory as Loyola took a commending 21-0 lead in the first half.
Spalding responded early in the second period, scoring two tries to make it a one-score game at 21-14.
But captain Connor Johnson's run to the tryline kept Spalding at arm's length, and with Marco Taylor accurate with the conversions Loyola Blakefield had extended their lead to 28-14.
Spalding did get one more over, Jon Kandrac getting the try, but they couldn't get closer than that.
The key for Loyola Blakefield in winning what is becoming an increasingly stronger league, is teamwork.
When things looked iffy they did well to look to each other.
Through the season Loyola Blakfield beat Mount St. Joseph 57-0, Calvert Hall 21-15 in a match that was started on April 1, suspended, and completed April 20, and then they beat Spalding 23-19, Mt. St. Joseph 47-7, and Spalding again 28-21 in the final.
De La Salle HS
Saint Mary's (Rudy Scholz Finalist)
USA U20s (Captain)
USA Men's National 15s Team (Debut vs Georgia 2023 at age 20)
As a 17-year-old Spencer Huntley required a waiver to play for the USA U20s, an indication of how he was rated in the USA age-grade pathway. He got that waiver and impressed for the USA U20s, and then moved up to the USA U23s. He led the San Diego Mustangs to a national HS Club championship in 2024.
He also played in the SoCal single-school league for Cathedral Catholic.
Hope Rogers began playing rugby at age 16 in high school and continued to compete during her time at Penn State University. There, she won four National Championships, was crowned MVP on two occasions, was named to the USA Under-20s and earned Collegiate All-American honors for four years. Rogers was also an impressive discus player during her senior year in high school where she broke a school record and won Gold at Districts for the sport.
Mike played for Life College, Philly-Whitemarsh and played for the USA National 7s and 15s teams in the 1980s and 1990s.
He was also part of the Atlantis touring side, playing 7s for the team in several around the world.
