St. Edward probably secured its #1 single-school ranking for now with a 21-14 defeat of #2 St. Ignatius last week.

It was an exciting all-Rugby-Ohio league game that came down to the final moments, and St. Edward, led by center Grant Gutchall, lock Collin Haas, and tighthead prop Noah DiMichele scored three tries to take the game.

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“The boys are communicating well,” said St. Edward Head Coach Tom Cleary. “We played Jesuit in California and I felt that St. Ignatius played a lot like them. So it was great to have already had that experience.”

St. Edward beat Jesuit, and St. Ignatius has already beaten Gonzaga, and both Ignatius and now Edward have been ranked #1 by FloRugby.

Oddly, St. Edward has done this despite graduating some accomplished players, notably HS All American Jack Bradfield. Bradfield is back in Ohio and actually helping to coach the team, something Cleary said has been really beneficial.

But his absence as a player also forced the St. Edward players to step up their game.

“We were a team last year that depended too much on one or two players to get it done,” said Cleary. “Now they’re all putting in the hard work, and its paying off.”