In a classic rivalry high school varsity rugby game, the Saint Ignatius High School Wildcats triumphed over the Saint Edward Eagles 24-0 Saturday night (April 20) at Brooklyn Memorial Stadium in the Cleveland area.
The Wildcats displayed a strong defense that kept the Eagles at bay in the first half, but their offense was not clicking, and the half ended with Ignatius leading only 3-0. Wildcats displayed tactical prowess despite the Eagles' strong ball retention.
As the game resumed in the second half, the Wildcats intensified their performance. They managed to put a halt to the Eagles' robust start. It was the Cats' No. 8, Connor Bender, who shifted the game's dynamics with a critical try that widened the point gap to 10-0, with the conversion from Jimmy Collins. The Wildcats built on this momentum, with teammates Patrick Cooney and Davey Kotnik claiming a try each. Collins converted both to add to his first-half penalty goal, and Ignatius had their 24-0 advantage.
The game was marked by performances from key players on both sides. Saint Ignatius fullback Tommy Kilbane and Collins on the wing played pivotal roles with field positioning and delivering strategic kicks, setting up crucial scoring opportunities in the second half. Furthermore, lock Joe Tipka, a standout performer for Saint Edward, brought intense competition during rucks but also forced the Wildcats to grapple with penalties.
Looking forward, the Wildcats are slated to face off against Saint Xavier (OH) on April 27—Saint Xavier beat Archbishop Moeller 24-22 this weekend—and a win there would see St. Ignatius through as the #1 seed in the Ohio Varsity league.
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04.21.2024HS Boys
Xavier's win over Moeller was a big one for St. X. The game was certainly a back-and-forth affair and kicking was the deciding factor. Moeller had the wind the first half. St. Xavier went up early in the match with a try through the forwards. Moeller led by their the hard-running midfield, answered with two tries to lead 12-7.
St. Xavier countered with another converted try and a penalty kick to go up at halftime 17-12.
Moeller came out of the gate in the second half playing well and scored two tries. But with the wind in their faces, kicking was difficult and neither try was converted. Moeller’s second try was a clearing kick that bounced straight backwards into a streaking players hand with a nifty offload for a try.
St. Xavier used the wind to improve field position with Oliver Weidner getting the ball down to within 10 meters of Moeller's tryline. They then forced a turnover and Phil Bottomely ran an eightman pick. From that ruck Alex Samson put in the tying try. Jake Schlieff who was perfect on the day, made the conversion to put the Bombers up 24-22 with 13 minutes to play.
The rest of the game was tense, with St. Xavier down a player due to a card for the remaining nine minutes.
"The play overall by both teams was very good," said St. X. Head Coach Mark Weidner. "It was a nice win for us, as we finally broke through."
With one game remaining, here's how the Ohio Varsity league stacks up:
1. St. Ignatius 2-0
2. St. Edward 2-1
3. St. Xavier 1-1
4. Moeller 0-3
Ignatius vs St. Xavier will be the game that confirms the seedings. Moeller is for sure #4 but any of the other three could still be #1.
—Additional reporting Adam Bornhorst
