St. Ignatius Downs Xavier

05.12.2024HS Boys

St. Ignatius met Xavier HS of New York Saturday on the campus of Penn State University for four games between their Varsity A, Varsity B, JV, and Freshmen teams.

The Ignatius Wildcats varsity were gunning for a win and strong statement, partly because they remember dropped last year's National Championship 3rd-4th match to the same Xavier team. In the end on a chilly and, at times, rainy, day, Ignatius did indeed make a bit of a statement, winning 41-10.

Several players contributed to the Wildcats' win. Gavin Vollner, Davey Kotnik, Pat Cooney, Rafe Gabrovsek, Kevin Krebs, and Jimmy Collins all scored tries. Collins was solid with his kicking game, too, successfully converting four tries and adding a penalty goal to his total of 16 points. Despite their scoring prowess, the Wildcats emphasized their defensive strength, with Teagan Frain, Kotnik, Tommy Kilbaine, and Leo Ference delivering standout defensive performances throughout the game.

"We started out strong and it was a good showing for us going into Nationals," said Collins, speaking to the Wildcats' focused start. "This game was personal and emotional for us after the 2023 Nationals game."

Throughout the game, St. Ignatius maintained a strong physical presence.

"We played very physical in the first half but took our foot off the gas in the second half. But overall our defense played really well the entire game," Coach Joe Zawodny added. Those thoughts were echoed by Head Coach Dan Arbeznik, who was pleased with how his team has improved its defense and power in contact.

Laconic in victory Rafe Gabrovsek for @SIHS_Varsity15s pic.twitter.com/ug7QmPHMAa
— Alex Goff (@goffrugbyreport) May 12, 2024

Three other games were played between these two schools. The Ignatius Varsity Blue team beat Xavier's Varsity B side 56-5, paced by three tries from mason Harley and two from Christian Balalsy.

"In the first half we played really well and showed consistent teamwork," said scurmhalf Harrison White. "Thanks to Xavier for making the trip to play us."

In the JV game, the weather took a turn for the worse and that perhaps hindered some offensive options for both teams. Still Ignatius did find some opportunities to threaten out wide and won 29-0. Charlie Worthingon, Marcello Woodberry, and Matthew Calleri (in his first game as a forward) helped lead a strong back-row performance. Hooker Jake Shepard continues to provide leadership, said Coach Greg Barbiaux, who added that the game "was closer than the score indicates. Xavier played really tough and they gave us probably our toughest game of the season."

Ignatius wrapped up the day with a 32-0 victory by their freshmen in a game played in a driving rain. Preston Bucsanyi's kicking from hand and his three tries were backed up by some powerful running from No. 8 Quinn Ferris, good open-field distribution from Coen Leucke and Jake Degrandis, and massive defensive performances from Ben Stefan and Xavier Marshall. SIHS Freshmen Head Coach Tony Vegh said "we the coaches are very proud of how the players executed the game plan and how hard they worked, especially on defense."

This report was produced using St. Ignatius's UReportNow AI-produced game reports. UReportNow produces game reports using AI and with human editing. See this link to see SIHS's rugby UReportNow reports, and learn how you can start this service using a free trial.