Upsets Highlight Rugby Indiana Championship

05.27.2026HS Boys

Pendleton captains and coaches with their trophy.

Author: Alex Goff

Pendleton emerged as the Rugby Indiana Boys D1 champions after a rather wild and unexpected playoff weekend.
Coming into the semifinals the top two seeds were Bishop Dwenger, which was having one of their strongest seasons in some years, and Penn HS.

Mudsock, the #3 seed, faced #2 seed Penn in a matchup that Penn won 42-12 back on April 25.

But this game was different. Mudsock’s defense was outstanding and they just barely edged Penn 15-14 on Saturday to set up Monday’s place in the final.

It was a very similar story in the other semifinal. Dwenger had defeated Pendleton 26-0 on April 15 and were certainly favorites in this semifinal.

For Coach Michael Nettleton, however, Pendleton was a group of talented rugby players who just needed a bit longer to coalesce. “We definitely had a few kids come in late after wrestling and basketball, and over time, I think the things we got better at were the rugby things that take no skill—being in position on defense, being first to the breakdown, and those non-negotiable cultural things.”

In the semifinal, they got the opportunity to show this in the semifinal. Working hard together they got an early penalty goal from center Rowan Branham, and then flanker Max Garner scored off a lineout play. With Branham’s conversion, Pendleton had a somewhat shocking 10-0 lead.

That kind of intense start boy the underdog can often shake up a favorite, but Dwenger did respond, scoring a converted try early in the second half and then an unconverted try to take a 12-10 lead.

But with prop Dee Heiden and lock Ben Peterson carrying the ball well and the team as a whole playing strong defense, Pendleton was in the game still.

Pendleton at the 2026 Friendship Cup. Photo Alex Goff.

With time winding down, front-rower Colton Johnson forced a holding-on penalty in the breakdown. Branham stepped up and slotted the penalty, and Pendleton had an improbably win 13-12.

With both teams in the final having beaten higher seeds by a single point, this was an anything goes final. Yes Mudsock had defeated Pendleton in their previous matchup but the score, 33-26, wasn’t exactly one-sided. Certainly this was a tossup game.

Mudsock took an early lead with a penalty goal, which was matched by Branham. It wasn’t until the middle of the game that anyone else scored. Mudsock center Evan Biehl’s try just before halftime set his side up for a 10-3 lead.

But Pendleton responded with center Elijah Pimentel scoring just after the break to make it 10-8. Mudsock scored again, with a penalty goal and, right after, a try, to lead 18-8.

Time was of the essence now for Pendleton and Pimental raced in to inch his side closer. Right after, Pendleton countered on a kick, got a penalty, and attacked off the lineout. The attack was … messy. Pendleton’s passes were loose and the ball was rolling around when Pimental swooped in, snaffled up the ball, and punished a fractured Mudsock chase to speed in for the game-winner. Pendleton 26, Mudsock 18.

Pimental was the star with three tries, but Nettleton said his leadership was more important than all that. Add to that the leadership of captain DJ McCrary at flanker and the pieces came together. McCrary led the defense, making tackles and forcing turnovers. He was a terror on first receivers off set piece. Stephan Winters came off the bench at wing and was brilliant on the kick chase.

Johnson was a constant in pressuring opponents in the breakdown.

For Nettleton, the signs of what they could do came through in the Friendship Cup at the end of March, including a close loss against Cavemen. They still had woprk to do, but he saw the potential.

“This has been the closest year in Indiana,” said Nettleton. “Nobody had beaten anybody twice, so we didn’t really have any idea who we would play. But over the season the kids realized that they weren’t going to wilt when things got tough. I always believed in this team. This was by far our most talented team; we just needed some time.”