Xavier HS out of New York defeated defending New Jersey state champs Union County Saturday in a tough warmup for both teams. 

Weather has played havoc with both teams' March schedule so they were fortunate to get this one in. Xavier won 53-15, with a player-of-the-game performance by James Tweedy, who turned a tight 12-10 halftime lead into a comfortable Xavier win with three tries in the second half, and with Charlie Platt and Matt Bergstol also solid.

"Union has great athleticism and physicality," said Xavier Coach Joe Sweeney. "They’re big, strong and fast; they were fierce in the tackle and the ruck. They’re a little raw, but they’re already a handful, and by May I think they'll do some real damage at the Nationals."

Xavier and Union traded tries in a tense and physical first half, with Xavier just getting the edge at halftime, 12-10.  In the second half, as Xavier began to earn good possession at the breakdown, their backs began t spread the field and find gaps in the Union defense.  Four quick tries in the first 12 minutes of the second half saw Xavier pull away from Union 31-10.  Union got themselves back in the game with some strong running in the midfield, but flyhalf Tweedy got his hat-trick with two late tries to put the game away.

"We had good defense work by the lads all game long, but not great offense in the first half as a result of running too high and losing possession too often," said Xavier Head Coach Greg Norris.

Still Xavier adjusted well at halftime, and also saw their B-side win 53-0 over Union's Bs, and the Xavier freshmen beat Union U16s 56-20.