In a much anticipated clash between perennially highly-ranked high school teams, St. Edward of Ohio defeated Penn HS of Indiana 38-12.

The game, played at Penn's home fields in Indiana, was the first of the season for Penn and the third for St. Edward, and given the long lockdown COVID has imposed on teams throughout the rugby world, that first game back has often been a tough one.

In addition, Penn is reloading a little and has a young squad.

"We were as young and dumb as we knew we would be," said Penn HS Head Coach Bart Bottorff. Penn started just one senior, and had their halfback combination out due to injury. "In the end these are all excuses. They were better today."

And yes St. Edward, coming off a big loss to Royal Irish, performed well and showed improvement. Ian Fairfield, Kaden Williamson, and Jason Picha all played well, with Williamson and Picha both scoring tries. Brian Ginley, Connor Hamm, Bryan Heideloff, and Jerry Ratcliff all also touched down.

"Over the week the boys worked hard on defense, working together to stay connected through communication," said St. Edward Head Coach Andrew Martin. "On attack we looked at decision-making at the correct zones and channels on the field."

And improvement is what every team is looking for.

"Lots to work on with a very young squad," said Penn's Bottorff, who pointed to the fact that Penn outscored St. Edward 12-0 in the final 20 minutes. "The good news is we will improve."