BC High Holds Off Xaverian for MIAA Title
BC High Holds Off Xaverian for MIAA Title
BC High Rugby beat Xaverian 40-38 on a beautiful rugby day in front a large crowd Saturday to win the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association D1 title.
BC High scored in the first 5 minutes, with Greg Matthews breaking free from a lineout in Xaverian's end. From there, Xaverian would use their big physical runners and to punish BC High mistakes and penalties, scoring three unanswered tries, going up 19-7.
With five minutes left in the half, center Brennan Blind drew two Xaverian defenders and put little brother Colton Blind into space to score. The first half would end with Xaverian up 19-12.
The second half opened with both teams trading tries. But as subs ran on, BC High scored three unanswered tries, including a well-executed move at the lineout.
Down 40-24 with eight minutes to play, Xaverian would not go down without their say, scoring 2 tries in quick succession to make it 40-38. But with no time left, senior reserve lock Alex Matheny stole the ball in a tackle to seal the championship for BC High.
Gavin McNicholl's five conversions proved to be the difference.
"I am extremely proud of how this team played, a fitting ending for a great season," said BC High Head Coach Paul Carty. "A huge tip of the cap to Xaverian, as they have some extremely talented ball carriers and managed to give us fits. Our subs came through in a big way to close the game out for us. I told our players during the week, you are a part of a legacy of BC High Rugby, a legacy that goes back to 1996 and includes championships and greatness throughout. Now they get to be a part of that legacy in their own great way."
This was BC High's 4th MIAA Championship (2017, 2018, 2021, 2024) and 6th D1 Massachusetts Championship since 2015 (2015, 2016 MYRO).
In D2, Weymouth also had a close final, as they hung on to beat Hanover 34-29 to win their third straight D2 title.
