Gonzaga HS Embraces Tough Schedule
Gonzaga HS Embraces Tough Schedule
Gonzaga HS in action at the 2014 NIT. NewkPhoto
Gonzaga College High School’s varsity rugby program has announced its 2015 schedule, which includes trip to Chile and Canada, and games against several state champions, as well as national HS club champs Cathedral.
“This is probably the most challenging schedule that we have ever had. Our goal is always to try to play the best possible competition to test ourselves, but at the same time we want to get the balance right between performance and development," said Head Coach Peter Baggetta. "We think that with this season’s schedule we have a good balance of both, and are very excited about the quality of our schedule. One of the keys to why so many of our players are ready to contribute as freshman in college is the development side of our program which includes getting our guys to play in about 20-24 games a season, and trying make as many of them as tough as possible."
The Eagles open the season on February 21 playing at the first Mid-Atlantic Champions Cup tournament hosted by Mt. St. Mary’s University against the champions from Pennsylvania (Cumberland Valley - single-school winners), Virginia (Ft. Hunt), and Maryland (Maryland Exiles). The Eagles follow that up with a road trip to Charlotte, NC the following week to play both Charlotte Catholic and Charlotte Tigers on back-to-back days at the new Rugby Athletic Center. Gonzaga will then travel up to Philadelphia the following week to play the overall Pennsylvania state champions, West Shore United at the Philadelphia Showcase.
On Saturday 14 March Gonzaga will play the 2014 Club champions Cathedral at Wheeling Jesuit University before heading to Chile on tour from 19-20 March where they will play two matches against the top high school teams in Santiago, including the Grange International School, and then a mini-tournament in Vina del Mar against teams from Chile and Argentina.
The schedule does not get easier upon return from tour as the first match will be against the England Lambs U18s, the England Independent Schools select side, on Saturday, April 4 at the Naval Academy as the curtain-raiser for the Varsity Cup matches. The following week will be the Jesuit Rugby Classic that Gonzaga hosts, and this year will be held at beautiful Morven Park in Leesburg, Va. The teams for the 2015 Classic includes Charlotte Catholic, Brother Rice from Chicago, Greenwich, South Doyle from Tennessee, and Bellarmine from Northern California. The Eagles then go on the road again to play their East Coast rivals Xavier in New York City on April 18, and then fly up to Ontario, Canada two weeks later to play the top two high school teams, Saltfleet High School and Bill Crothers Secondary School on back-to-back days. This trip sets them up for the National Invitational Tournament two weeks later in Charlotte, NC. However, before heading back down to Charlotte for the NIT, Gonzaga will face MAVRC league playoffs and championship.
2015 Gonzaga Rugby Varsity Schedule:
Sat 21 Feb – Mid-Atlantic Champions Cup tournament at Mt. St. Mary’s University
Sat 28 Feb vs Charlotte Catholic at Rugby Athletic Center, Charlotte, NC
Sun 1 Mar vs Charlotte Tigers at Rugby Athletic Center, Charlotte, NC
Sun 8 Mar vs West Shore at Germantown Academy, Ft Washington, PA
Tue 11 Mar vs St. John’s College High School (MAVRC league match)
Sat 14 Mar vs Cathedral at Wheeling Jesuit University
Tue 17 Mar vs DeMatha Catholic High School (MAVRC league match)
Thu 19 - Mon 30 Mar – Tour to Chile
Sat 4 Apr vs England Lambs at Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD
Sat 11/Sun 12 Apr – Jesuit Rugby Classic tournament at Morven Park, Leesburg, VA
Sat 18 vs Xavier at New York City
Fri 24 Apr vs Salesianum at Wilmington, DE (MAVRC league match)
Fri 1 May vs Salthouse High School at Ontario, Canada
Sat 2 May vs Bill Crothers Secondary School at Ontario, Canada
Tue 5 May – MAVRC Semi-Finals
Fri 8 May – MAVRC Championship
Thu 14 - Sat 16 May – National Invitational Tournament at Rugby Athletic Center, Charlotte, NC
