The Celtic Rugby Ohio-based select side boys team went 2-0 in emphatic fashion Saturday at the Midwest Regional Cup in Rockford, Ill.

The Celtic team is made up mostly of players from the top two programs in Ohio - St. Ignatius and St. Edward.  However, a couple of players from Brusnwick, notably Kareem Odeh and Antonio Angelino, are also part of the team. Celtic played in the Midwest tournament in Elkhart, Ind., and then in the Mid-Atlantic RCT in Pittsburgh. All, said Coach Tom Cleary, targeting this tournament as the culmination of their all-star season.

“The kids know each other and were playing a very nice, balanced game,” said Cleary. “We ran the ball hard, showed some good passing. Against South Illinois we opened it up a little.

Up front Pat Berry impressed with his powerful running - he scored three tries against in a 32-5 defeat of Nebraska. Ryan Bradfield led the backs once again, but Angelino put in some big players, including an excellent chase on a kick that resulted in a try.

The Celtic Elite look very strong, but Illinois North also won their pool with a 2-0 record. They weren’t such big winning margins, but still they beat Missouri and Michigan East.

Sunday’s semis see Celtic play Missouri and Nebraska take on Illinois North.

Midwest Regional Cup Boys Scores

JV

Illinois South 5 Illinois North 34

Missouri 34 Illinois South 7

Missouri 12 Illinois North 21

Middle School

Illinois North 33 Illinois East 12

Illinois West 12 Illinois South 29

Illinois South 39 Illinois North 12

Illinois East 17 Illinois South 10

Illinois West 32 Illinois North 20

Illinois East 20 Illinois West 5

Varsity

Illinois North 15 Missouri 7

Illinois North 22 Michigan East 12

Missouri 24 Michigan East 7

Celtic Elite 39 Nebraska 5

Nebraska 20 Illinois South 14

Celtic Elite 72 Illinois South 5