The only word to describe the Wildcats' effort on Saturday is ferocious.
The Saint Ignatius rugby squad battled through injuries, rain, and adversity to capture a critical victory over the St. Edward Eagles on Wasmer Field.
The Wildcats emerged with a 26-17 win over the Eagles, ranked No. 6 in the nation by the Goff Rugby Report.
Thanks to the win, the Rugby Cats stand at 13-1 and will likely retain the No. 1 ranking in the nation.
The Wildcats, inspired after fiery pre-game speeches by Head Coach Dan Arbeznik '00 and Assistant Coach Brian White '92, started off with a bang.
The Wildcats drove right down the field in the first five minutes of the contest. Juan Pen drove into the try zone from a few yards out, touching it down for the first points of the contest after a deft inside ball by Eddie Patton. Chris Fedor booted the conversion through the uprights for a 7-0 Wildcats lead.
The contest then slowed down due to the rain. The Eagles opted for a kick for points from the 35-yard line, just missing wide left.
Following a back-and-forth 20 minutes or so, the Eagles received another chance to kick for points. This time, the Eagles nailed it from 40 yards out, narrowing the Wildcats' lead to 7-3.
The final five minutes of the first proved to be critical.
The Eagles steadily drove the ball to within the Wildcats' zone. The Wildcats stopped an Eagles maul within a mere one meter of the try zone. Another step and the Eagles might have scored a try and taken the lead.
Instead, the Wildcats stopped the Eagles' momentum, leading to a Wildcats' scrum down, and brought the ball down the field. Joe Johnson and Nick Zolikoff played critical roles in helped the Wildcats take the ball deep into Eagles' territory.
In extra time, the Wildcats drew a penalty and lineout at the St. Edward 5-meter line. The Wildcats chose to execute a maul and drive, which worked perfectly. Sean Soeder fell on the ball at the back of the maul to complete a 10-point swing for the Wildcat at the end of the first.
The conversion fell short, but the Wildcats still held a 12-3 lead heading into the second half.
The Wildcats started the second half as they ended the first, coming out firing. The Wildcats stole the ball away from the Eagles early in the second before quickly moving down the pitch. Senior center Chris Fedor then executed a scissors to Joe Johnson, leading to a picture-perfect try for the Wildcats.
Fedor's conversion brought the Wildcats' lead to 19-3.
The Eagles returned the favor, however. St. Edward scored a try on the far right side, using an advantage near the sideline to reach the try zone, barely avoiding a forward pass for the try by Conor Forrestal. The Eagles hit the conversion, narrowing their deficit to nine once again.
The game then became a battle of wills. A stalemate was reached, as the Eagles held the ball for much of the middle portion of the second.
Then a beautiful Chris Fedor boot set up a critical Wildcats' try. Fedor's kick bounced deep into Eagles' territory before the St. Edward fullback attempted to kick the ball away. Junior wing Michael FitzGerald had other plans, laying a devastating hit on the Eagle fullback within 5 meters of the try zone. The ball bounced directly into the hands of a waiting Josef O'Brien, who touched it down for five huge points for the Wildcats.
Another Fedor conversion granted the Wildcats a 26-10 lead at the halfway point of the second, an advantage too great for the Eagles to overcome.
The Eagles nearly responded with 11 minutes remaining, but the Eagles struggled deep inside the Wildcats' zone.
First, St. Edward could not punch the ball in on a maul, as the Wildcats stopped the visitors from getting the ball into the try zone. Then, two minutes later, the Eagles dropped the ball after a pass, leading to a knock-on and a Wildcats scrum down.
The Eagles still kept the ball in the Wildcats' zone, though, and the squad's persistence led to a try with 7:20 remaining. A successful conversion brought the score to 26-17 in favor of the Wildcats.
The Wildcats did not waver in the final minutes. Players such as Joe Johnson (making his first varsity start) and Juan Pen played until the end, keeping the Eagles off the board in the final minutes.
The sir then ended the game in St. Edward territory, granting the Wildcats a 26-17 victory.
"It was a good day for our program," Arbeznik said, noting the full sweep. The B-side Wildcats won 29-5, the C-side won 21-7, and the Developmental squad emerged with a 42-12 victory.
The win over the Eagles sends the Wildcats into the Midwest Tournament with some momentum. The Rugby Cats will travel to Indiana for the two-day tournament next weekend, providing the team a chance to tune-up before the team's fine two regular season contests of the season.
"Our underclassmen have stepped up in every way imaginable at just about every position on the field," Arbeznik said. "The 'want-it' factor is huge from these guys. We'll need it this weekend at Midwest. All seniors will be at prom. Time to see what next year's crew will look like.
"In looking at our group as a whole, we're very excited for when we'll be healthy again. We were down five regular starters this past weekend but should get them all back soon. We have three matches this coming weekend, but after that, we'll have only two the following week and get a weekend off before the state semi-final.
"We've been traveling seven of the last eight weekends (Wheeling, Cincinnati, France, France, Cincinnati, Penn State, Columbus) to matches never closer than two hours away, so to have one at home was nice. We have a lot to work on, but getting healthy is a priority."