In unison, the Saint Ignatius Varsity A rugby team yelled "Victis!" to end their pre-game ritual chant on Saturday, ready to start the season.
True to the popular Latin word, the Rugby Cats did plenty of conquering this weekend.
The Varsity A-side fought tooth and nail for wins and Gonzaga and Georgetown Prep, while the Varsity B-side rolled to victories over the two squads. Four victories in two days certainly counts as a successful trip to Washington, D.C.
The weekend began with a defensive battle on Saturday. The A-side squad fought hard with Gonzaga, the No. 2 ranked team in the country. The Wildcats held Gonzaga at bay while the offense picked up steam, culminating in a Alex Schum try with 2:30 left in the first. Declan Boldy connected on the conversion to make it 7-0 after one.
Gonzaga struck back in the second, pushing through a try and a conversion to tie the match at 7 with 28 minutes to play. The Wildcats responded with a try off a dive by senior Nick Zolikoff with 18 minutes left, though the conversion did not connect.
Gonzaga stole the lead for the first time of the game with 10 minutes remaining. The hosts' try sailed through, leaving the Rugby Cats in a 14-12 hole. But just four minutes later, the Wildcats snatched the lead back. Carl Felder pushed it into the try zone and Boldy hit the conversion, granting the visitors a 19-14 lead.
The Rugby Cats held out for the final five minutes, starting out the season with a hard-earned victory.
"Our defense was exceptional, said Head Coach Dan Arbeznik '00. "We defended for long stretches of the game but would not let them into our try-zone."
The success continued into the B-side matchup. The Wildcats scored on two tries in the first half to take a 10-0 lead into the break. One last try with 21 minutes left in the contest sealed the deal, granting the B-side a 15-0 season-opening victory over Gonzaga.
Saturday concluded with a Mass, as the Saint Ignatius and Gonzaga squads celebrated the Eucharist together in a beautiful church. (Click here for a picture.)
After spending the night in Georgetown Prep's facilities, the Rugby Cats battled with the hosts on Sunday morning.
Georgetown struck first with a kick for points off a penalty. The Wildcats responded with Alex Schum's second try of the weekend, again set up by captain Sean Whelan. Georgetown responded with a try and a conversion, but then ran into a wall.
The Rugby Cats controlled the rest of the match, spending about a vast majority of the contest in Georgetown's zone. Janniel Badeas earned the moniker “Always by the try line” by scoring on two straight tries to end the first half. The Wildcats carried a 19-10 lead into the break.
The second half was all Wildcats. The A-side piled on tries, courtesy of Badeas, John Stuhldreher, and Alex Chura. Schum continued to play well, too, with a couple of great tackles and stolen lineouts. Boldy also added two tries, adding the cherry on top for a 38-10 victory.
The B-side continued where the A-side left off. Following an inspiring pregame chant by Seamus Cooney, the Wildcats roared in the first half. Ethan Trenka, Chris Matthews, and Seamus McCarthy poured in tries for the Rugby Cats, helping the squad enjoy a 20-0 lead at half.
In the second half, Speedy "Mo" Morrisson and Nathan Speelman tabbed tries, setting the final score at 32-0. The win completed the clean 4-0 sweep as a program, and an impressive 47-0 combined effort by the B-side. Here's another fun tidbit – in the four matches, the Wildcats outscored the competition by a margin of 104-24.
As Coach Arbeznik said, the undersung hero this weekend was Sean Whelan.
"Sean was key in both matches with his foot," Arbeznik said. "Although he didn't score any tries on the weekend, he ensured that the match was constantly played in the opposition's end. He set-up 2 tries to Alex Schum both with his pass and his foot. Against Georgetown Prep, in particular, he ensured that 90% of the match was played on the opposition's side of the field."
Following a dominating weekend, the Rugby Cats return to action this weekend. The A-side and B-side squads will scrimmage Brecksville-Broadview Heights on Saturday at 3 pm on Wasmer Field.