🏆Doylestown impressive in state title win.

Doylestown got the job done vs Gregory the Great with a smothering defense and bruising attack.

With a steady, hard wind blowing, Doylestown and Gregory the Great faced off at PSU Berks in front of a large and excited crowd for a physical battle.

Gregory the Great started the game with strong possession for the first ten minutes, but they failed to generate points, as the Doylestown lads kept them at bay with solid tackles and patience.

Doylestown was first to etch the scoreboard with a wide try by Baily O’Malley. Jamie Weir slotted the conversion to take a 7-0 lead. Then Weir struck again with his boot, nailing a penalty kick to extend the lead to 10-0.

GGA answered with a penalty kick of their own, but Doylestown punched another try in as the first half closed. At the break, Doylestown held a 17-3 lead, and faced a second half with the wind in their faces.

Note: Both of Doylestown’s first-half tries came straight off quick-tap penalties, followed by a couple forward phases and a wide ball. It was a recipe that worked all game long.

The second half saw Doylestown adjust their tactics due to the wind—keeping the ball in their bruising pack’s hands and starving GGA of possession. It proved to be the right call.

Violent collisions erupted all over the pitch. Both sides tested each other’s strength around the breakdown, leading to an assortment of penalties.

Interestingly, GGA did not capitalize on having the wind to their back, opting to trust their forward pods to break the gain line. But Doylestown held firm time and time again, refusing to budge and forcing errors.

Then Doylestown flanker Nick Miletto—a force all game—broke free twice down the left side for two incredible solo tries.

With a 29-8 lead, and less than five minutes on the clock, Doylestown had all but secured the win.

GGA showed serious heart in the final three minutes. Anyone who has played them will tell you there’s zero quit in these guys. They managed to power through for two well-earned scores right before time expired.

But the clock had spoken. And Doylestown had already done enough.

Final whistle. Game over.

The Doylestown sideline erupted—State Champions 🏆

Final Score: Doylestown 29 — 22 Gregory the Great

Standout performances:

Doylestown

• Nick Miletto—The flanker refused to go down in contact. It frequently took 3-4 defenders to stop his momentum. Add in two phenomenal tries and it was a monster game by this guy.

• Jamie Weir—He nailed the kicks he needed to make and found his playmakers’ hands all game.

• Brandon Zubyk—The D-town lock was a brick wall on defense. He did the dirty work all game and was a huge reason GGA struggled to break free.

• Jackson Reilly—At scrumhalf, Reilly made nonstop high IQ decisions. His ability to get clean ball to his players kept the D-town boys on the front foot.

• Forward pack—everyone in this group deserves a shout out. They played a near flawless game defensively, and controlled the tempo with the ball in their hands. It was a clean, well-executed performance from D-town’s big boys.

Gregory the Great

• Bruno Lefler—The GGA prop had a tremendous game. He made his tackles and picked smart running lines as a ball carrier.

• Sebastian Nies—At scrumhalf, Nies found ways to slip through the stalwart Doylestown defense, and he distributed the ball with aplomb throughout the game.

• George Burch—The GGA hooker was everywhere. Especially impressive was his ball carrying—he’s a shifty forward who pulled in multiple tacklers all game.

• Ari Fogelman—Captain and inside center, he frequently crashed through contact and made something out of nothing, despite playing through a shoulder injury.

• Will Seele—The 8-man was a tackling machine and a powerful runner. He was always close to the action.

Final thoughts:

• This had all the hallmarks of a state final. The intensity was through the roof. The fans were loud, and we’ll give the officiating crew a solid 7.5/10.

• Doylestown is a program on the rise. Many of the players on the field had come up through their revamped youth development program, and it showed. These aren’t just athletes who happen to play rugby. These are rugby players.

• Gregory the Great fell short of the three-peat, but if history is any indicator, they’ll likely claw their way back to the state final in the near future.

Pennsylvania feels like it has raised the bar in recent years. Several different teams have reached the final over the past five years, and multiple squads have performed very well in cross-state matches. The Nationals committee would be remiss not to look toward the Keystone state when sending out next year’s invites.