The last time these teams met was at the 2025 PA State Championship, where GGA chased a third straight title—but Doylestown stole the spotlight, completing a 2025 sweep with state titles for their D1 boys, D2 boys, and girls teams.
This rematch has been circled by everyone in Pennsylvania. GGA came in hungry for revenge, while Doylestown looked to cement their dominance.
Both squads stayed busy in the preseason. Doylestown traveled nationwide- competing against teams from D.C., NY, NC, and Colorado—racking up consistent wins, with their only blemish a decisive loss to the Charlotte Cardinals (68-22). GGA, meanwhile, made a statement of their own, earning a crushing win over the Richmond Strikers and an iconic victory against Gonzaga in D.C.
Both teams mercy rolled their opponents in the week prior to this match.
Tensions are high when the whistle blows.
GGA wasted no time getting to work, scoring within the first 2 minutes taking an early 7-0 lead. But Doylestown quickly seized the momentum, executing a fast, multi-phase attack highlighted by scrumhalf Jackson Rielly’s quick vision, attacking the gap near the ruck, and offloading to #8 for the final push over the try-line. 7-7.
Doylestown applied serious pressure on GGA’s breakdown, employing aggressive counter-rucking tactics to slow down GGA’s ball and disrupt their rhythm. (You don’t want GGA to find their rhythm.) This tactic bore fruit as Doylestown gradually took control of field territory and tempo.
Before half time, GGA responded with a try of their own, energizing their side. However, the score remained in Doylestown's favor by halftime at 20-14.
Doylestown started the second half with renewed intensity while GGA faced challenges in securing their lineouts and clearing their lines. The Dragons doubled their scoring output in the second half, even dotting one down directly from a kickoff.
GGA managed one more try to reach the 21 points mark, but by then, Doylestown had already put the game well out of reach.
Full-time ended the match at 43-21, Doylestown on top.
📸 Kolbe Costello
Key Players:
Doylestown Fly-Half, Jamie Weir (Senior), had an excellent performance in the back field: fielding clearance kicks, launching counter attacks, and keeping the ball pinned in GGA’s ‘22. This was his first game back from an injury received at Fort Hunt (VA) in the preseason.
Doylestown coaches awarded Inside Center, Liam Hoey (Junior), the Man of the Match. Hoey’s explosive runs and quick foot work allowed him to find and exploit gaps; while his remarkable offloading skills allowed him to turn half breaks into full breaks in an instant.
Coaches Quotes:
In a post game interview, Doylestown Head Coach, Kevin Reilly, noted the importance of pre-season experience:
“(The preseason games) showed us that we need to be able to play a full 70 minutes… Gregory the Great has exceptional fitness, they support all over the field, and they rarely make mistakes.” Coach also noted the values of fundamentals, saying if you focus on “fundamentals: running hard, running straight, making tackles, you’ll win the game.”
Gregory the Great Assistant Coach, Anthony Hierro, remarked on the game: “We knew it was going to be a hard match. Initially, we were ‘okay’. But we didn’t really stick to the game plan for, at least, 40 minutes of the game—and that hurt us. If you don’t play in the right part of the field, and you don’t win your set pieces—which are both things we practice a lot—it’s hard to have a good day.”
What’s next?
For now, GGA takes a couple weeks off for Easter Break. They’ll retire to lick their wounds. But if we know one thing about GGA—we know they’re resilient. We can’t imagine they’ll be down for too long.
Keep an eye out for both these PA titans in the playoffs.
Looking forward, Doylestown is set to face off against St Joe’s Prep on the 12th and GGA competes against Malvern Prep on the 19th.