🏉Mid-week Quick Hits

Rugby Riot was on the road this week covering Gonzaga’s season opener in Washington DC.

So while there were intriguing games and tournaments across the country, our focus was on the game we were at in person. You know… being present.

We’ll talk about RuggerFest and the California playoff picture on Friday! Plus a few interesting results in the Midwest.

Cheers!

Oh, and don’t forget to vote in this week’s matchup poll 👉
It’s right there on the home page.

Gregory the Great 33 — 26 Gonzaga

Gregory the Great has now taken down Gonzaga two years running.

Gonzaga was first on the board, courtesy of an intercepted pass, but Gregory the Great battled back with an efficient attack and tenacious defense. Whenever Gonzaga found space out wide, the Highlanders managed to contain the edges and force errors. And when they had the ball in hand, Gregory the Great controlled tempo with aplomb — largely through the steady hand of flyhalf Jack Nolan, who consistently made smart decisions and put teammates into perfect running lanes (and even attempted two drop goals — both missed, but we dig the ambition).

Christopher Bateman, an outside center/scrumhalf hybrid, was instrumental in keeping GGA on the front foot, delivering clean ball to Nolan and mixing in the occasional box kick.

For the GGA forwards, Max Moliter crashed over from close quarters once in each half, and Will Seele dotted one down as well. Prop Cyril Sulzen was a force throughout, thumping ball carriers on defense and regularly punching through the gain line when called upon.

James Martin, GGA’s bruising inside center, had a terrific scoring run in the first half, and Declan Boyle (#15) snatched a loose pass inside his own 22 and outraced the Gonzaga defense for a long-range try.

Gonzaga put together many impressive moments throughout the game, with scrumhalf Axel Ries orchestrating sharply and keeping things lively around the ruck. They actually scored just before the end of each half — cutting it to 19–14 at the break and again to 33–26 late — but Gregory the Great had built enough of a cushion each time to absorb the push.

The Eagles had over twice as many entries into GGA’s 22 as the Highlanders did into theirs, but were not able to finish enough of those chances with points. Gregory the Great, meanwhile, made the most of their opportunities and fought relentlessly to force penalties on defense. The fact that two of their tries came while down a man in the sin bin tells you a lot about their grit and discipline.

Gonzaga looked sharp on their final scoring drive, which brought them within seven, but Gregory the Great buckled down defensively in the final moments and closed it out properly.

Final Score: Gregory the Great 33 — 26 Gonzaga

Doylestown (PA) 54 — 12 Xavier (NY)

“That was a very long game,” said James Allison '26, Xavier’s captain and fly-half, in describing his team’s 54-12 loss to Doylestown RFC. Read Mike LiVigni’s article here.

Charlotte Cardinals 35 — 10 Okapi

In a wet, slippery clash of styles, Okapi brought pace and kicking ability, while the Cardinals applied non-stop pressure and forced the Wanderers to react all afternoon.

Cardinals hopped on the board quickly with a strike from Luke Zehmke within the first minute. After that, a scoreless stretch saw both teams test each other with their kicking game. A healthy dose of knock-ons and dropped passes afflicted both sides, and it was clear the weather would be a factor—whoever could hold onto the ball had an advantage.

In the end, the Cardinals pressure was too much, and they made fewer mistakes.

Okapi found space in spurts, and they did break through for a nice 8-man try off the scrum. But the Cardinals wore them down as the game went on. There was no explosion of scores, but the Cardinals managed the second half with solid defense and found the try zone multiple times. Max Colson and Lukas Lupinski both scored, while reserves like Markus Guerrero played meaningful minutes and brought a spark to the soggy affair.

By the time the final whistle blew, the result had long been determined. But credit to Okapi for hanging with the Cardinals in the beginning of the match and keeping them guessing with clever kicking and running ability.

Okapi looks like a squad that can do damage nationally. We’d love to see them play teams like SOC Raptors or New Trier at Nationals.
The Cardinals looked a bit looser than we’ve seen at times, though the weather (and a few head-scratching whistles) certainly played a role.

Okapi heads back to Florida to face Key Biscayne. The Cardinals have Doylestown (PA) on deck this weekend—which just became a must-watch game after the PA boys thumped Xavier.

Sacramento Jesuit 36 — 35 De La Salle

A heavyweight NorCal fight.

Jesuit jumped out early, turning a penalty into a try and then rolling their maul for another to lead 12–0. De La Salle answered with two scores of their own to flip it and take a 14–12 edge into halftime.

The Spartans kept it rolling after the break, stretching the lead to 21–12 and later 28–17. It felt like they had control.

But Jesuit flipped the script.

Two tries in two minutes — including a 60-meter break from junior lock Jack Dillie — swung the momentum hard. With five minutes left, the Jesuit maul delivered again, pushing them ahead 36–28.

De La Salle earned a late penalty try and pressed with Jesuit down a man, but a clutch turnover sealed it.

Final Score: Sac Jesuit 36 — 35 De La Salle

Danville Oaks 20 — 17 Granite Bay

We need film on this one. Word on the street says it was legit.

The two NorCal giants went straight at each other for a full 70 minutes. Someone who was there dropped this in our DMs on Instagram: “Trust me, that was a banger of a high school game.”

It ended in dramatic fashion. Granite Bay had a chance to tie it in the waning moments with a penalty kick. Instead, they went for the win — a gutsy call. Danville forced a terrific turnover, and that was that.

At least… that’s what we were able to gather from social media. Someone help a brother out and send the film over.

These are the types of games we need live-streamed. Let’s make that happen next time. Ok?

🏟️ SoCal UPDATE:

After a lot of confusion, the SoCal Final is happening—TODAY.

Torrey Pines and Orange Lutheran face off tonight at 6:30pm PST at Cathedral Catholic’s field.

The winner will face either Rio Americano or St. Francis in the California State Final. Those two play this weekend in the NorCal Final.

Things are heating up in the California playoff scene. We’re here for it 👊

Until Friday, that’s it gang.

-The Rugby Riot team