Another national final. Another high-octane rematch.
Herriman and Ignatius faced off for the school national title for the second year in a row. Last year, Ignatius took the crown. This year, Herriman brought another gear and claimed the trophy.
Let’s dive in.
From the opening whistle, it was clear the Utah side came prepared for exactly the type of battle Ignatius wanted to play. The Wildcats entered the final riding the momentum of their bruising, grind-you-down style—suffocating defense, endless pick-and-goes, and relentless physicality near the breakdown.
Herriman didn’t blink.
The Mustangs spent the opening stages camped inside Ignatius territory, hammering away with fast recycles and powerful carries until scrumhalf Boston Hales finally darted over for the game’s opening try. The conversion made it 7-0.
Ignatius’ defense flew off the line all afternoon, causing problems in spurts, but Herriman’s ability to recycle quickly and attack space kept stretching the Wildcats side-to-side.
A series of penalties allowed Herriman back into the Ignatius 22 soon after, where MacRae Parker carried defenders across the line for another Mustang score. Minutes later, after MacRae bulldozed through contact again to ignite another attack, prop Rhett Parker powered over to make it 17-0.
For the first 15 minutes, Ignatius barely had the ball.
But the Wildcats finally found a response through their forwards.
After earning a lineout near the Herriman try line, Ignatius sold the back pod beautifully before hitting the front lifter on a short throw. One quick pass later, hooker Noah Spinos was over the line for the Wildcats’ first try of the afternoon.
17-5.
Then came the sequence that perfectly summed up this game.
Just meters from the try line, Ignatius launched into wave after wave of pick-and-goes—the same bruising formula that helped carry them to the national title last year. They hammered away for 18 straight phases, earned a penalty, tapped again, and crashed forward six more times.
Herriman held strong, refusing to let Ignatius crack the line.
Eventually the Mustangs forced the turnover, preserving their 17-5 halftime lead and delivering what felt like one of the defining defensive stands of the match.
The second half opened with Ignatius clawing momentum back—flipping the script from the beginning of the game and starving Herriman of possession. But Herriman’s defense remained ferocious, and Ignatius struggled to turn their 22-entries into points. Every carry was met with heavy contact, with 8-man Filisi Filipe in particular landing several massive hits.
Key turnovers saw Herriman escape the shadow of their own posts multiple times.
St. Ignatius showed why they were the defending champs—their big boys delivered collisions that often pushed Herriman back several meters at a time. Sam Leopold and Charlie Banaszak were everywhere, making Herriman question their choices about going up the middle.
But once Herriman got back on the front foot, the floodgates reopened.
The Mustangs attack operates in stark contrast to the Wildcats. While Ignatius thrives through direct, grinding phases and set pieces, Herriman constantly probes the edges, swinging the ball across the field and letting their athletic runners attack space in motion.
That style broke the game open midway through the second half.
After several sharp phases, outside-center Sione Nau found daylight and crossed over to extend the lead. Moments later, fullback Troy Ellermeier sliced through the kickoff chase, offloads started flying, and Filipe finished the job to push the advantage even further.
Ignatius never stopped fighting.
The Wildcats did well to earn territory with kicks to touch, and kept returning to their bread and butter near the try line. Noah Spinos eventually grabbed his second try of the afternoon after another well-executed lineout play near the Herriman line—an exact replica of the play they pulled off in the first half.
But every time Ignatius threatened to build momentum and flip the game, Herriman had an answer.
The Mustangs delivered the final blow after pinning Ignatius deep on the restart, and forcing another turnover. Then an incredible run by flyhalf Asher Coleman turned into points as hooker TJ Tuia crossed over on the edge.
That would do it.
When the final whistle sounded, Herriman’s bench emptied onto the field to shouts of “801! 801! 801!”—presumably their Utah area code.
There were signs early this season: A win over the Cavemen—the highly ranked Utah club team, a 40-0 performance over Sacramento Jesuit, and a Utah state title. But everyone wanted to see how this squad would fare against the reigning champs.
Herriman was more than up to the task.
After the game, captain MacRae Parker told Alex Goff, “We lost to them last year, so we wanted to play a little angry, play a little smooth, play a little cool—something like that.”
Well said, MacRae, you lyricist, you. And well done.
Final Score: Herriman 32—10 St. Ignatius
Herriman are the 2026 National School Champs.
Congratulations!
“This team was such a pleasure to coach. We have a saying that, ‘in order to win a championship, you must first be a champion in all that you do.’
This team exemplified that. They set their standard high, and they held each other to it daily. They understood that 1 unified team will always beat 15 individuals, and so they dropped their egos and their cliques and made it a priority to be close as teammates, and it showed in how they play so hard for each other.
They banned cell phones on trips so they would make sure and get to know all of their teammates better. That came from them as players. You can tell how much they love each other when you watch them. We also have an incredible group of coaches who had these boys so well prepared and playing with a high level of skill and execution. Most of our staff are alums, and all of them are volunteers, and they put in so many hours to be the best, and we are lucky to have them.”
Special shout out to Herriman’s crew of assistant coaches:
Shawn Harris, Jaeron Masina, Canyon Hansen, Chris Rowe, Elvis Hansen, Mariano Delgado, Josiah Dunn, Tracy Syddall.
Riot Takeaways:
Herriman looked prepared for this exact challenge
It felt like the Mustangs remembered every detail of last year’s final. They were ready for the physicality, ready for the endless pick-and-go pressure, and never looked surprised by what Ignatius wanted to do.Ignatius had opportunities
The Wildcats made it back to the national final because their direct, bruising style breaks teams mentally and physically. But Herriman matched that physicality and forced Ignatius to adjust. One thing that stood out is that Herriman turned their opportunities into points, while Ignatius struggled to find the try zone on too many of their entries into Herriman’s 22.MacRae Parker is the dude
Terrific player. Terrific leader. Looks like he harpoons sea beasts in his free time. Herriman has a special one here.
This final was a great reflection of the quality of rugby being coached and played at the high school level. Terrific skills and rugby IQ were displayed across the park. And if history is any indicator, there’s a good chance we see these two squads square off again next year at Nationals.