St. Ignatius Freshmen Rugby Carve Out Victory Against La Salette

The St. Ignatius High School Wildcats' freshman rugby team bested Notre Dame de la Salette with a final score of 41-17 during a game on March 9 at Fortress Obetz in Obetz, Ohio. Battling cold and windy weather, the St. Ignatius Wildcats opened the game with a halftime lead of 14-5. As the game resumed, a series of key moments turned the tides further in favor of the Wildcats. One such pivotal play came when La Salette's clearance kick hit the goalpost, leading to a try by Quinn Ferris for St. Ignatius. Coen Leucke's setup for a try by Stephen Perez from halfway gave the Wildcats a 26-10 lead. Try scorers for the Wildcats included Michael Friedl, Preston Bucsanyi, Coen Leucke, Quinn Ferris, Stephen Perez, Charlie French, and Carter Kangas. Bucsanyi also added to his contributions with three successful conversions. Luecke and Bucsanyi, along with French, ran the attack well. Owen Whiser put in a hard-nosed performance and Ben Stefan was excellent on defense. With an early injury to lock Gavin Foss, additional responsibility fell to the other lock, Jace Herman, who commanded the lineouts and gained crucial yardage. Additionally, Colin Betters was a force to be reckoned with at fullback. "The thought was we should always be coming up hard on defense. They are a very disciplined team but I think we handled them well," Leucke said. Equally impressed by the Freshmen rugby players was Head Coach Tony Vegh, who remarked, "For a freshman rugby game it was incredibly physical and well-played on both sides." With this win, St. Ignatius High School's victorious start to the season continues as their current record stands at 2-0. Looking forward, the Wildcats will face Medina High School on March 13.