Sycamore defeats St. Rita for Tier 2 title
By Phil Gautschy
The Sycamore High School rugby team was in unfamiliar territory, and not just because it was in Lemont Wednesday for the Illinois Rugby Youth Association Tier 2 state championship game at the Chicago Blaze complex.
St. Rita had just scored a first-half try and conversion to tie the match at 7-7. The staunch Sycamore defense had not given up a score in its last three games. But, Sycamore coach Mark Lancaster thought it might be just what his team needed.
“When they scored, it kind of told us this isn’t going to be a cakewalk,” he said.
Sycamore responded to the challenge. The team drove down and for a try just before the half ended to take a 14-7 lead. The teams scored one conversion-less try apiece in the second half, which allowed Sycamore to collect a 19-12 victory.
St. Rita kept the ball in Sycamore territory for most of the first fifteen minutes. They moved the ball within a couple meters of the try zone on one drive, but never could get that last little bit. Sycamore had a lot to do with that.
“We’ve been relentless on tackling all year,” Lancaster said. “We get offended when teams get close to our try zone.
Sycamore got out of its own end and on the scoreboard when Alex Calendo scored a try. With a successful conversion, Sycamore led 7-0.
“All season our defense is what kept us in it,” Sycamore fly-half Luke Johnson said. “We knuckled down and stopped them and played our rugby. Getting that first try was key.”
But St. Rita was far from finished. They got possession after the try and put together an impressive drive that Bo Ginta capped with a score. After the conversion, the game was tied at 7-7.
Sycamore answered with a deep move into St. Rita territory. They had the ball a few meters out from the try line at the center of the field. With time running out in the half the coaches called for a kick, but the players had a different idea.
“In rugby, we (coaches) merely make suggestions that we think are wise,” Lancaster said. “If they chose to do something different, that’s rugby. And, it panned out.”
Beck Ackmann scored as time ran out. The conversion was good to give Sycamore a 14-7 lead at the break.
“With 11 seniors on this team, we just told each other to get another one in before the half,” Johnson said. “We said ‘Look how close we are. We’re not getting it close. We are going to get seven.’”
The players' decision was the turning point of the game.
"In rugby, the first five minutes and the last five minutes of the half are the most important,” St. Rita coach Mike Fleming said. “You need to play good offense and good defense. We failed to play good defense at the end of the half.”
Sycamore opened the second half pushing the ball into St. Rita territory for about twenty minutes. Calendo scored his second try to give Sycamore a 19-7 lead.
“That 20 minutes we spent in that end pushing the ball - even though we only came out with five - finally ran them out of gas,” Lancaster said.
St. Rita got a late try from Nick Schmacher.
While the loss was a bitter pill for St. Rita, Fleming is proud of where the club is.
“This is only our third year as a club,” he said. “The first year we only had seven guys. We’ve come a long way.”
William Kroeger earned Man of the Match honors.
