STEUBENVILLE – It was a great night of competition and community as Franciscan University of Steubenville hosted the 7th Annual D'Anniballe Rugby Ruckus this Saturday at Harding Stadium. The Baron Rugby team beat out a fierce opponent in the Fighting Falcons of Fairmount State 39-10. Around 1,000 spectators, from students to Steubenville community members, came out to cheer on the Barons in an exciting night.

The match was a tale of two halves for the Baron ruggers. Franciscan struggled to find consistency – especially offensively – as the Barons went into halftime tied 10-10.

"We were tested in the first half," said head coach Mark Hanrahan. "Fairmount is a hard-hitting team and very physical. We let them get into our heads and we started playing selfish rugby. I basically went in at halftime and said 'Hey guys let's play our game. Let's play Franciscan rugby.'"

And that's exactly what they did. The Barons dominated the second half, scoring 25 points and playing a tenacious defense that held the Falcons to a scoreless half, finalizing the score 39-10.

Scoring tries for the Barons were Thad Crosier with two; Mike Brasie, Frank Knoell, John Manni, Mike Storelli, and Jonathan Cardinal with one each. Edmund Mitchell kicked the extra points.

"Overall we played really well. Brasie had an outstanding game. He's one of the hardest hitting rugby players I've ever seen. This was a good character building match for us," said Hanrahan.

At the end of the Ruckus the "Man of the Match" was announced. One player from each team is acknowledged for his performance, hard work and sportsmanship.

Steubenville native, Crosier was named "Man of the Match" for the Barons.

Phillip Raines received the honor for Fairmont State.

The D'Anniballe Rugby Ruckus was initially held in the spring during its first six years. This year the coaches and administration decided to move the event to the fall during the traditional rugby season. The change proved to be a wise decision for all involved.

"It was a tremendous success," said Franciscan University Athletic Director Chris Ledyard. "I need to thank Freddy Hethrington and Sean Crosier for making the transition so seamless."

"Having the Ruckus in the fall is great – we had wonderful weather tonight. And having almost 1,000 people here is really special," he said.

Ledyard emphasized that the event is special not only to Franciscan University, who shuttle students from the campus to the stadium, but also to the local Steubenville community.

"This represents another way the University and the city are really coming together. It's great especially this year when we have quite a few local kids playing for us," Ledyard noted.

The D'Anniballe Rugby Ruckus is named for Robert D'Anniballe, a former Steubenville resident whose generosity to the rugby program 10 years ago allowed the team to travel to a tournament they otherwise could not have attended. At the time of D'Anniballe's death, three years later, the team asked that the newly created Rugby Ruckus be named after him to honor his generosity. Seven ruckuses later, Robert D'Anniballe is still not forgotten.