MEADVILLE, Pa.—Franciscan Rugby played a dominant first half in their 55-13 victory against Allegheny College thanks to senior Man of the Match Thomas Hogan's strong scoring presence
"We started out really well," head coach Chris Courtnell said. "We were playing at the intensity that we needed to play at, using the runners, getting the ball out wide to the wings, and putting some early tries up."
Franciscan focused on pulling Allegheny's defenders into the center then kicking the ball out to the wings to score in the corners. Hogan took advantage of the situation to score the Baron's first four tries, while senior Connor McCaffrey added another try to give the Barons a substantial 36-8 lead at the half.
Although Hogan's two more tries combined with one try each from senior Clayton Lang and freshman Michael Crosby secured the FUS win, Courtnell said the team struggled to maintain their usual intensity in the second half.
"We need to be able to play Franciscan rugby all the time," Courtnell said. "Each time we go out on the field, we look to leave everything out there, and today we didn't. We did enough, but we didn't do as much as we could have done."
Courtnell said it is the little things such as forcing tries and communication breakdowns that the Barons need to improve in order to continue their winning streak as the season progresses.
"We hold ourselves to a high standard, not just in rugby but in life," Courtnell said. "We're looking to become the men that God set us out to be, and in doing that we push ourselves as far as we can go."
Despite the game's weak spots, Courtnell said that the first half saw several positive performances, particularly by Man of the Match Hogan.
"It was a really good performance by Tommy," Courtnell said, adding, "We were also able to give some new guys their first run out wearing a Franciscan jersey, so that was good."
As the team prepares for its homecoming match against Franciscan Rugby Alumni on October 4 at 4pm, Courtnell said they will continue to stress consistency.
"We're building each week and we're doing it as a whole, the coaches down through all the players," Courtnell said. "We're a family and we're growing as a family."
