Steubenville, Ohio - The Franciscan rugby squad's first match of the 2021 season didn't go as well as planned. While playing up 2 levels in competition against the DI Wheeling Cardinals' team, the Barons were overmatched in all phases of the match, losing 81-5. Much of that is attributed to the team's overall inexperience as well as the skill and playing knowledge Wheeling possessed. It was a tough game to swallow but the players represented Franciscan well. They never quit and played hard throughout the match. After a first half spent trying to get their bearings on the field, the Baron lads regrouped in the 2nd half and played much better-showing that they will develop as the season progresses. Sophomore John Thibault  had a great showing in his first rugby match ever, running hard and moving gracefully and even getting in quite a few tackles. He scored the Barons' only try, dotting the ball down in between the post after intercepting a pass and dashing down the field, outpacing 3 Wheeling defenders for the 50 m score. He earned the team's "Gold"en Man of the Match award for his outstanding play. Captain Rafe Lewis did a great job positioning his players throughout the game and maintaining the voice of reason for the team when spirits were low. Scrumhalf Vincent Prezzia did well, distributing the ball to the gents and played with passion. Peter Thibault had a nice debut, running the ball with conviction and making a few sound tackles. Matthew Hennig made several tackles and helped win lineouts with his catches. Luke Hall kept his focus and helped the young players during the match as well as a few hard hits and runs.

Despite the lopsided score, Franciscan's head coach, Jason Adams, was very proud of his players and the ability to learn by making mistakes and by understanding how important positioning is. He felt that the team would only get better experience and a chance to learn from the opponent's playing style by playing up in competition. Wheeling definitely gave the guys a great lesson and hopefully, this is will springboard the team to success this fall. With the non-league match not counting against the Baron's record, they now look forward to their old-time rivalry match next Sunday Sept 12th against Robert Morris. The match will open both teams' ARU collegiate conference play at 4pm. This match could determine seeding in playoffs come November. Coach Adams is very excited about the potential for the young team and is looking forward to seeing what they can do.

Franciscan thanks Wheeling for making the trip to Franciscan's campus and for demonstrating a few things that the Barons players can learn from. We wish them success this fall as they look to make playoffs in their DI pathway.

Who's Next? 
The Barons will begin Allegheny Rugby Union (ARU) Small College conference play next weekend, as Robert Morris comes to town for a Sunday afternoon game. The Colonials have been a local rival of the Barons for many years now. Franciscan holds the advantage in the all-time series record at 10-6. The Barons have won the last two meetings, both of which came in 2019. Then in the Three Rivers Rugby Conference (3RRC), the Barons downed the Colonials 14-12 in their regular season matchup in Moon Township. The Barons then took care of business in the 3RRC Championship game with a commanding 31-12 victory. 

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