Steubenville, Ohio - As the youngsters say, the Franciscan Barons Rugby team ran it back against John Carroll University this past weekend. On a unseasonably warm and sunny day, the Barons were once again in a familiar playoff position, hosting a first round match on the heels of their win the previous week against the same JCU team. The difference this time was the Barons had to replace four injured starters from last week's tough tilt and having to give some starter's minutes to a few more new players. Peter Rooney and Colin Egger both earned their spot and started their first match of the season. Rooney was tasked with manning the flanker position and Egger stepped in at prop. Both players played well and did the hard work. Captain Sebastian Bise moved to the #9 position while Joseph Moleski, JoeBob, donned the #10 jersey and Christopher Ascough slid into the #12 spot for his first start there.

The combo played well throughout the match but will likely change for the next match with the possibility of players coming back. However, as per the norm this fall, the Barons coughed up the ball at the start of the half and then a yellow card by the Barons left them short a player for 10 minutes. JCU wasted no time in punching the ball in for the match's first points as they quickly went up 0-5 with the missed conversion. However, the Barons did well enough to create a turnover and get the ball back after the restart. Nick Patryn picked the ball off a ruck and spun his way in for a try. Ascough missed the kick after from a difficult angle. Both teams then traded possession of the ball several times before the Barons won their lineout and on an errant pass to JoeBob, he was able to corral the ball and quickly offload to Ascough, who fended off a defender and sliced it in for the try. Ascough made the conversion to give the Barons a 12-5 lead. As the first half slogged on, JCU was able to right itself and punch in two tries of their own but with the two missed conversion kicks, their lead was by three points 12-15 when the half ended. An opportunity for the Barons to score a try to push their lead before halftime went awry after a penalty was called and Joe Bob was attempting to take the ball to the ref's mark mere meters away from the try line with no other JCU defender out wide, and was promptly smashed by a JCU defender who was offsides and is not able to tackle a ball carrier when play is over and the attacking team is attempting to set up for a penalty. Shockingly no call was made, and the lingering effects resulted in a turnover and a long try by JCU to end the half.

The Barons regrouped at the half and was able to put the non-call behind them as Joe Bob executed a quick tap on a penalty while JCU was standing around and made a few sidesteps to tie up the score and with Ascough converting the hard angle kick to give the Barons the lead at 19-15. It would be a lead they would not relinquish. Nick Patryn would follow that up with his second try of the day on another pick and go but Ascough just missed the kick wide to bump the tally up to 24-15. John Carroll answered once again and dotted down a try to inch closer at 24-22 with the converted kick at a tough angle. Patryn answered the bell on his last senior home match and scored two more tries to lift the Barons to a home playoff victory and with Ascough converting both kicks, Franciscan ended the match with a 38-22 win.

John Carroll showed why they were ranked #14 and the final score does not show just how tough and resilient JCU were. It unfortunate there could only be one winner as JCU ran hard and with force. The Barons were able to play gritty when they needed to and hold their own against a bigger team.

Nick Patryn was named Golden Man of the Match in a fitting end to his 4-year career with Franciscan, scoring four times in his last home match. Christopher Ascough and Sebastian Bise were named DAWGs of the match with their tough runs and steady tackling. The Barons will move on to face #3 Slippery Rock in Butler, PA on Saturday November 2nd at 3PM for the ARU Championship.

This will be the third year in a row that both teams will meet up with SRU winning the last two times. The winner will get the automatic qualifying bid as the ARU #1 seed while the loser will meet with the ARU West #1 team in the play-in qualifier the following weekend at Xavier University. For the Barons, they know they will have a tough match to face off against perennial power, Slippery Rock and their tough runners and fantastic backline. It will be back to the drawing board for the Barons as they look to win the ARU championship. The ruggers of Franciscan thoroughly appreciate the massive support of fans that have attended all the home matches this fall. We couldn't have won them all without you!! The Barons will have a bye week as they prepare for the Championship match.

Men's Rugby ID Camp
Franciscan Men's Rugby is excited to offer a Prospect Camp for aspiring college athletes on Sunday, November 17th. The camp is open to athletes entering 9th-12th grade this Fall. Participants will have the opportunity to receive training from the men's rugby coaching staff, as well as interact with current players. Campers will participate in a typical Franciscan training session and gain an understanding of the competitive and challenging environment of collegiate athletics. For more information click here

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