Franciscan 44, Holy Cross 20

HOUSTON - Franciscan Rugby made the trip to Texas to compete in a Final Four for the first time since 2012. The Barons qualified for the 2019-20 Final Four in Coach Jason Adams first season coaching the Barons, but the Final Four was canceled due to COVID-19. In April of 2012, they traveled to Colorado. They fell to Salve Regina, the eventual national champions, before beating North Florida in the third-place match. 

There will be no third-place match to worry about in 2025, as the Barons beat the Crusaders to earn their first trip to the National Championship in program history.

The Barons' challenge in front of them was #7 Holy Cross. A gametime temperature of 78 degrees presented a perfect setting for a 4:00 p.m. local start at Sabercat Stadium in the Lone Star State.
 

A back-and-forth start for the opening 15 minutes, as neither team had a significant run and exchanged kicks. Holy Cross was able to get on the board first, as a Franciscan penalty 20 meters out gave them a penalty kick opportunity. They converted it to take a 3-0 edge just 15 minutes into the opening half. 

Tanner Harris then made a huge run for the Barons. A hard high hit led to a 10-minute trip to the sin bin for Holy Cross #15 and gave the Barons a man-up opportunity. Christopher Ascough did not waste much time to dot a try in the left corner, but he wasn't able to convert the conversion. Just a few minutes later, Augustine Wright took advantage of a Holy Cross miscue and scored his first try of the game. Another tough angle on the kick led to a miss from Bateman, as the Barons took a 10-3 lead. 

Just after the penalty ended, and it was even strength. The Barons struck again as William Shaifer punched in a short try to expand the lead to 15-3. With less than a minute remaining, the Crusaders took advantage of a lineout just five meters out to score a try and make it a one-possession game at half by a score of 15-8.

The Barons received words of encouragement from Coach Jason Adams at the half and came out motivated. Just a few minutes into the second half Dominic Grecol scored an impressive try to respond to the Crusaders' late try in the first half. Unfortunately, another missed conversion set the score at 20-8. The Barons kept up the offensive pressure for the majority of the half, like the first half. The Barons drew a penalty inside the 22-meter line, so they elected to try a kick. Nate Bateman missed the kick, but just moments later, the Barons scored, as Shaifer scored his second try. That set the score at 25-8, as the Crusaders frustrations escalated while their hopes of coming back were shrinking.

Back-and-forth play was finally broken up by another Crusader penalty and another trip to the sin bin and a man-up opportunity for the Barons. Paul Leerkes capitalized on that opportunity with a pair of tries to take this one out of reach officially. Bateman added a late try as well for good measure, and it was good to see Ascough convert a couple of conversions to end the game as well. Holy Cross added a late try and conversion, but that would end it, as the Barons won in dominant fashion by a score of 44-20.

Tries: Ascough (1); Wright (1); Shaifer (2); Grecol (1), P. Leerkes (2), Bateman (1)

Kick conversions / Penalty Kicks: Bateman (0/3); Ascough (2/7)

Up Next 
The Barons will take on #5 Slippery Rock on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. EST in the NCR Division III National Championship.Slippery Rock beat New Mexico Tech 29-10 in the other Final Four matchup on Friday.

The Barons are seeking their first National Championship in program history. This will be their third matchup against the Rock this season. The Barons beat them 15-7 in the regular, while the Rock was the #1 team in the nation. The Barons fell to the Rock by a score of 26-20 in the ARU Championship in November. Since that loss the Barons have won four straight games to make their first National Championship appearance. The Rock won the Spring 7s National Championship in 2024 and are in search of their first 15s National Championship.

Stay Connected 
Be sure to follow Franciscan Athletics on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for the most in-depth coverage.