Posted: Jun 05, 2019
Speer Academy Defeats Johnson in Noble League Rugby Championship
By Emily Iannaconi
The Speer Academy boy's rugby team defeated Johnson College Prep by a score of 55-17 in the Noble League Rugby Championship Thursday, May 30th at Speer Academy. The Pride had a dominant regular season, posting the best overall record in the Noble League with a 8-0 mark.
The Pride have been preparing for the championships since November with a two-week camp and weight lifting and conditioning throughout the following months. The 2018 season was the first year of rugby at Speer Academy and it ended with a semifinal loss of two points. "After a review of the season and our preparations, and based on the roster we expected to have, we decided nothing less than a championship in 2019 would be acceptable," said head coach Ryan McBride.
Due to last season's loss and the seven-month commitment the students gave to the sport, the championship win means a lot to Speer Academy. For many, this is their first ever Noble League championship. "In the championship game, as with all other contests this season, and the nature of the sport, it requires all fifteen players to perform at a high level," McBride said. "I would say all involved stood out as they performed exactly as we had planned."
Speer Academy scored a try in the first ten minutes of the game and after the conversion jumped out to an early 7-0. The Pride added to that lead in the 23rd minute with another try and conversion, extending their lead to 14-0.
Senior Justin Negrete scored two tries and two additional conversions by Junior Arquimedes Bataz gave the Pride a 31-0 lead to close out the first half. Bataz converted 7 of 8 kicks in the match. "Arquimedes' in-game kicking was extremely impactful," McBride said. "Aside from his conversion kicks, we were able to pin them back in their own half throughout the game."
Johnson got on the board right away in the second half with a try and conversion, making the score 31-7. Speer Academy responded with two more scores of their own in the following 10 minutes to add 10 more points to its lead.
The Pumas added a try with 12 minutes left in the game and then, with nine minutes to go, Speer Academy added on another try and conversion, making the score 48-12. The two teams would exchange scores over the course of the last 10 minutes of the match but Speer Academy would go on secure a 55-17 victory. The Pride bench stormed the field as time expired to celebrate with their teammates.
The seniors of Speer Academy felt particularly excited to end their high school rugby careers with a championship. Carlos Leon has been playing rugby for three years now and he said that the win means a lot to him and his teammates. "It meant too much to me to finally come back and win since our previous year wasn't so good," Leon said.
Teammate Daniel Rivera also knows that this championship was special because it is his last year at Speer Academy. "It's a good feeling to leave with a championship under our belt," Rivera said. "It's the first one that we've had as a group, so it's more valuable than a person can explain."
Negrete explained that this championship is a bittersweet moment. "We are all leaving all of the other kids behind but hopefully we helped them grow as teammates," Negrete said.
McBride said that he is excited that his seniors had the chance to bring home a championship. "The championship means a lot, mostly for the kids because they are the ones who have put in the hard work and they see the fruits of their labor with their performance today," McBride said. "Big shout out to Johnson College Prep and all of the hard work they put in this year. They were definitely the toughest opponent that we played and I know they only have one senior year leaving so it will be really strong for the next couple of years, so I'm looking forward to that challenge."
The Speer Academy boy's rugby team defeated Johnson College Prep by a score of 55-17 in the Noble League Rugby Championship Thursday, May 30th at Speer Academy. The Pride had a dominant regular season, posting the best overall record in the Noble League with a 8-0 mark.
The Pride have been preparing for the championships since November with a two-week camp and weight lifting and conditioning throughout the following months. The 2018 season was the first year of rugby at Speer Academy and it ended with a semifinal loss of two points. "After a review of the season and our preparations, and based on the roster we expected to have, we decided nothing less than a championship in 2019 would be acceptable," said head coach Ryan McBride.
Due to last season's loss and the seven-month commitment the students gave to the sport, the championship win means a lot to Speer Academy. For many, this is their first ever Noble League championship. "In the championship game, as with all other contests this season, and the nature of the sport, it requires all fifteen players to perform at a high level," McBride said. "I would say all involved stood out as they performed exactly as we had planned."
Speer Academy scored a try in the first ten minutes of the game and after the conversion jumped out to an early 7-0. The Pride added to that lead in the 23rd minute with another try and conversion, extending their lead to 14-0.
Senior Justin Negrete scored two tries and two additional conversions by Junior Arquimedes Bataz gave the Pride a 31-0 lead to close out the first half. Bataz converted 7 of 8 kicks in the match. "Arquimedes' in-game kicking was extremely impactful," McBride said. "Aside from his conversion kicks, we were able to pin them back in their own half throughout the game."
Johnson got on the board right away in the second half with a try and conversion, making the score 31-7. Speer Academy responded with two more scores of their own in the following 10 minutes to add 10 more points to its lead.
The Pumas added a try with 12 minutes left in the game and then, with nine minutes to go, Speer Academy added on another try and conversion, making the score 48-12. The two teams would exchange scores over the course of the last 10 minutes of the match but Speer Academy would go on secure a 55-17 victory. The Pride bench stormed the field as time expired to celebrate with their teammates.
The seniors of Speer Academy felt particularly excited to end their high school rugby careers with a championship. Carlos Leon has been playing rugby for three years now and he said that the win means a lot to him and his teammates. "It meant too much to me to finally come back and win since our previous year wasn't so good," Leon said.
Teammate Daniel Rivera also knows that this championship was special because it is his last year at Speer Academy. "It's a good feeling to leave with a championship under our belt," Rivera said. "It's the first one that we've had as a group, so it's more valuable than a person can explain."
Negrete explained that this championship is a bittersweet moment. "We are all leaving all of the other kids behind but hopefully we helped them grow as teammates," Negrete said.
McBride said that he is excited that his seniors had the chance to bring home a championship. "The championship means a lot, mostly for the kids because they are the ones who have put in the hard work and they see the fruits of their labor with their performance today," McBride said. "Big shout out to Johnson College Prep and all of the hard work they put in this year. They were definitely the toughest opponent that we played and I know they only have one senior year leaving so it will be really strong for the next couple of years, so I'm looking forward to that challenge."
