The Kenmore Rugby Club High School Boys traveled to Siena College this past weekend for the RugbyNY Boys Tier 1 Championship. When they returned on Sunday, they were wearing bronze. Playing in the state championships for the first time since the 2019 season, the team dropped their semifinal match to Pelham by a score of 55-19 but didn't linger on the loss. They simply regrouped to play their best rugby of the season on Sunday beating Canisius 22-12 to claim 3rd place.
"Today's win was an exclamation point on what we're building and a reflection of what a strong player-focused, responsive, and mindful club culture can achieve. I'm incredibly happy for the boys, proud of what all our teams accomplished this spring, and grateful for the coaching staff we have." - High School Boys Head Coach Mackenzie Doolittle
James McNeil paced Kenmore with 5 tries between the two games, including all 4 against Canisius. Nicholas Cash and Javier Torres each scored against Pelham. Each try was the product of the team playing together and stringing together phases.
The team received standout performances all over the field. Freshman Josh Banaszak was perfect on lineout throws. Dylan Guarino put pressure on the opposition each and every phase. Jacob Nice and Aiden Ienco, who both joined the team midway through the season, made significant impacts as well. In all, it was a hard-earned and well-deserved medal for the team.
Founded in 2004, the Kenmore Rugby Club is WNY's oldest and largest youth & high school rugby club with over 100 active players in grades K-12.