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St. Thomas rallies in second half to win state rugby championship
Sunday April 27, 2008
Written by Chad Washington


 

  
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Sunday was another sweet moment for St. Thomas coach Jim Wolfinger, as the Eagles soared to win another Texas rugby championship.


St. Thomas rugby defeated Dallas Jesuit 20-14 to win the Texas High School Rugby Championship tournament at Strake Jesuit’s Crusader Stadium.


“It feels awesome; it’s a thrill,” Wolfinger said. “You never get tired of this, I tell you that.”


The Eagles rallied from a 14-3 halftime deficit thanks to some hard running and not allowing the Rangers to mount a long drive.


“What makes me so excited is that we had a really bad first half,” Wolfinger said. “The boys showed a tremendous amount of character when we came back and played St. Thomas rugby.”


Conor Mills hit on three kicks and a try to put the Eagles out in front, including three in the second half to hold on for the win. Paul Rogers also scored on a try in the second half.


Early in the first half, Dallas Jesuit scored two tries, as Phillip Roath and Corbin Co helped the Rangers jump to a 14-0 lead. Mills hit on a free kick at the end of the first half to put the Eagles on the board.


“We were suffering from a serious case of nerves (in the first half),” Wolfinger said. “We settled down and fixed some things at halftime, and we played our ball and took care of business.”


This is St. Thomas’ first state championship since 2002.


Now Wolfinger and the Eagles will head to the regional tournament May 10-11 in St. Louis.


“We’re going to play some good ball there and go to nationals in Pittsburgh,” Wolfinger said.




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