PITTSBURGH - St. Thomas' boys rugby team won't play for first place, but it will at least double its standing in the nation.

The Eagles went 1-1 Friday at the National Guard Boys High School, Club, and Boys and Girls U-19 Club Championships at Founders Field. St. Thomas edged Washington D.C.-area school Gonzaga 10-7 in its first game, then lost 29-12 to Sacramento (Calif.) Jesuit later in the day.

Conor Mills and Todd Zdunkewicz scored in the second half against Gonzaga, a game the Eagles (16-5) trailed 7-0 early.

"We came out and we played hard. It was a back-and-forth game," St. Thomas coach Jim Wolfinger said Friday night in a telephone interview from Pittsburgh. "We trailed early but as is our want, we came back and scored two tries, both from the corner. ...

"We just played good pressure defense; good counterrucking. One of the referees, who's one of the best in the nation, said it was some of the best counterrucking he's seen in a long time from a high school team."

Paul Rogers and Will Gutkowski scored against Sacramento Jesuit. St. Thomas took a 7-0 lead but couldn't hold on.

Gutkowski scored on a 45-yard run late in the game.

"We had some chances but couldn't finish," Wolfinger said. "Sometimes that's how it goes."

St. Thomas will play Penn, Ind. in the third-place game at 2 p.m. CDT Saturday.

The Eagles placed 10th in the nation in 2002 and eighth last year.

"We hope we can get the bronze-medal," Wolfinger said. "That's not so bad."

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