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SGA Rugby: State Championship News/Highlights

Here is an article from the Scranton Times-Tribune: https://thetimes-tribune.com/sports/st-gregory-s-relishes-in-state-rugby-title-1.1319256

A snippet from the article:

Winning the Eastern Pennsylvania Rugby Union state championship meant more than a title to a school that will close at the end of the semester.


Those cold tackle practices pay off

Ben's gnarly battle wound (reminds me of cartoon character bump on the head)

"The scrum has Wheeeeeeeled...save your energy lads!"

2012 Boys High School Rugby Pennsylvania State Champions

A play by play from the Harlequin’s Rugby website: https://www.pittsburghharlequins.org/news/2012/05/22/high-school-championship

HS Boys Division (St. Gregory’s Academy 24, St. Joe’s Prep 18)

In the high school single school division, St. Gregs faced off against their East Penn East division rival, St. Joes Prep. In Saturday’s semifinals, Prep got up early on Bishop Shanahan and maintained their lead against a Shanahan squad that kept pressing to the final whistle in Prep’s 45-36 win. The same was true in the other semifinal as St. Gregs jumped on Burrell 21-0 before the Burrell boys began to march back only to fall short in the 34-31 St Greg victory.

In Sunday’s final, the teams kept each other between the 22s as St Gregs succeeded on three long PKs to get out to a 9-0 lead. St Joes answered midway through 1st period with an 8 take under the posts to close the lead 9-7. Prep took its first lead shortly thereafter with a penalty kick, 10-9, however, that lead was short lived as St Gregs finished the 1st half with a try in the final seconds to go up 14-10.

The second half ensued as a defensive struggle as the teams played to a stalemate for the first 15 minutes of the half. After notching a PK earlier in the half, St. Joes retook the lead 18-14 with another strong plunge from their powerful 8-man. With about 7 minutes to play the lead switched for the fourth time in the match as St Gregs ran a creative and well executed misdirection penalty play for a try under the posts to nose ahead of Prep 21-18. A PK by St Gregs later made it a 6 point margin with 4 minutes to play. St Joes remained determined to regain possession, but St Gregs kept the ball in hand and held on for the 24-18 final. Congratulations to the boys from St Gregs who ended the season undefeated and who may have just played their final match as a team due to the recently announced closure of their school. If so, they certainly went out in great style. In the third place match, Bishop Shanahan defeated Burrell.

St. Gregory’s Academy Rugby – Pennsylvania State Champions

The boys after winning state.

Congratulations to the boys of St. Gregory’s Academy on their State Championship victory.  

The Highlanders beat St. Joseph Prep 24 to 18 today in order to clinch the title of State Champions.  Their journey to the final is incredible, especially to think that a school of 60 boys from a variety of backgrounds (none were recruited to play Rugby) could become the state champions!  In order to make it to the finals, SGA had to go up against a really tough team, Burrell, from Pittsburg.  They were supposed to play another team, and St. Joseph’s Prep would have had to play Burrell, but the fates did not allow this.  But as one alumni said, beating Burrell (winning just barely: 34-31) has made the victory all the more sweet.  The boys had an amazing season.  They went undefeated, and scored a staggering 319 points while only letting 15 points get scored against them!  They had a total of 47 trys in only 6 games.  The lads have had quite an extraordinary season and State Championship is a fitting close to this our last year as St. Gregory’s Academy.  I hope to see the Rugby program continue at the new school, Gregory the Great Academy, and hopefully it is under Mr. van Beek, who has done such an excellent job with the program this year and in his entire tenure at the school.

Non nobis Domine, Domine,

Non nobis Domine,

Sed nomini, sed nomini,

Tuo da gloriam.

Our Lady, Queen of Victory, pray for us!

Chips

This is dedicated to Silly.

I overheard my students talking about something which caught my ear (like the the eye of the wedding guest is caught by the Ancient Mariner).  They were saying the word “chips” over and over again in a sort of soft voice.  “Chips, chips, chips…”  As I heard this auspicious sound, almost as if an incantation, I went about inquiring as to why they were saying “chips.”  One spritely seventh grader said that they were talking about Susie Creamcheese’s poem.  She explained how Susie Creamcheese had written a poem called “Chips.”  I ran and begged Susie Creamcheese to donate to me a copy of her poem–you see I was so enthralled by the sound of “chips, chips, chips,” and the very next day she procured it for me.

When I got the poem, written out in hand on a piece of notebook paper, I read it so fast that I nearly missed it.  And so I re-read it, this time getting more out of it. On the third read I began to pick up on various schemes, the use of ghost meter, and even the esoteric stresses and enjambments.  The poem revealed to me its philosophical and existential bent: it lead me through the universal and particular nature of “chips.”  I must share it with you!

Chips: by Susie Creamcheese

Chips

Cruchy and Salty

you can dip them in any dip

chips, chips, chips

O, they are really good

there are many types:

Doritos, Lays, tortilla, corn

chips – Yum!

Notice the use of enjambment in line 7.  It serves to link ‘corn’ (this particular ‘type’) to its larger context of ‘chips.’  In the last line of the poem the simple monosyllabic word “Yum” captures the essence of chips.  The beginning of the poem begins with the invocation of the muse of “Chips.”  We are then brought from universal ‘chips’ to the particular “Doritos, Lays, tortilla, corn.”  The body of the poem seeks to bring the reader to a greater understanding and joy in chips.  It expresses their versatility (they can be dipped in any dip).  The line that uses repetition of “chips, chips, chips” is onomatopoetically mirroring the sound of crunching chips.  Finally the next line offers an existential affirmation of the goodness of chips.

This is truly a remarkable poem written by Susie Creamcheese, a 7th grader.  I hope that you can find some of the nuances and intricacies of the poem (there are many).  If you see anything please share it!

Peace and Love, Truth and Euclid,

-Peter Hilaire

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