CALVERT HALL RUGBY DEFEATS SPALDING FOR 2023 MIAA CHAMPIONSHIP

The Calvert Hall rugby team celebrates with the 2023 MIAA rugby title after defeating Archbishop Spalding, 24-7, in Wednesday’s championship match at Spalding.

May 11, 2023

CARDINALS PREVAIL, 24-7, TO CAP A PERFECT SEASON

by Demetrius Dillard

To culminate a dominant 2023 campaign, Calvert Hall bounced back from a deficit early in the second half and scored 19 unanswered points to triumph over Archbishop Spalding and claim the MIAA conference rugby championship on Wednesday afternoon.

The 24-7 victory at Spalding’s Whittles Field in Severn gave the Cardinals their first rugby conference crown since 2017. They also capped off the unblemished season at 10-0.

“I think it just came down to the camraderie and the culture we built with these guys in 2017 that was missing; we brought that back this season,” Calvert Hall Coach Brian MacPherson said. “These guys just worked really hard coming up.”

After nearly 25 minutes of scoreless action to open the game, Calvert Hall’s Brad Huber scored a try to give the Cardinals a 5-0 lead heading into halftime.

Calls didn’t seem to go Calvert Hall’s way in the first half which limited its offensive production. In contrast, the Cardinals were able to go back to their free-flowing, fluid style of rugby that helped them extend the lead in the second half.

Well-executed spacing, good communication and the ability to penetrate Spalding’s defensive line also worked largely to Calvert Hall’s advantage down the stretch. All of those factors coupled with a solid defensive effort helped the Cardinals put the game out of reach in the final 10 minutes of action.

“It’s just an ultimate culmination,” Huber, a senior inside center, said of the perfect season.

“We came up short in the championship my sophomore year and we lost in the semis last year so ending on this is the greatest thing ever. I love Calvert Hall, I love the program, I love the team and just winning a championship for my school is awesome.”

Trailing 7-5 early in the second frame, Jacob Gage capitalized off a dropped punt kick and answered with a try in the 40th minute followed by Kyle Arnold’s conversion kick that allowed Calvert Hall to reclaim — and never relinquish — the lead.

Seven minutes later, junior forward Matthew Doyle scored a try and another conversion by Arnold gave the Cardinals a double-digit lead. Moses Njoroge came out of a ruck with the ball and drove over the goal line to put the exclamation point on the win in the 39th minute.

The Cavaliers’ lone scoring play was probably the most notable of the game. After taking a pass, Andy Huynh knifed through the defense and broke loose, scampering about 65 yards en route to a try in the 34th minute.

Anthony Sison’s conversion kick gave Spalding a 7-5 lead in the early half, but for the rest of the game the team was held at bay offensively.

Spalding, led by senior Aidan Gerber, began the year with three straight losses before picking up two straight wins over Loyola-Blakefield to earn a spot in the league championship game for the second consecutive year.

Despite the outcome, Spalding Head Coach Chad Newcomb was pleased with the hard-fought effort his club gave.

“We learned, we got better every week,” Newcomb said. “I was proud of our guys and what they did in the short amount of time they had.”

This article republished with permission of the Baltimore Banner.