Steubenville, Ohio - On a windy but sunny September afternoon, the Barons faced off against their long-time rival Christendom College. The Crusaders entered the match having won 9 straight out of 10 matches in their history with Franciscan. Two of the losses were sevens matches, with the other 7 losses in 15s. Both teams participate for The Shield in 15's, which is/was an annual trophy awarded to the winners from three catholic university programs, with the third program being Ave Maria in Florida. Christendom and Franciscan have renewed the match over the past several years, this one being the third one since the Covid year. With both teams seeing their top players graduate in the spring, it was going to be a matchup of young players and gritty resolve.

The Barons unveiled their all-black kits with gold piping as they set up to kick off the match and were itching to end the losing streak. Both teams struggled with penalties and easy mistakes throughout the match, which is to be expected early in the season. The match was a non-conference one, but it still counts on both teams' record. The Barons started well getting a turnover and moving the ball into the Crusaders end of the field. They had a chance to score in the first five minutes but knocked it on. However, five minutes later, after a defensive lineout tip, they capped off their ability to run pick and goes with Nick Patryn powering his way in for a try and a 5-0 lead. The kick conversion afterwards was not good, which so far has been a thorn in the Barons' side, so they had to settle for a 5-0 lead. Christendom was able to get points on the board with a penalty kick conversion to close the gap by two with Franciscan on top 5-3. Things settled down with both teams moving the ball but not able to capitalize on anything due to penalties or miscues that stalled their advancement. Due to injuries and illnesses, the team had to move players into different positions, and they performed masterfully. The score remained 5-3 for most of the first half as Christendom found their momentum and spent about 15 minutes on the Barons side of the field but Franciscan held firm and wouldn't let them score. It would be a common theme for the match. The Barons were able to reverse the field position with timely poaches and moved the ball down to Christendom's side of the field as the minutes ticked down on the half. Once again, the Barons used their forwards and executed several picks and goes with Jacob Leerkes, back from injury, taking an offload from Joseph Moleski, and crashing into the try for a score. Once again, the Barons missed the kick after attempt, and the score was 10-3, with about 2 minutes remaining in the half. On the ensuing restart kick, Christendom was whistled for a penalty and rather than kick for touch for a lineout, Joe Bob quick tapped and ran forward and offloaded to Sebastian Bise, and then Bise gave it right back to Joe Bob, and then Joe Bob offloaded a nice sideways pass to wing Ben Baska, who then wiggled his way for a 25 meter gain as the Barons moved forward in a rush. Then they worked the ball close to the try line and Christendom was whistled for another penalty, which enabled Joe Bob to quick tap and offload to Chris Ascough who darted his way in for another try. Ascough took the kick after and converted, upping the score to 17-3 with the half over.

The second half started out with Franciscan turning the ball over after the restart kick but just as quickly, William Shaifer, was able to make a huge poach, and win the ball back for the Barons. The Crusaders committed a penalty, and the Barons attempted to kick for points and extend their lead to 20-3 but the kick was missed. The Barons were able to get the ball back and this time they were able to advance the ball to close in on scoring and Bise picked the ball and dove in for his first try of the season. The kick afterwards by John Paul Treece from a difficult angle hit the post on a nice effort by the sophomore. The rest of the match saw the Barons play solid defense and not do too much other than make their tackles and defend the line. Christendom was able to punch in a try late in the match to bring the score to 22-10 with less than two minutes left. With seconds winding down, the Barons kicked the ball out of touch but there was still enough time for the Crusaders to play the ball one more time. They were able to punch it in on a few penalties by the Barons and ball movement by the Crusaders led them to score a meaningless try with no time left. The whistle blew and the Barons grabbed the long-awaited victory with a resounding 22-17 win. The win kicked off a wild celebration as the Barons showed their resilience and faith in each other. They waved and clapped to the huge crowd that attended the match after which they rushed to get the Shield and hoist it high in their celebration.

Joseph Moleski did a fantastic job running point as the team's flyhalf in his first turn at the position, distributing the ball skillfully and adroitly, as well as expertly utilizing his IQ throughout the match. He was named Golden Man of the Match for his efforts. Sebastian Bise, moving from flanker to scrumhalf, did a great job maintaining the ball flow between pods, and Joe Bob. The Barons saw the return of senior Nick Patryn and his twin brother Matthew Patryn, who started his first match ever for the green and gold, taking up the locks positions, with Nick Patryn running the hard meters and making tough plays, and Matt putting in the work ethic to make plays. All-Conference Jacob Leerkes also returned from an injury to provide leadership and stability in the forwards. Freshman Colin Egger got his first start as a Baron and turned in a lunchpail performance. Ben Baska played 15s for his first time after playing 7's in the spring and provided a spark out on the wing. Paul Leerkes and Brendan Lacey were instrumental in the lineouts, defending several balls back to the Barons with P. Leerkes tapping the ball back and Lacey corralling them. Freshman Joe Beckman and freshman Chris Ascough were asked to play new positions and performed well. JP Treeece and Jeremy Lemaignen also both playing new positions, put in a good effort. Schaifer was all over the pitch, with his hard runs and tackles, and constant spark of energy. Seth Jillson is as quiet as they come, and he did his job well during his time on the pitch. Newcomers Paul Thibault, Peter Rooney, Cade Campbell and Andrew Phelan, all punched in their timecards in the second half to provide solid defense, with Phelan and Thibault delivering a few devastating hits. The Barons would like to give huge thanks to the fans, families, friends, employees of Franciscan for attending the match and providing a huge boost to the team with your cheering! Franciscan would also like to extend thanks to Christendom for visiting and playing a great match and wishes them continued success for the fall season.

Next up
On the docket is the Barons first road trip of the season and what a road trip it will be. They will travel to DII 2023 National Champions IUP, currently ranked #3 in the country by NCR and #1 by Goff Rugby Report. It is a preseason match where the outcome of the match still counts on overall record but not towards the regular season record. Nonetheless, it will be a fun and tough match for the Barons to play a very experienced team and gain valuable experience. 

Men's Rugby ID Camp
Franciscan Men's Rugby is excited to offer a Prospect Camp for aspiring college athletes on Sunday, November 17th. The camp is open to athletes entering 9th-12th grade this Fall. Participants will have the opportunity to receive training from the men's rugby coaching staff, as well as interact with current players. Campers will participate in a typical Franciscan training session and gain an understanding of the competitive and challenging environment of collegiate athletics. For more information click here

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