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MADISON -- Repeating as state champions and registering anundefeated season were two of the Greenwich High School rugby team's main goals this spring. The Cardinals accomplished both goals with one monumental victorySunday. Facing a rare halftime deficit, Greenwich turned up its intensityin the second half and turned away a tough Fairfield Prep squad,recording an impressive 31-10 win in the Connecticut State High School Division I rugby final before a big crowd at Madison Surf Club . The triumph marked the fifth straight year the Cardinals won thestate title and the first time in the program's history theyfinished the season undefeated. "You see it in other sports where teams are undefeated and come outnervous and thinking about not losing the game and that's how wewere in the first half," Greenwich coach Joe Kelly said. "That's one of the reasons why we got off to a slow start.But our team really picked it up in the second half. They are welldrilled, in shape, focused and determined." Fairfield Prep (8-7) which dropped a 35-14 decision to theCardinals during the regular season, was in position to endGreenwich's reign of supremacy, holding a 7-3 halftime lead. "It was a fantastic game for us," Fairfield Prep coach Frank Decker said. "It was everything we hoped it would be. Everybody competed,the rugby was fast and hard and for three quarters of the game itwas pretty even. I don't think the final score was indicative ofhow the game went." The Cards, who routed Simsbury 62-0 in the state semifinals, brokethe match open with a pair of trys from speedy wing Nic Richards late in the second half. Senior flanker and tri-captain Tomas Gowland , and sophomore scrum half Mateo Gowland scored one try apiece for Greenwich, which trailed only twice theentire season. "We been practicing long and hard all year and we knew we couldn'tlose this game," Tomas Gowland said. "We left it all out on thepitch every single game and we have a lot of skilled players whonever give up. That's what keys our success." With the score tied at 10-10 early in the second half, theCardinals took the lead for good on Mateo Gowland's try. MateoGowland made the conversion kick, putting GHS ahead 17-10. Richardsgave Greenwich some breathing room with approximately 10 minutesleft, sprinting 30 yards down the right sideline to the try zone.Inside center Joe Kelly initiated the play, getting the ball toRichards, who struck again at the five-minute mark. Breaking lose from the Jesuits ' defense, Richards' second try of the game, coupled with Gowland'sconversion kick, put Prep in a 31-10 hole. "The first try I got an opening and went for it, it was hard tomake plays like that on this field because it wasn't as wide,"Richards said. "But I got an opportunity and took advantage of it.Being down at halftime kind of helped because our emotions gotinvolved and we knew we had to do it in the second half." After Gowland's penalty kick gave GHS a 3-0 edge midway through theopening half, the Jesuits took the lead when George McTiernan eluded several defenders and en route to reaching the corner ofthe try zone. Prep made the ensuing conversion kick and took a 7-3lead into halftime. "I played this Greenwich team three years and all three years welost, but this is the best that we've ever played against them,"said Fairfield Prep captain Joe Herlihy , who sparked the team offensively along with McTiernan. "This wasthe best part of my senior year. The values of Fairfield Prep showup here on the field." The only other time Greenwich trailed this season was when theywere down for a bit in its win against Xavier -- ranked No. 1 inthe nation at the time. "Halftime was a wake-up call for us," GHS captain Matt Diddel . "It was a little nerve-wracking because any time you play a teamthe second time the result is not always the same. But it came outwell for us." Kelly watched the action with the fans in the bleachers during thefirst half. He elected to have Doug Brown , one of the senior captains, serve as one of the coaches in thefirst half. Brown missed most of the season after sustaining aconcussion. "It was nerve-wracking, I had never coached before," Brown said."The other coaches did all the hard work. I just yelled and triedto tell them what to do." "I was nervous watching from the stands, I have no fingernailsleft," Kelly said. Set up nicely by fly half Yoh Nakayama and inside center Joe Kelly,Tomas Gowland scored Greenwich's first try, early in the secondhalf, putting his team ahead, 10-7. "The second half, we knew we needed to start attacking theirweaknesses more," said Joe Kelly, the coach's son "We knew it allcame down to the second half." After a Prep penalty kick knotted the score at 10-10, the Jesuitsthreatened to take the lead, but couldn't punch it in the try zone. "We couldn't finish down there, we came very close," Decker said."Had we scored there we would have had a lot of momentum." The way the state tournament has gone, they may soon title it`Greenwich's annual award show.' "We've won the state title every year since its inception fiveyears ago," coach Kelly said. "That's a great accomplishment andI've very proud of the whole team. It was a total team effort." Reach David Fierro at david.fierro@scni.com; 203-625-4423. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as Herbal Sex Pills , China Male Sex Enhancements, and more. For more , please visit Male Sex Enhancements today!
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