by Wilson Roberts

The L-S boys’ rugby team capped off one of their most successful seasons finishing with a 12-4 record, and a second place finish in the New England Rugby Football Union High School Rugby Championships, which serves as the league’s playoffs.
At the tournament, the Warriors were 5-1 in games that were 30 minutes long and 7-3 in games that were 60 minutes long. During the tournament, the team avenged an early season loss to Middlesex County by beating them 12-5. The tension was palpable between the two rivals, but the Warriors prevailed.
In their second game, the Warriors faced a tough BC High team that had beaten the Warriors by 19 points earlier in the season. This game, however, was quite different. L-S was down by five for much of the first half. Ryan Lesko, however, did not stop fighting as he scored the game tying breakaway try at the end of the first half. At the end of the game, Steve Hodgetts scored a tough game winning try for L-S giving them a 10-5 win. Cyrus Elias and Ray Bores were both the superior tacklers in the match. 
The win catapulted the team into the championship against St. Johns Prep. St. Johns wore down the Warriors, who trailed just 5-0 at the half and ended up with the New England Championship, winning 22-0.
Captains Johnny Rushfirth and Tyler Wimberly, however, were satisfied with the second place finish. The two captains led the team with pride and honor throughout the whole season and represented L-S well. Rushfirth was by far the best kicker on the team and the team’s vocal leader was more than satisfied with the team’s season and its future.
Wimberly was best known for his upright running style and daunting physical stature. Opponents struggled to bring him down and this led to a successful attack for the Warriors. He also added much needed pack weight.
After the tournament, the Warriors won two more games. In the final game against Xaverian, senior Adam Roose broke away for his first try of the year.
Throughout the year, the team relied on many first year players. Ryan Lesko and Andrew Baldwin showed energy, enthusiasm, speed and power in the backs and were two of the team’s most productive players. They complimented each other well. Ray Bores, despite being hurt for much of the season, was one of the team’s best tacklers. Andrew Parneros provided power in the attacking game for L-S. John O’Connell added speed to the forwards as well as a spectacular swim move to compliment his superior ability to break tackles. Steve Hodgetts was one of the most agile players on the team and was a strong leader on the squad as well. The team looks forward to perpetuating its stature in New England next season.