Xavier High School Rugby Team Clinches State Championship For 30th Time
The seemingly eternal victors of New York high school rugby state championships have yet to relinquish their crown, as a 46-0 defeat of Pelham Memorial High School on June 11th demonstrated. Chelsea News spoke to prominent Xavier supporters to ascertain what winning (again) felt like.
| 26 Jun 2023 | 03:32
The coach of Xavier H.S.’s Rugby Football Club, Greg Norris, is doused with the traditional Gatorade bath after his team routed Pelham H.S. in the NYS Rugby Championship. It is the 30th regional or state championship won by the perennial rugby powerhouse, which was ranked third in the nation in 2023. Photo: Xavier H.S. Instagram
The Xavier high-school rugby state champions, pictured with their trophy held aloft after the big win. (
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Xavier Rugby in a scrum enroute to routing Pelham on the way to their 30th New York State Championship. Photo: Xavier H.S. Instagram.
Xavier H.S. Rugby players embrace after defeating Pelham H.S. on June 11 for the NYS Championship. Three of the players have been selected to play for the U18 national training team. Photo: Xavier H.S. Instagram
It was a brilliant blue-sky day at Siena College on June 11th, and high-school rugby players were sparring. This wasn’t any old matchup, however–it was the New York state final. Xavier High School, a perennial rugby powerhouse based on 16th St. institution, was up against Pelham Memorial High School.
The game would be a blowout, as Xavier High School would end up dominating the match with a stunning 46-0 victory. They had been the #3 national seed going into the game, and the stripes they’d earned clearly paid off.
Gathering joyfully around the silver trophy, the boys held it aloft with their arms around each other’s necks and burst into song. “Sons of Xavier” is a triumphal ode that doubles as a roadmap for battle, and lyrics such as “onward to glory” and “we’ll fight for you” were roared by exultant teenagers celebrating their conquering of the pitch.
“This weekend was all about the squad,” South African-born head Coach Greg Norris was quoted as saying on the Xavier web site. He was referencing the varsity rugby team’s back-to-back victories over Canisius High School (41-5), followed by a shut-out of Pelham to claim the Mike Tolkin Cup and the title of New York State High School Rugby Champions. “We were able to play two totally different teams and utilize the full strength of our squad and our system to pull off two convincing wins. This was a huge success.”
Margaret Gonzalez, a Xavier mother and team photographer, told Chelsea News that “the atmosphere at Siena College was fantastic. The team was elated, as were all the Xavier families who had come up for the weekend. There were lots of hugs, laughter, and pride as we celebrated another great season of Xavier Rugby!”
She also noted that three team members Padraig Long, Mehdi Merah, both who are finishing their junior and senior Maseah Young received special notice–they would be traveling to the Netherlands this summer to represent the United States on the upcoming Corendon Summer Tour with U18 High School All Americans. The three were selected out of only 28 players chosen nationally. U18 is a training program (for ages 16-18) that preps rising rugby stars for placement on the USA Eagles, the national team.
Norris also pointed out to Chelsea News that Anthony Dabao, Maseah Young, Nick Adelaine, and Emir Yuksel were selected for the Junior Foundry U19 squad--a youth branch of the NY Ironworkers, the NYC-based team playing in Major League Rugby.
“Our players showed tremendous dedication to the sport, their teammates, and their studies and once again represented us with distinction,” Xavier High School President Jack Raslowsky told Chelsea News. “Rugby has a long and proud history at Xavier. The 2024 team has added to this long and proud history in wonderful ways. We are all very proud of them.”