SRU rugby claims national title
SLIPPERY ROCK — Slippery Rock University’s 7-on-7 club rugby team got into the Small College Division national championship tournament based on its strength of schedule.
Then it showed its strength on the pitch.
The Rock, 18-2 during the regular season, won all four of its national tourney games in Boyd. Md. It defeated No. 3 seed Richmond, 12-7, took out No. 2 seed Providence, 24-7, then bested No. 1 seed Christendom, 12-7, to win its bracket and earn a spot in the title game. SRU entered the tournament as a No. 6 seed.
SRU defeated Saint Thomas (Minn.), the No. 3 seed from the other bracket, by a 19-12 count to win the tournament.
Matt Heasley, principal of Neshannock Elementary School for 25 years, has been SRU’s head rugby coach for five years. Two Seneca Valley graduates — Chase Nething and Aiden O’Shea — are juniors and in their third year of Rock rugby.
“We lost a close game to John Carroll in the qualifier,” Heasley said. “But our overall body of work got us in. We beat some good teams and got one of the few at-large bids.”
Nething pointed out that The Rock defeated Indiana Pa. — two-time defending Division II champion — twice this season, along with knocking off traditional power Christendom during the regular season.
“We struggled in our first game this year,” Nething recalled. “Then we played better the next game, won a tournament, won a second tournament ... When we beat IUP, we started feeling it. We started believing this could be a big year.”
SRU reached nationals two years ago, but it was a 28-team tournament in St. Louis “and we knew our chances weren’t good there,” Heasley said. “This year, it was a 16-team tournament and we entered it with a lot of momentum.”
Seneca Valley graduate Bady Martin had a family friend who played on SRU’s rugby team years ago. Nething said Martin talked him and other SV graduates headed to SRU to join the team.
“There were a few of us who went and signed up right away,” Nething said of the Raider contingent. “I had never played rugby before. I got by on the grit and determination I learned from football at first. Once I learned the game, I saw how everybody had to be in on every play.
“My freshman year, the ball was taken away from us a lot, mainly because we weren’t playing together. Everyone has to carry the ball at some point to get into scoring range. Even the studs on our team knew they had to give the ball up to someone else eventually.”
SRU’s fall rugby schedule, featuring a full lineup of 15 players on the pitch, begins each August. The 7’s play in the spring and practice four or five times a week.
The nature of the sport brings soreness to the body.
“The No. 1 issue I had to deal with this season was a bad shoulder,” O’Shea said. “We had a number of guys playing with banged-up shoulders. You just have to push through. We all wanted this.”
Ultimately, defense carried The Rock to the title.
“Our defense was the difference maker,” O’Shea said. “We tackled everybody. There’s plenty of gaps in 7-on-7. You have to be really good tacklers.”
Nething agreed.
“With that few people (on the pitch), guys are gonna get breakaways,” he said. “You have to be able to make one-on-one tackles and we were great at that.”
Heasley compared his team’s rugby defense to a basketball defense not allowing the opposing team past midcourt.
“Our guys just stood people up and took the ball,” the coach said. “We gave up few points because we allowed few scoring opportunities.”
Zach Herrington, a sophomore at SRU, was named MVP of the championship game.
“We’re set up for another run next year,” O’Shea said. “We’ve got a lot of us coming back.”
Nething credited coaches Heasley and Clint McConnell — nicknamed Hightower — for developing the team ... and himself as a rugby player.
“They taught me everything I know about rugby, brought me and the rest of us along as players,.” Nething said. “Now we’ve gotten to the top. I can’t thank them enough for that.”
