Dear CDT,
What follows is the press release from the State College High School Girls Rugby Team coaches, Brett Hoffman and Chris Hoy. There is much talk about supporting and building strong women and positive young role models, and if there ever was such a group it is these young women. They have now won the EPRU Championship 5 times in a row! This is the equivelant of a State Championship, plus Southern New Jersey and Delaware added to the competition. They now return to the National Championship Elite Eight for the third time in a row. Their first year they placed 3rd in the country and last year they finished 5th. There is no Centre County Sporting team that has had this level of sucess.


From Brett Hoffman and Chris Hoy:



This Sunday the State College Girls Rugby Team defended their EPRU
Title in Lansdale, PA, ultimately winning their 5th straight EPRU
Championship. In the first matchup of the day State College faced the
Hempfield Knights, a worthy test from a team that defeated the Little
Lions early on in the season. Surviving the rigors of the season the
Lions learned and improved over the next couple of months culminating
in the Lions besting the Knights in the Mothers Day Semi-Final
matchup. The teams were closely matched and the score reflected this
at 12-12 until the waning moments of the game when the Lions were able
to capitalize on a well timed kick from the scrumhalf Elena Cantorna
that pushed the Knights deep into their own end where the Lions were
able to recover the ball due to some stout defense. Outside Center
Seymira Salamy was able to hustle the ball away thanks to some timely
passing from her teammates and found daylight through the Hempfield
defensive line leading to the go ahead try.
The Championship round found the Lions pitted against Doylestown, an
earlier winner in the day against Unionville. The Lions jumped out to
an early lead due to some crafty kicking and hard running from
backline players Megan Thomas, Roxanne Jaffe, and Seymira Salamy. All
the flash and dash of the State College backs aside, the unsung heroes
of the day were the State College forwards who provided ample ball
possession, a stifling defense, and a rock solid backbone for the team
that freed up the Lions to attack at will. In the end the Lions
proved to be too much for Doylestown and Hempfield outlasting both
teams to claim the Championship and a berth in the USA Rugby High
School National Championship to be held in Pittsburgh, PA.