Max Ritt goes in for the first try of the match. Alex Goff photo.

The St. Ignatius High School Wildcats rugby team got off to an impressive start at the national championships yesterday, overpowering the Greenwich High School Cardinals.

The Wildcats clearly wanted the ball early and were a tad impatient in trying to get it. But a lineout ball stolen by wing/lineout jumper Christian Balassy allowed the Wildcats to run a loop move and set Max Ritt free on the outside. They continued to test Greenwich out wide but also used their relatively clinical (but not perfect) short-yardage forward crashes to finish off tries.

Ignatius led 31-0 at halftime and while Greenwich did battle back to score, Ignatius was in control 60-7.

Ritt's opening try was followed by a tries from Leo Ference, Garrett Butchko, Gavin Vollmer, Charlie Steen, Tommy Passarello, Rob Rossol, and Christian Ballasy. Jimmy Collins added six conversions.

Reflecting on the game, Steen highlighted the team's strategical focus, saying, "the main thing in the kicking game was we needed to be able to support in the ruck when our deep three gets tackled and we did that pretty well."

Mark French, who captained the side from scrumhalf, was a key player in St. Ignatius' control of the game. Additionally, Charlie Sizemore played a crucial role in the breakdowns at flanker.

Looking ahead, the Wildcats will face off against Herriman High School out of Utah in the National semifinal