St. Edwards power through. Alex Goff photo.

The St. Edward Eagles secured a decisive 38-12 win over the St. Thomas Aquinas Saints on May 23 in the opening round of the Rugby National Championships.

This was St. Ed's first game at the HS National Championship in about eight years. They came in as a #5 seed but did well to control the point of contact to beat back a solid STA side. Senior Conor McGurk led the way as a standout player.

McGurk's superb performance saw him score three tries and four conversions, for a total of 23 points. He was also ably supported by his teammates, with Desmond Johnson and Owen Shultz contributing to the scoring.

St. Edward had the run of the play in the first half, scoring via Schultz in the first two minutes. But Aquinas held them out the rest of the half. Little moments of impatience from the Eagles and plenty of tenacity from the Saints contributed to that.

STA had a few scoring chances and in one the captain Owen Charlton thought a kick at goal was warranted. He was talked out of it and the Saints ultimately came away with nothing. Charlton later said getting those three points might have been the emotional boost the team needed.

Regardless, St. Edward found their form in terms of finishing tries and pulled away late in the game.

Off the field, the celebrations were combined with a sense of urgency as the St. Edward Eagles' senior players had to hurriedly leave the grounds and head back to Cleveland for their graduation ceremonies. So tomorrow's game with Gonzaga will require a quick turnaround and some fortitude.