On Wednesday evening April 29 on Carey Field, Mount Carmel Rugby beat St. Ignatius 43-13 to finish its regular season with a record of 2-1-1 going into the Catholic League playoffs.

The game against Ignatius was played for the Bernie O’ Brien trophy. Bernie was a 1931 graduate from Mount Carmel, and his son Tim O’ Brien, who graduated from Mount Carmel in 1971, founded the St. Ignatius Rugby team. Tim used his father’s 1930 Mount Carmel football MVP trophy as the Bernie O’Brien Cup.

The challenge match, which dates back to 2009, has been dominated by the Caravan, which has won every year since 2010.  That means the trophy will stay with the Caravan for at least this year.

Following its victory, Mount Carmel had to shift gears quickly as the first game of the Catholic League playoffs followed on April 30, just a week after the Ignatius game. Mount Carmel won the game 22-19 on a last second try by Andrew Guerra. With the win the Caravan clinched a spot in the state playoffs and a redemption game against Brother Rice for the Catholic League Championship next week.

Mount Carmel Rugby also secured a spot in the Tier 1 division of the state playoffs, which is the highest level in Illinois high school rugby. There are 15 teams in the Tier 1 division and nine make the playoffs. The road to the state playoffs will end in Rockford on Memorial Day weekend.

For Coach Mike Holland, the future of Mount Carmel Rugby is a bright.  Holland, who was a student in 1998 when rugby came to Mount Carmel, spoke about the unique tradition of the sport. “In rugby we hit the other team for the whole game, then sit down and eat a meal together. It is something completely different from other sports.”

The Caravan Rugby team will appreciate support form their fans as the year goes on, especially at the game next week at Bother Rice (exact date and time tbd).