Having your senior year season lost is a difficult pill to swallow.

For us seniors, this was where our last high school memories were to be made. Fooling around in practice, pushing each other in the weight room, laughing on the bus, quiet bus rides after a tough loss, music blasting after a win, the hugs when the ride is over, all of those things are most likely being taken from us. Rightfully so, this is a very serious issue.

The boys on the team are feeling differently about the situation. Some of us are hoping for just a few more games even if they were to take place in August, others believe the season and our rugby careers at CBA are coming to a premature end, others are trying to put together a Summer 7s team.

There is one thing we can all agree on though: losing this time as seniors is very upsetting.

I do not want this reflection to only be about the sadness within the team. I think we could take some time to reflect on the successes of the team over the winter and on the field for our first couple of games this spring.

Evan “Chomp” Goez, a captain, put up a ridiculous 270 on the bench press. Evan missed the first game with a hamstring injury, but he set the tempo of our second game by laying big hits and making great passes like always.

Christian Dechiaro scored in his first career 15s game, ultimately turning the tide of the game in our 24-19 win over Morris. Christian was also accepted into a five-year engineering program between Fordham and Colombia, in addition to acceptances into Villanova and Ohio State. Robbie Wolf became an instant game changer at his new position of flanker, while also being accepted into Colgate University with a perfect 36 on the ACT.

Jake Rutkowski scored in both of our games to open up the season while playing the best rugby in his time at CBA, coming into his own playing hooker for the varsity team. Anthony Promo was able to lay some great hits on the field, he and Jake will both be attending Penn State next year. Pat “Bone Crusher” Dowd, a captain, was able to dance through tackles and make great hustle plays and tackles, while being the smallest player on the field. Thomas Buckman is always able to put a smile on his teammates’ faces, while having the opposite effect on the opposing team. As the head captain of this team, I could not be prouder of my teammates on their wonderful accomplishments on and off the field.

In conclusion, this team is very frustrated with this lost time, but we will always remember those fun bus rides and those great moments we experienced as a team. The future looks bright for all of us, some of us are going to play Division I rugby in college, while others are ready to call it and focus on their academics.

These guys have grown to be family to me and I cannot wait to see what they become as we get ready for the next stages of our lives. I would like to thank the rugby coaches in the program, they are the reason we are able to play this awesome sport. Coach Pat, Coach Rick, Coach Sheehy, Coach Greg, Coach Jen, Coach Luke, and Coach Wester, thank you for everything you do for us, we really appreciate it. You guys have truly helped to mold us into great young men.

- Andrew White '20