The members of the Greenwich High School Varsity A boys rugby team made the try zone their second home during their home game against in-state rival Staples on April 2nd at Cardinal Stadium.

On the attack from the outset, the Cardinals reached the try zone numerous times in an absolutely dominant performance against the Wreckers, showing they’re indeed ready to face the best competition the state has to offer.

Following a strong first half with an outstanding second half, defending Connecticut State Champion Greenwich rolled to a resounding 68-8 win over Staples, evening its early-season record to 1-1. Greenwich, which has 12 state championships to its impressive history, took a 19-8 advantage on the Wreckers into halftime then steadily added on to its lead in the second half. Senior Aidan Byrne, senior Elliott Korsun and Santiago (Santi) Flynn, also a senior scored one try apiece in the opening half to pace the Cardinals’ offense.

Greenwich turned in a stellar performance in a tough 33-26 home loss to rival Xavier in its season-opener in a physical, back-and-forth battle. The Cardinals came out with plenty of intensity and aggression against Staples – an effort similar to its season-opening match.

“I think it’s all the hard work of the week paying off,” said Flynn, one of the Cardinals’ senior captains. “We came from a loss against Xavier, a really tight loss and I think it’s just the work we put in those two weeks before this game.”

Flynn captains the Cardinals along with fellow seniors Dylan Stanton and Julen Guazo Badiola. Flynn’s try, followed by the ensuing conversion kick gave the Cardinals a 26-8 lead on Staples early in the second half. Henry Wahl, a senior, caught a kick in the try zone for a score, upping Greenwich’s lead to 33-8 with 24:45 remaining in the second half.

“Coming into it with intensity and having a good warm-up, that’s really important and just being hyped for the game,” Flynn noted.

A try by senior Hunter Woods and the conversion made it 40-8 in favor of the Cards at the 18:25 mark of the second half. Junior Ruben Meier crossed the try line with 13 minutes left, putting the hosts comfortably in front, 45-8.

“I think it’s mainly confidence, it’s all about self esteem and team spirit,” Flynn said of the Cards’ offensive outburst in the second half. “Once you score a couple of tries you feel confident about trying new stuff.”

Nick Martschenko, a senior, showed his speed for the Cardinals in this matchup. Martschenko, who excelled on Greenwich’s varsity boys soccer team, which made it to the Class LL Tournament’s state championship game this past fall, scored tries with 10:30 remaining and 8:42 left, giving GHS a 61-8 lead on the Wreckers.

Meier sealed the scoring in the final minutes with his second try of the match, capping the one-sided triumph.

“We knew from the start that we were going to have the size on them and we have been practicing a bit longer than them, so we have the grit,” Guazo Badiola said. “We had a little bye week against Xavier and we fully focused on conditioning, because we know we have to have endurance. So that’s what we focused on most.”

“What we talked about at halftime was just go out there and play our game,” Guazo Badiola continued. “We wanted to spread the field, get creative and have fun.”

Up next for Greenwich is a game against Fairfield Prep in Fairfield on April 10th. Fairfield Prep is a squad the Cardinals have played against in the state tournament in recent seasons.

Besides winning the Connecticut State Tournament championship in 2025, its 12th state title overall, Greenwich placed a solid seventh at the National Tournament.

“Winning states is one of our main goals, we won states last year,” Flynn said. “Also, one of our biggest goals is doing well at Nationals.”