By Michael Lynch ‘21

“Let’s play some touch!”

Shouts filled the air as we poured into the gym, with everyone immediately ready to start playing.

With the majority of the roster also on the football team, attendance was low. This low attendance, along with the hybrid system this year making it hard to recruit, as well as the cancellation of last year’s season due to coronavirus, underclassmen were especially lacking.

While numbers were low, the energy in the gym was not. The night consisted of mainly two-hand touch games, with wild passes and jukes on full display. The highlight was undoubtedly a king of the court style tournament at the end of practice, with senior Matt Kramer’s team coming out victorious. “We were just built different,” Kramer said.

Wednesday brought nicer weather, and gave the team their first chance to practice outside. Senior fly half John Hosty said, “It’s nice to use the new field for the first time and get back outside.”

The nice weather resulted in a better turnout as well, with some new faces also joining.  Freshman Robbie Rutledge said, “I had a good time playing with the older kids and they got me up to speed quickly.” The extra bodies gave coaches enough players to do drills, and the team spent about half the practice working on their passing.

Due to last season being cancelled, the Crusaders are still the defending champions from the 2019 season. With fast, athletic backs and a mix of power and finesse at forward, the varsity team seems ready to rise to contend once again.

Games are expected to begin following the end of the football season in May.