Obetz-Dan Hayes sent Captain Logan Stentz to take the runner-up on May 31.

Hayes started Warrior rugby ten years ago, and Stetz’s fellow players embody the spirit of a show that quickly became a dynasty. Warriors rugby beat Medina 30-17 in the single school state championship game held at Fortress Obetz.

"Logan is a great kid. He's a C-TEC student, but basically done in high school, and it's been a while since he's internship," Hayes said. "He got up and started working on the Elford Architecture website at 4:30 a.m. and then there was a practice. He went home and probably went straight to bed and got up the next morning to do it again. He was just a main force."

Warriors football sets state championship weekends as a permanent date each year. The Warriors won the fifth consecutive championship game, second-place finishing second, winning '22 and 24 in 2021.

Warrior Rugby took players from all walks of life at the Watkins Memorial and created an unparalleled culture.

"Even during these tough days, I can still go back to my brothers and even if we don't win, I love every one of them," Stetz said. "It's one thing to find a job, but I can't leave my brother."

Stentz is a senior leader with Sam Crum, Chris Flowers and Degan Herb, doing dirty work in the tides, with Hayden Perusse and Nate Neil outside.

"We have always had high-quality kids and maybe we need a direction, but otherwise we are really good people."

In last year's championship rematch, the Warriors won the game 31-17, and Medina this time keeps the usual explosive Warriors in the edge with its outstanding external skills.

The Warriors cut the 15-0 deficit to 15-12 in the blink of an eye, trying on both sides of the half. However, Medina answered two points before Flos scored in the Warriors' final game.

"Our whole season seemed like a big big team, and they were trying to drag it to their throats," Hayes said. "This team is small, but very fast, very skilled. It took us a long time to figure it out. By the time we did, the score was far away from us."

Cody West, Landon Frasher, Louden Murray and Keegan Murray will return to senior starters in 2026. The Warriors also had five talented sophomores in their first game of the championship game.

"Even if we lose this year, I have no doubt they can come back and win the game next year," Stetz said. "They have grown a lot since the start of this season. They have played the most of all the teams in my high school career."

It was a bittersweet day for Hayes, who finished second in Medina, which was also linked to legendary Bowling Green coach Roger Mazzarella. Both sides of the show played a role in the battle of Ye Olde Crooked's knees in Mazzarella's honor earlier this month.

Hayes created a pipeline for the college team, taking more than a dozen players to the next level. Many of the fighters in the boys and girls plan will also play in the Ohio clubs again in the summer and fall.

“Rugby skills are much better than when we first started planning,” Hayes said. “It’s very high quality football for high school. It’s fun to watch and be happy.”

ksnyder@newarkadvocate.com

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