Devault, PA - March 21, 2019 Rugby Pennsylvania has officially kicked off its 2019 Spring Season with round one taking place this past Sunday. Teams across the state returned to the pitch for their first taste of league play this season. As part of the spring campaign, Rugby PA will be recognizing a Player of the Week for both the High School Boys and Girls divisions. These players are nominated and voted on by the coaches in their respective competitions for their outstanding efforts.

Round one saw several players show now signs of winter rust, with big performance across the state. In the High School Girls competition, Downingtown posted an impressive 64 -10 win over the Valkyries in a rematch of last year's state championship game. The standout performer on the day was Downingtown’s Kat Storey, a junior from Unionville High School in her third year rugby.

Kat led Downingtown in scoring on the day doting down 6 of the teams 10 tries while playing out of her usual position. In addition to being one of the most vocal players on the field, Kat is an absolute speedster with a knack for finding and creating space. This has helped her to score over 50 tries in the last 12 months for Downingtown. She was named an alternate captain just prior to RugbyPA league-play and is currently undecided on where to continue her education.

In the Boys competition, Gregory the Great made the most of their early trip down to West Shore United, taking home a 41 - 3 victory.  Junior Anthony Audino lead the Highlanders on the day with 5 conversions and 2 penalties from difficult angles in tough weather conditions. He also help set up 2 of the teams 5 tries.

Anthony has been playing since his freshman year and has bounced around from fly-half to the center positions during his time at Gregory the Great Academy. He is the 6th boy in his family to attend the Academy, following in his brothers' footsteps in their love for rugby. He would relish the opportunity to play at a D1-A program, upon graduation from GGA.

Off the rugby pitch, Anthony enjoys and excels at many activities that are available at the Academy including the academics, soccer, singing, and juggling. He has proven himself to be a real leader at school, taking on duties not typically given to high school juniors.

Both Kat and Anthony are now in the running for our Player of the Year awards, which will be given out at the end of the season. They both will also receive invitations to the All-State Selections Camp on May 25th, where they’ll have a chance to prove they are among Pennsylvania’s best.