Devault, PA - May 2, 2019 As the Spring Season begins to wind down, each and every match has become that much more important for those in the hunt for a playoff position. Two teams at the top of their divisions are St. Joseph’s Prep and the Kiski Valley Girls. Both clubs were fortunate to secure victories over the weekend on the backs of some stand out performances.

Kiski Valley’s Jessica Ayres is a 4th year senior for the Titans and has been a force of nature all spring. Jess has scored more than one try in each match this season, and against Chambersburg she added another 3 to her tally. Often the spark for Titans, Jess created numerous offensive opportunities for her teammates. She was also a key defender in the win by not only making big hits, but was also a dominant force at the breakdown, seizing multiple poaching opportunities.

Jess has been a huge contributor in her time as a Titan and has a very bright future ahead. After graduation, Jess will be joining the United States Army, and plans to pursue an education in criminal justice.

St. Joseph’s Prep hosted Doylestown in round 6, and secured an impressive 69-19 victory over a tough conference opponent. Doylestown seemed to have no answer for Senior Sam Bennetta, who posted one of the more impressive stat lines of the year. Showing his dominance on both sides of the ball, Sam had 3 tries, 3 try assists, 6 poaches, and 14 tackles.

Sam has been playing rugby since he was 11 years old when he joined the Media Youth Rugby Club.  He moved on to play 4 years at St. Joseph's Prep and has started as a Junior and Senior. Most recently, he joined the select side Atlantis 7's team in Orlando where they went on to win the Tropical 7s. He is now considering Alabama and St. Joseph's University for his collegiate rugby.

Jessica and Sam are now both contenders for our Player of the Year awards, which will be given out at the end of the season. They 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.