Fenwick senior Mike Kozyra, above, tries to keep two Brother Rice players at bay during a recent match. (DAVID PIERINI/Staff Photographer)
Prior to the start of a match, the team lines up their shirts, and numbers are distributed based on the position they play. (DAVID PIERINI/Staff Photographer)
The team goes through pre-game warm-up drills, which include passing the ball. (DAVID PIERINI/Staff Photographer)
Max Herrera kicks the ball through the uprights after the Friars score against Brother Rice. (DAVID PIERINI/Staff Photographer)
A Hail Mary prayer and a quick cheer and the Fenwick rugby club is ready for a recent match against top-ranked Brother Rice. (DAVID PIERINI/Staff Photographer)
Players catch their breath and listen to coaches during a quick half-time break in a contest where the young Friars club was no match for the more established Brother Rice team. (DAVID PIERINI/Staff Photographer)
Team captain Ryan Smith on the sideline after a difficult match with Brother Rice. (DAVID PIERINI/Staff Photographer)
The freshly laundered Fenwick rugby shirts were laid out on the sideline in numerical order.
Ninety minutes later, dejected Friar players returned the shirts to their order on that same sideline — jerseys now misshapen from tackling opponents and some bloody from the battle.
The Friar Rugby Club, which formed in 2012, is a collection of football players, wrestlers and swimmers who are still learning the sport.
In its recent defeat to a nationally-ranked Brother Rice club, which has been around for 14 years, Fenwick caught a glimpse of what their program might become.
For the moment, though, the loss hit the players as hard as any tackle.
There was no time for speeches from head coach Terry Hanson, who was penciling a lineup for a B squad game and about to assign those same shirts to another set of players.
“Come on, guys, there’s still another game to play,” he said.
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