COTTAGE GROVE, Wis. (WMTV) – Several local high schools got the chance to make history on Saturday afternoon, doing it together as one team.
Monona Grove, Madison La Follette and Madison East make up the Eastside Exiles Boys Rugby Team, who brought home Madison’s first state championship dating all the way back to 1996, defeating Elkhorn 19-12 in the title match.
Elkhorn struck first, jumping out to a 5-0 lead early. Eastside answered when Eli Law powered through contact and stretched across the line for a try to get the Exiles on the board. But Elkhorn responded again and carried a 12-5 advantage into halftime.
However, the second half belonged to Eastside.
With the Exiles driving, Dom Melone broke into space and dished it off to Jaxon Zukowski, who finished the play to pull Eastside even. Kinley Endres added the conversion, tying the match at 12-12.
And it wouldn’t take much longer until Zukowski delivered the moment that sealed it.
He forced a turnover, found daylight and turned on the jets for what became the championship-winning try, pushing Eastside ahead for good and sparking a celebration decades in the making.
“Honestly, I couldn’t even believe it,” Zukowski said. “You train all season for moments like those. I loved it, did it for the guys.”
The win was emotional across the program, especially for those who’ve seen the team grow from the ground up.
“I’ve been almost crying all day because it’s an emotional day,” head coach Paul Stroede said. “These guys were just ready, and I’m so proud of them, the heart that they had.”
Another longtime member of the program, Eli Law, said Saturday’s title was the payoff for years of building.
“I’ve been part of this team since we had three players and we combined with Oregon,” Law said. “This has been such a long time coming. I couldn’t have done it without all 50 guys on this team. Not just the ‘A-side’ guys, but the ‘B-side’ guys as well.”
The state title is not only a first for the program, but also a first for Stroede in his 21-year coaching career.
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