Toledo Celtics Midseason Report – Fall 2025

As the leaves turn and the air cools, the Toledo Celtics find themselves standing tall at 3–1 with two matches left in the Fall 2025 campaign. It has been a season defined by both adversity and resilience, a journey that began with heartbreak but has unfolded into a story of grit, camaraderie, and hard-nosed Celtic rugby. The outlook for the fall was shaken before the first whistle. At the annual Coon & Hound match, newly elected captain Tyler Bender tore his ACL on the final play of what should have been a lighthearted social, and his loss foreshadowed a cascade of setbacks. Between players choosing to pursue other opportunities, legal disputes, and injuries, seven regular starters were lost from the lineup before the season even began. Add to this the challenge of moving into a new conference and what should have been a promising fall suddenly became clouded by uncertainty.

Rather than fold, the club rallied. Recruitment became the rallying cry of the summer, and the Celtics reinforced their ranks with a blend of local heroes and national experience. Austin Biocic arrived from Northern Iowa with postseason pedigree, while a trio of BGSU alumni—Kyle Sikora, renowned hooker and MLR developmental pick, Mason Carriero, who played in BGSU’s only national championship victory, and Xavier Everett, a starter in the 2022 national championship—returned home to lend their strength. Calvin Stewart, a Findlay High School product, added fresh energy in the back line, while veterans like Cory “Poutine” Krukowski, Nate “Prop” Hey, Tommy “Bunny” Schafer, Jay “Don Droolio” Gaines Jr., and Jacobi Batey held the foundation steady.

The season opened with a daunting test on the road against Michiana at the Rugby Moose Grounds. With limited practice and a roster still learning to play together, questions loomed large. What followed was a barnburner, an end-to-end contest that showcased the team’s fight even in defeat. Though the Celtics fell 48–36, they proved that they would not be outworked, and the tone for the season was set: hard-nosed rugby, every minute, every game. The next week, with bodies still thin, they traveled to Kalamazoo to face the Dogs. A skeleton crew lined up but roared out of the gate with early tries and, through sheer will, caged the Dogs with a commanding 43–16 win. Alumni who dusted off their boots to step into the fray embodied what it means to wear Celtic green.

Momentum carried the team into a new matchup in Carmel, Indiana, against the White River Dead Fish, an opponent full of unknowns. The clash was even, tense, and balanced on a knife’s edge until Tommy “Bunny” Schafer, with two try-saving tackles and the game-winning score, sealed a dramatic 41–35 victory. It was the stuff of legend from a man better known for jokes about skipping training than match-winning heroics.

Returning home, the Celtics welcomed an old rival in the Fort Wayne Black & Blue. Back at Sterling Field, with alumni and supporters packing the touchline, Toledo unleashed its best rugby of the season. In a bruising, relentless display, the Celtics overwhelmed their visitors in a 79–25 triumph that sent the home crowd into raptures and carried celebrations deep into the night at the Bronze Boar.

Now, with a 3–1 record and two matches remaining, the Celtics prepare to welcome Ypsilanti to Toledo. This campaign, once seemingly doomed by injuries and setbacks, has transformed into a testament to the club’s character. It has shown that the story of Fall 2025 will not be written by those who were lost, but by those who stepped up. From new recruits to seasoned stalwarts, from alumni lending their bodies to unsung heroes making game-saving plays, this is the season of resilience. It is the season that proves the soul of the Celtics cannot be broken.