In one of the most competitive states for high school girls’ rugby on the East Coast, Pennsylvania’s Doylestown High School Girls Rugby is not just playing the game, it’s changing it. Led by veteran coach Stacy Mancuso, now in her 21st year with the club, the Dragons have earned a reputation for being tough, smart, and — most importantly — unbreakably united. (Lead photo: Karen Rosenburg)

“This is definitely one of the teams that’s on my Mount Rushmore,” Mancuso stated when differentiating this year’s squad from the previous years.

The Doylestown girls have not won a state championship in Pennsylvania since 2022, but have been consistently active in postseason play, appearances that make a statement, regardless of a title achievement. This high level of competition has been fueling the fire for both coach Mancuso and coach Shane Flynn, the “dynamic duo” leading the young Dragons for the past few years.

 

This year, the players in Doylestown are having a standout spring season, garnering a spotless Elite Girls Rugby League (EGRL) campaign, and an overall stellar record among non-league play. Last weekend, the Dragons won their Rugby Pennsylvania semifinal 47-7 against Knightmare, playing impressively smart rugby, utilizing physicality, quick plays and risky moves to outlast the 2024 state champion.

However, the off-pitch work going into every game is the true force driving this dominant 15s run. Coach Mancuso has been pushing for a more connected team this year, an emphasis that she can see is making a difference on the field.

“We started doing things that had nothing to do with rugby,” Mancuso said.

Doylestown used their road trips as bonding experiences, creating moments off the field that are just as critical as lineouts and scrums are. Weekends were spent not only playing high-level rugby, but also kayaking and swimming at lake houses, detaching from the world, and making memories with their teammates and friends.

 

Mackenzie Marks, a Doylestown player new to the team this year, notes her favorite memory of the season as one of these non-rugby moments. A “Kangaroo Court” was held at a lake house in Corning, N.Y., during their recent trip to play Orchard Park and Corning.

“It was super fun and we all just started to laugh and bond with each other,” Marks said, “and I think it made our playing the next day just that much better.”

This exact reaction is exactly what coach Stacy Mancuso is hoping to get from her players.

“We’re trying to create a safe space where players feel like they can make mistakes, take risks, and grow,” she said. “When a team feels supported, they play unselfishly. And you can see that in the way they distribute scoring opportunities.”

 

This drive towards unity has been reflected on the scoring sheet, as Doylestown tries are spread between forwards, backs, rookies and veteran players. And even though they share their triumphs altogether, the team takes every opportunity to highlight individual efforts that are benefiting everyone, with their post-game awards and shout-outs every weekend. A Dragon hat and a hit chain are bestowed to a different player each time.

Everyone is playing an important role in shaping their season, even at practice. Every practice, Doylestown gets a 90-95% attendance rate of girls, and even those who won’t be on the pitch or starting games each weekend are putting in an extraordinary amount of effort to prepare the team for every competition. Mancuso and Flynn have been emphasizing fitness during their training this spring, dedicating 20-25 minutes every practice to conditioning and contact work under fatigue, a differentiating factor from their opponents.

 

“People say we start slow. I think it’s the opposite—we’re just still going strong when others are gassed,” notes coach Mancuso.

This type of training is not easy on the girls, but they understand that it is exactly what they need to do to get the results they want.

“We know that they’re just trying to get us to be the best players that we can be. And you understand that they believe that we can get to that next level, so they’re trying to push us as well as they can,” explains Doylestown co-captain Nolah Flynn, who has been with the Doylestown program for many years.

 

With state finals and the EGRL Championships on the horizon, the Doylestown girls are laser-focused—but not overconfident. They know they need to respect every opponent, and no one thinks they will coast to an easy win on any front, but they surely have a fighting chance. They have not been without diversity and up and down moments this season, and every second they spend as a team is helping prepare them for whatever another team throws at them.

Even if the PA state championship or EGRL championship doesn’t pan out in the Dragons’ favor, Mancuso sees the most important win of the season as preparing this group of young women for life.

“I want them to know what it means to persevere. To get knocked down and get back up harder,” she said. “Those are lessons that go beyond rugby.”

 

She adds, “Even if they never play again, I hope they leave this team knowing they’re strong, they’re capable, and they can rely on one another. That’s the win I’m chasing.”

When the final whistle blows at the end of this spring 15s season, it is clear that coach Mancuso and Doylestown High School Girls Rugby will have clearly demonstrated what true leadership, commitment, and community look like. Under the coaches’ guidance, the team has become more than a collection of athletes, but also a model of trust, accountability, and shared purpose. In every practice, in every play, these young women are shaping a culture defined not by outcomes, but by the way they uplift one another and embrace the process of becoming stronger—together.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Marissa Cogan is a junior at Syracuse University and studying broadcast and digital journalism with a focus in sports. The New Jersey native is an active member of Syracuse Women’s Rugby, continuing a rugby career that began with the Morris Rugby girls’ U14 program. Cogan also serves Syracuse as its communication director. Where might you see Cogan next? Head to the EGRL Championship and Showcase on June 7-8 in Clinton, N.J., or tune into the livestream, where she’ll be calling the action.