Kennedy O’Neill, a junior scrum half for North Pitt United Rugby Club, saw her spring season end early because of a serious injury.
“I suffered a knee injury versus Mt. Lebanon during our second game of the season,” said O’Neill, a Sewickley Hills resident who is homeschooled. “I wasn’t able to finish the season but am doing well in physical therapy and should be ready to go for the fall season.
“I ended up with a couple of stress fractures on my tibia and fibula, as well as a sprained PCL (posterior cruciate ligament).”
The scrum half operates as the link between the forwards and the backs, retrieving the ball from scrums, rucks and line-outs and distributing it to the playmakers. Scrum halves are responsible for making tactical decisions, controlling the tempo of the game and providing support in both attack and defense.
Scrum halves also execute accurate passes, strategic kicks and quick runs to exploit gaps in the opposition’s defense.
And it seems O’Neill’s stellar rugby reputation preceded her as she was named to Rugby Pennsylvania’s High School Girls D-2 All-State First Team in a vote by coaches in her division.
“I was very excited and honored to be named first-team all-state,” O’Neill, 17, said, “although also pretty surprised because I was injured during the second game of the season.
“I started playing rugby around five years ago when I was in middle school. I was drawn to rugby because my dad (Sean) played previously, but I also really love the physicality of it. The friendships I’ve built with girls from a lot of different schools over the years is definitely one of the things I enjoy most about rugby along with, again the physicality of it that you can’t really find in most girls sports.”
North Pitt United, coached by Alex and Claire Gralia, won the 2026 Rugby PA Division 2 championship for the fourth straight year, beating out Mt. Lebanon, Doddridge (W.Va.) and Blair United (Hollidaysburg) in the end-of-season tournament.
“Kennedy’s all-state selection is not that surprising,” Alex Gralia said. “She has been a dominant rugby player in the region for three years. In the first tournament this season, she led the team with six trys. She scored two trys in the second tournament before she injured her knee.
“Kennedy also plays rugby in the fall for the West Pittsburgh Foxes. She is fit, fast and fearless. Kennedy has a relentless work rate and is always in a useful location on the pitch. She has excellent rugby knowledge and the desire to improve herself and her teammates.”
O’Neill remains intent to recovering from her injury and competing for North Pitt next season.
“Besides North Pitt and West Pitt, I was also invited to play in the past for U-18 select sides for both the Allegheny Rugby Union and Midwest Thunderbirds,” O’Neill said. “I definitely intend to play rugby next year for my senior season. Rugby is usually either played in 15s or 7s, with most local teams playing 7s series.
“There are both fall and spring seasons, but spring is considered the main season — kind of like how there is fall ball in baseball and softball, even though they’re considered spring sports. I consider my main team to be North Pitt United Rugby Club, but I also play fall rugby 7s with West Pittsburgh Rugby Club.”
O’Neill, who stands 5-foot-2 and weighs roughly 125 pounds, can play on the wing when not manning her scrum half position.
“Kennedy’s small stature doesn’t deter her from tackling ball carriers,” Alex Gralia said. “She has exceptional form and the quickness to get in the proper body position to take down even the biggest opponents. And she is unselfish when on offense. Some players want to score. Kennedy knows it’s a team sport and will pass the ball to players with a more certain chance for a try.
“I expect a committed, hungry and strong Kennedy next spring. She has an impeccable work ethic, and I anticipate her upbeat attitude and leadership abilities will have a positive effect on her teammates.”
The main object of the game of rugby is to move the ball over an opponent’s goal line and put it down on the ground to score.
“To do that, you can either kick it forward,” O’Neill said, “as long as your teammates are behind the ball when the kicker makes contact. Or you can pass it, as long as it’s backwards as your team advances forward.
“Players don’t wear helmets or pads, but there is a huge emphasis on safe tackling techniques from when you first start learning. Rules are in place to keep injuries to a minimum.”
O’Neill, homeschooled by her mom Kara, maintains a 4.0 GPA. She previously played softball, competed in track and field and ran cross country at Quaker Valley but chose to focus solely on rugby after her sophomore year.
“I go to Parkway West Career and Technology Center for Veterinary (Assistant) Technology,” she said, “and I’m homeschooled for the rest of my core academic subjects. I’ve been homeschooled for two years and love it. It gives me a lot of flexibility in my schedule, and I’m able to really concentrate on the subjects that I’m interested in or that apply to what I want to do in the future. Right now, I’m hoping that will be in emergency specialty veterinary medicine.”
O’Neill has two younger brothers, Joe, 13, and Jack, 10. Joe will be in eighth grade in the fall and is also homeschooled. Jack will start sixth grade next year and goes to Osborne Elementary in the Quaker Valley School District.
Joe plays rugby for North Pitt’s MS boys team and also wrestles and plays football for Quaker Valley Middle School. Jack plays baseball for QV’s in-house and summer select teams and Kings Baseball Club. He also wrestles.
“I would love to encourage every girl to check out their local rugby team or club,” O’Neill said. “It’s so much fun and there’s really a position or spot for everyone — all different sizes, shapes and speeds.”
North Pitt forward Rose Kramer and back Rena Clark also received all-state accolades this year.