The High Peaks Rugby Conference is a regional collegiate rugby league under National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) that spans schools primarily from the Rocky Mountain and Mountain West region. For the 2024 season, the conference expanded significantly by merging with the former Rocky Mountain Conference and adding more than a dozen new teams, making it one of the largest and most competitive college-rugby conferences in the country.
The Rocky Mountain Men's DII conference starts this weekend, and it's a busy weekend - something you don't normally hear about that league.
Mountain View and Rocky Mountain both won semifinals to make the state championship game in Rugby Idaho.
Mountain View defeated the Renegades 39-17 on Saturday, while Rocky Mountain beat Capital 27-23.
Rocky Mountain started off their Idaho league season with a nice victory over Mountain View, and while Kyle van Tonder was not the player of the game, maybe that’s because he’s a victim of being the player he is.
Rocky Mountain defeated Mountain View 41-22 in the opening weekend of the Rugby Idaho season.
This game was special not just because it was the opener, but because it was played at a dedicated rugby pitch with permanent posts.
The Des Moines bracket of the Men’s DII College Playoffs might well have been a forgone conclusion a few weeks ago, but maybe it’s not anymore.
The four teams in it have their own reasons for thinking they could get through to the semis.
De La Salle HS
Saint Mary's (Rudy Scholz Finalist)
USA U20s (Captain)
USA Men's National 15s Team (Debut vs Georgia 2023 at age 20)
As a 17-year-old Spencer Huntley required a waiver to play for the USA U20s, an indication of how he was rated in the USA age-grade pathway. He got that waiver and impressed for the USA U20s, and then moved up to the USA U23s. He led the San Diego Mustangs to a national HS Club championship in 2024.
He also played in the SoCal single-school league for Cathedral Catholic.
Hope Rogers began playing rugby at age 16 in high school and continued to compete during her time at Penn State University. There, she won four National Championships, was crowned MVP on two occasions, was named to the USA Under-20s and earned Collegiate All-American honors for four years. Rogers was also an impressive discus player during her senior year in high school where she broke a school record and won Gold at Districts for the sport.
Mike played for Life College, Philly-Whitemarsh and played for the USA National 7s and 15s teams in the 1980s and 1990s.
He was also part of the Atlantis touring side, playing 7s for the team in several around the world.
