Mustangs Run By Red Mountain
The San Diego Mustangs opened up their spring 2017 season with a very impressive 64-7 defeat of Red Mountain.
The game was played on a beautiful Friday night at Grand Canyon University's rugby field, and was tight for the first ten minutes or so.
The Mustangs scored early on a pick-and-jam by lock David Niddrie. Red Mountain fought back and evened it 7-7 at the 10-minute mark. But after that the Mustangs took control. Working well together and showcasing some serious athleticism, ten San Diego players scored.
"At this early point of the club season, we're still a bit of a Barbarian side, drawing from six different high schools," said Mustang Coach Ramon Samaniego.. "The talent is there, and they clearly enjoy playing together, but I'm hoping they learn to play better as a team. Thanks to Red Mountain and GCU for hosting us."
Jr. Stormers Seek Challenge at Nash Bash
It’s not easy for the Little Rock Junior Stormers to get some notice, if only because they are the only high school rugby team in Arkansas.
That seems a little weird given that Arkansas has two very strong college teams, but that’s how it goes sometimes.
For the Junior Stormers, rugby life means finding competition wherever they can. This week, it will be at Nash Bash in Nashville, Tenn.
Led by HS All American scrumhalf Ruben de Haas, and HS All American lock forward Steven Benson, the Stormers certainly have some talent.
Boys HS Games Mar 9-12
Well this list below is a big, big list of HS rugby games.
This weekend is the start for Southern California's club season, Idaho, and Utah this week.
In addition, you've got tournaments at Nash Bash in Nashville, Tenn., and Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Mo.
Among the games to keep an eye on:
San Diego Mustangs at Red Mountain Friday night. While the Mustangs are ranked far below Red Mountain, that's a function of Red Mountain having played more so far. This is a pick 'em game.
Union County at Charlotte Tigers. The Lions have been very strong this season and, like the Tigers, are unbeaten in the MSIRL.
Idaho Looks to Breakout HS Season
Rugby Idaho kicks off its season and it promises to be a good one.
Teams around the state are loaded with big numbers and improving athletes, and this state could be the next one to be a rugby hotbed.
Capital, Mountain View, and Rocky Mountain lead the chase right now, but there are other teams, such as Eagle, Bingham, and Nampa, that have over 40 players registered already.
For Capital, which was perhaps the first team to achieve prominence out of the state, this could be a rebuilding year.
Five players expected to return will not - two sustained injuries while playing football, and three others have football scholarships to college and will forgo rugby as a result.
Head Coach Matt Jacobsen said the numbers look good but the players are young, and it could be a few weeks before Capital hits their stride.
Pelham HS Optimistic for 2017
While Pelham HS is one of the newer faces on the high school rugby scene, they play with the experience and confidence as a team rich with tradition.
Pelham in just their 3rd spring season have catapulted all the way to the top of the conference and found themselves battling for the Rugby NY Division I title against Xavier HS. While they seemed to have graduated a good portion of their nucleus from last season, their desire for the top spot has not wavered, as they have done well to recruit from around the area with some strong international talent, such as Thai Boux Lefour and Rico Pearson. As this year is gearing up to become another strong year in the Rugby NY Metropolitan Division, Pelham is looking to ride the momentum created from last spring.
Rugby Washington - Contenders Look to Week 2
Week two in Rugby Washington and Budd Bay hosts Eastside while Chuckanut and Liberty are on the road.
All of these teams could well think of themselves as contenders, and in Washington, things can be so tight that everyone will believe firmly that they have a shot. Last week's results included Rainier Highlanders handing Chuckanut a soul-searching 36-10 defeat. The defending champs Rainier get the week off, but have started off strong. Liberty, meanwhile - the team that so often is talked of as the favorite - had their game called off and so will start on the road at Seattle.
MAPL Latest - Big Clash for Fort Hunt and Gonzaga
It’s #1 v #3 but not the way you might think.
Right now Goff Rugby Report has Fort Hunt as the #1 HS Club team, and Gonzaga as the #3 single-school team, but really if you look at the history of things, Gonzaga would still have to be favored. Gonzaga has won three straight national championships, while Fort Hunt is still shooting for those lofty heights.
But Gonzaga already lost to Doylestown this season in the new MAPL, and Fort Hunt beat Doylestown this past weekend. So maybe there’s something to this rankings thing.
Gonzaga rebounded as you’d expect they would, and will bring a very big, very powerful forward pack that has the ability to stifle Fort Hunt.
For the Virginia team, Head Coach Dale Roach said his squad has a lot of depth.
Utah Starts League Season
The Utah Youth Rugby season kicks off this weekend, with nine games on the slate.
Among those in action are Kau Toa and West Valley, both teams that have performed well come playoff time in recent years. But most eyes will be on United, which finished 3rd at the Boys HS Rugby National Championships last year, and are primed to maybe make it a step higher this year.
"The lague gets tougher every year," said United Head Coach Colin Puriri. "But we're kind of excited because this is one of our better teams. The attitude is really good, and we've already played five games and feel like we're in good early form."
24 Invited to Boys HS Nationals
The Boys HS Rugby National Championships have finalized their invitations for the 2017 tournament at the Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City, Mo. May 18-20.
Twenty-four teams have been invited, split between HS Clubs and Single-School teams. Later on in the spring, these teams will be seeded to create an eight-team Tier I Single-School, and an eight-team Tier I HS Club bracket. The remaining eight teams will be combined in a Tier II bracket.
Boys HS Club Rankings Week #7
Here we are with the latest Boys HS Club rankings, with a nw #1 and some serious shifting.
Given that we took a week off from the rankings, and we had some action such as the Carolina Ruggerfest to follow, you'd expect some shifting to occur. Fort Hunt beat the team that beat the #1 single-school squad, so that's why Fort Hunt gets to #1. But it's a fragile #1, so don't be surprised if there's another shift along the way.Several California teams make a move, and in fact we expand the rankings to 55 to accommodate all of them.
Cape Pirates, CyFair, and Union County out of North Carolina all make big moves.
Okapi Among Leaders in Wild Florida Season
Florida’s HS season has run into some issues as the attempt to divvy up teams into districts has run afoul of the lack of depth in some teams.
“I understand the plan,” said Okapi Head Coach Gavin McLeavy, referring to how Florida Youth Rugby Executive Director Evan Haigh created small three- or four-team districts rather than a state-wide league. “Evan wanted those rugby days where the U12s and U14s and HS teams and senior teams all play in one venue, and on some days we’ve done that. But when you have a three-team district, and one team drops out due to number, you end up playing in a two-team league, which is what happened to us.”
With the districts not having the relevance anyone would like, it’s come down to tracking the top teams. Here’s what we’ve got:
Gamebreakers HS Boys
Two weeks of action provide inspiration for our Gamebreakers column - here are the boys HS players who played well over the last two weekends.
Ryan Jurcziak, St. Thomas Aquinas
The St. Thomas Aquinas No. 8 was dominant in the lineouts as STA beat Bixby, Union, and Kansas City Junior Blues.
Keiran Farmer, Woodlands
The senior flyhalf showed off some superb sidestepping and pace in testing the St. Thomas defenses, and his ability to read the game led Woodlands to a big win over their Houston rivals.
Matt Goena, Torrey Pines
Goena scored a try and made some crucial defensives plays as Torrey Pines defeated La Costa Canyon for the Southern California Varsity Red title.
Charlotte Catholic 4-0 in Ruggerfest MSIRL Bracket
Charlotte Catholic finally got started in th Mid-South Independent Rugby League with four games in the Carolina Ruggerfest, and cam away with four victories.
The Cougars scored 140 points versus 25 in the four shortened games.
On Saturday, CCHS faced South Greenville and East Cobb, handing both teams shutouts. Catholic’s 39-0 morning win vs South Greenville was led by two tries each from Greg O’Shields and Reid Brandt, with three other Cougars touching down. O’Shields led the way again in the afternoon session with two tries versus East Cobb as Catholic rolled to a 45-0 victory.
Hurricanes Over CBA Memphis
The Bayou Hurricanes pulled off an impressive result in Memphis, Tenn. this season with a 37-5 defeat of Christian Brothers.
The game started a little slow for both teams, however rookie Landon Hewett kick-started the Hurrcans with a try, and then stalwart inside center James Williams touched down two times before halftime.
Up 15-0, the Hurricanes got tries from TJ Folse and Elijah Hayes, and rookie Davin Thompkins got two. Christian Brothers got in a try late to make it 37-5.
The Hurricanes' league season in Louisiana is about to heat up, as they take on St. Paul's, Brother Martin, NOLA Barbarians, and Jesuit-New Orleans in consecutive weeks.
St. John's Wins in MAVRC
St. John's College HS out of DC moved to 2-0 and won a MAVRC league game with a 19-7 defeat of the Bell Multicultural school Griffons Sunday in the nation's captail.
Mark Carvajal continued his hot streak by scoring a try ten seconds into the match, gathering a bouncing ball right off the kickoff.
The Cadets scored two more converted tries in the first half.
Prop Huugh Beins capped the scoring with a bruising run between the posts.
