Rankings, Championship At Stake
The Boys HS Rugby National Championships are set for this weekend in Kansas City, MO.
And it's also a race for #1 in perhaps the most competitive season in recent memory.
In the Single-School rankings (which we're posting on FloRugby), Jesuit, Gonzaga, St. Ignatius, St. Edward, Gonzaga, and Herriman have all been ranked #1. All but Ignatius play at the Single-School bracket over the weekend.
And, it's worth noting, that had Fishers beaten St. Edward in the Midwest Championships, Fishers would probably have been #1. It's all that close.
(Click on the images to enlarge and see the brackets)
Three Very Tight Finals In Utah
Herriman edged Snow Canyon to take the Utah Youth Rugby Varsity Red final.
Scrumhalf Gavin Flint was named player of the game but the likes of Maea Leakehe, Jake Anderson, Fisher Jackson, and Taysan Hammer all played well for the Mustangs.
Snow Canyon's flyhalf Andy Day, who is highly ranked by FloRugby among HS flyhalves, was superb and scored a try and two long-range penalties. But Herriman held on 26-23.
The West Valley Warrios edged West Jordan 32-31 to win the Varsity Blue final. This has been a massively tight competition all season. Genesis edges United 21-19 in the Varsity White final. So in those three championship games in Utah, the average winning margin was two points.
Legion Shocks Fort Hunt In Virginia
Legion pulled off a bit of a surprise over the weekend, defeating Fort Hunt 29-24 to win the Rugby Virginia state title.
Over the last couple of years, Fort Hunt has moved on to become a national title contender, and pulled away from the competition. As a result, the Prince William and Loudoun High School Boys programs combined their players for the Rugby Virginia HS league, hoping to compete with Fort Hunt. This team, Legion, did exactly that.
South Greenville Wins MSIRL In OT
A breakaway run from fullback Chris Aurich in overtime put South Greenville through to the Mid-South Independent Rugby League championship 21-14 over the Charlotte Tigers.
The teams played a tight final and were deadlocked 14-14 at full time. Despite being a man down due to a red card, South Greenville was able to break through with a play up the middle, and put Aurich through for the game-winner. Charlotte came right back and threatened the South Greenville line at the end of the game, but an obstruction penalty gave possession away, and South Greenville was able to end the game.
Doyle Hedgepeth and Charles Gupton also scored tries for South Greenville, while Sid Shoop and Jarryn Simpson also had strong games.
Win For BC High Over St. John's
BC High defeated St. John's Prep this week in the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association league, winning a rematch of the last teo state championships games.
In front of a big crowd, St. John’s Prep struck first, taking a quick tap from a penalty outside the BC High 22 meter line. A strong run and some precision passing allowed Prep to put the ball in the corner for a 5-0 lead.
BC High would answer shortly after from a strike move on a scrum at midfield. Flyhalf Diarmuid Allen moved the ball to wide channels, where fullback Jack Bracher gave a nice offload to wing Drew Topalian who scampered 35 yards to knot the game at 5-5.
Gonzaga Wins MAVRC, But Good Counsel Shows Well
Good Counsel gave Gonzaga a push in the Mid-Atlantic Varsity Rugby final, ultimately going down 26-19 on Saturday.
Two second-half tries put Gonzaga in the league, and while Good Counsel scored a try late, it wasn't enough.
Boys HS Games May 10-13
Here are the latest games and scores in Boys HS rugby.
With the National Championships coming up soon, there are some statements to make and playoffs to win.
South Greenville plays the Charlotte Tigers for the MSIRL title. Rugby Virginia crowns a champion, as does Tennessee. SoCal and Oregon move on in the playoffs.
Check back for more scores.
Austin Elite Names U19 HP Team
Austin TX, Austin Elite Rugby is proud to congratulate the following players who have been selected for Central Texas Elite U19 High Performance Team. The High Performance Program is part of the Austin Elite Rugby Academy and is dedicated to raising the quality and standard of rugby in Central Texas.
Players will have the opportunity of training with high level coaches, whilst gaining valuable experience along the way.
For the first time the Central Texas Elite U19 team will run onto the field wearing their new academy colors, each players will proudly wear the socks of their own High school. The team will play on Saturday, 12thMay at Burr Field against North and South Texas. Players from all three sides will be playing for a place in the State of Texas team.
Boys HS Nationals Matchups Set
The Boys HS Rugby National Championship has confirmed its brackets for the 2018 championship.
Single-School Bracket
Tennessee Looks To Finals Weekend
The Tennessee Rugby Association will hold the state rugby championship tournament finals on Saturday, May 12 after the first round of playoffs held May 5..
The championship final matches (except the Boys Plate Championship) will take place at Middle Tennessee State University Sports Complex , Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Boys HS:
Cup - Final - Harpeth Harlequins vs Germantown HS Red Devils
Bowl - Final - Sumner RFC All Blacks vs Rutherford Rugby
Plate - Final - Christian Brothers HS vs Power Center Academy in Millington, TN on Thursday, May 10.
Girls HS:
Cup - Final - Ravenwood HS Raptors vs Columbia HS
Quins Colts Champions of Texas
The Dallas Harlequins Colts won the Rugby Texas championship Sunday, beating The Woodlands 15-13 in a tight, back-and-forth match.
(Photos by Jordan Maat - click on image to enlarge)
The Woodlands were led by Evan Conlon, who enjoyed an excellent game, and got a solid performance from the team's front row. But the Quins Colts, led by Hassan Badway, Parker McMillan, and the sjperb flanker Jordan Wander, held off a furious late Woodlands charge to win.
Woodlands led 6-5 going into halftime, but a try from Dallas put them ahead to stay, if only barely.
Westlake defeated St. Pius X 41-26 to take 3rd.
It has been a wild season throughout Texas, with many well-regarded teams losing at one time or another. But the Colts have held steady, with Wander in the middle making sure they keep up the performances.
Danville Edges Jesuit In Classic NorCal Final
Danville scored right at the end of the game to win the Northern California Boys HS Premier league final 25-24 over Jesuit in a classic on Saturday.
This season has been a very competitive one throughout Northern California, with no team leaving unscathed. But Danville finished strong, and eked out a victory to win the region.
Danville got on the board first and punished Jesuit for playing too much rugby within their own 22. A missed tackle led to a long break and Danville was in under the posts to take 7-0 lead.
The next 20 minutes was back and forth with both teams playing long stretches of defense. The pressure was great and it showed with both teams making errors.
Jesuit flanker Max Sackett was finally able to cross the line for Jesuit, but the conversion was missed and the halftime score stood at Danville 7, Jesuit 5
Fishers Talk Of Midwests
Fishers had a big day at the Midwest Boys Championships, beating St. Ignatius 39-33 and then edging Royal Irish 20-19.
The Fishers backline put on a nice offensive display against St. Ignatius, and then brought a strong defensive effort against Royal Irish. Ignatius was held up in-goal right at the end of that game.
St. Edward defeated Brownsburg 33-14 in the quarters and then beat Penn 14-5 in the semis. So it will be St. Edward vs. Fishers in the final.
Penn will face Royal Irish for 3rd, while St. Ignatius plays Notre Dame de la Salette for 5th. Brownsburg takes on Carroll for 7th.
In Tier 2, Pulaski and Marian emerged 2-0 on Day One to win their pools. They will face off for 1st. Leo plays Dwenger for 3rd, and Catholic Central plays West Ottawa for 5th.
In the festival games, HSE is the only unbeaten team.
Many HS Playoffs This Weekend
It's a championship weekend around Boys High School Rugby. Here's a look at some of the action going on:
Tennessee kicks off its playoffs. See more here. The playoss will last two weeks.
Rugby NorCal
Jesuit is at Danville for the Premier League final. Whoever wins this game will likely be ranked #1 in the team's respective category (Jesuit for single-school, Danville for club). These two teams met March 17, with Danville beating Jesuit 27-21.
De La Salle takes on Elsie Allen in the D1 final. Neither has lost a league or (obviously) playoff game this season.
SoCal Youth Rugby
The playoffs begin:
Back Bay v OMBAC
Coast Dragons v Arroyo Grande
Belmont Shore v San Diego Mustangs
Irvine Rhinos v South Bay
