St. Edward Wins Big In Opener
St. Edward and Gregory the Great met up on the campus of Saint Bonaventure University for a preseason game.
It turned out to be a big day for St. Edward, as the Ohio school beat the Pennsylvania school 74-12.
"For our first effort, it was a good showing for St Ed's," said St. Edward Head Coach Tom Cleary. "We do not have a lot of returning starters so this was a restructuring. It was a good effort all the way around but there is definitely room for improvement. This was a positive start to the season.”
Two Big Wins For Neuqua In Ohio
Illinois HS team Neuqua came out of a trip to St. Xavier (OH) with two victories.
Neuqua defeated Penn HS 14-10 in what can only be called a major upset.
It was certainly an early game for both, but buoyed by some solid results in Texas, Neuqua was playing with some confidence. The Illinois team's outstanding backline scored on a kick-and-chase play, and then a blocked kick to make it 14-0 at halftime.
Penn dominated the set pieces and ran well in tight with their larger forwards, and that forced Neuqua into numerous penaties. Eventually Penn was able to score, but couldn't hit the conversion. Penn scored just before the end of the game, and had one more chance to take the lead, but good cover defense from Neuqua ended it all.
Jesuit, Lamorinda Victorious In NorCal
Jesuit HS of Sacramento moved to 2-0 in the Rugby NorCal Premier league after a 41-10 defeat of Granite Bay.
Meanwhile, Lamorinda put in an impressive performance to beat SFGG 30-24.
Lamo led 22-0 led by some excellent work from Oteti Vehikite and Daniel Vete. Three sophomores started for Lamorinda in flanker Liam Varela, lock Zane Saldivar, and scrumhalf Nick Pierson.
"SFGG really showed their class pushing us hard until the en," said Lamorinda coach Mike Leksan.
Meanwhile, Jesuit looked very strong in beating Granite Bay.
Boys HS Games March 7-11
Here are the games played in Boys HS Rugby this weekend.
The lineup of matchups has increased significantly as Colorado, Utah, and Washington ramp up.
Notice also Gonzaga v Fort Hunt on the schedule.
Check back for scores.
Xavier, Fort Hunt Tie In Massive Clash
Xavier HS pulled off a bit of a surprise result over the weekend with a 5-5 tie of #2 HS Club Fort Hunt.
Photos By David Hughes
Xavier is a young team and perhaps not expected to push the very highest-ranked teams this early in the season, and yet they managed to do so.
"A draw is a good reflection of the game," said Xavier Head Coach Greg Norris, who added that he felt his team missed some additional scoring opportunities.
Union County Downs Doylestown
In their opening match of the 15s season, the Union County (NJ) Mudturtles defeated Doylestown 38-22 in a hard hitting non-conference contest.
Doylestown got off to an early lead with strong forward play going up 10-0. The Mudturtles answered with two tries by winger Ryan Dones to tie the game 10-10 at halftime.
Carolina Ruggerfest Massive Celebration of HS and Youth
Put simply, the 2018 edition of Carolina Ruggerfest being held in Matthews, a small town just outside of Charlotte, North Carolina, is massive. The tournament, for its 15 year history, has always been an early season friendly for youth and high school teams. Already a large event in years past, this time around they will break all their own records. Here’s a look, just by the numbers:
High Level Of Play At Ra Puriri Invitational
The Annual Ra Puriri Invitational took place this weekend at Snow Canyon High School in St. George, Utah. The warm-up event gives several teams the opportunity to come together and get some early season games in to help prepare for the season, as well as engage in the spirit of rugby brotherhood. The tournament included 6 teams – Snow Canyon, United, Herriman, Olympus, Red Mountain, and Las Vegas Blackhawks (a late fill-in for Orcas(CA) who had to cancel).
La Jolla Wins SoCal Varsity White
La Jolla defeated Los Alamitos 41-22 to win the Southern California Varsity White Division this past weekend.
It was a big improvement from the La Jolla program.
Los Alamitos scored early to take a 7-0 lead, but tries from No. 8 Ryan Blackburn, wing Nathan Brenner, scrumhalf Thomas Evans, and flyhalf Dylan Caillouel to stake La Jolla to a 24-12 halftime lead. Blackburn was a strong runner for La Jolla, while Brenner did well to chase down a kick and exploit a fortuitous bounce.
Caillouel was a constant danger and extended the lead in the second half by intercepting a pass while Los Al was running a move from a free kick. That 80-meter run seemed to put La Jolla in control, and then Caillouel went 50 meters for another.
Arizona Bobcats Example Of How Elite HS Rugby Is Growing
The Las Vegas Invitational kicks off this week and it's a place where many select side high school teams have found room to grow, and get better.
The Arizona Bobcats program is certainly one of them. The Bobcats have continued to build and play well at 15s and 7s select side competitions, and are looking to make a splash at the Boys Elite bracket of the LVI. Ian Gregor has been working with the players and as looking take what has been a pretty good program and make it better.
It's a move some other regions are taking too - realizing that players who want to be seen and move up the elite pathway want strong coaching, organization, and competition all the way through.
St. John Bosco Takes SoCal Varsity Red Over St. Augustine
St. John Bosco won the Southern California Varsity Red championship in a massive physical battle, riding a strong second half to beat St. Augustine 54-35.
The game was a very physical game. The Saints came out firing and charged into Bosco territory and threatened, but the Bosco defense didn't give in. Eventually, the Boso attack got a jump start with 60-meter run for a try and an early 7-0 lead.
Sparked by Ehtan McVeigh, the Saints came back and tied the game when McVeigh raced up the middle. Bosco responded again to take a 14-7 lead. The Saints fought back and were on the Bosco doorstep but couldn't punch it in. However, patient attack saw Sam Earley go over to tie the game at 14-14.
St Ignatius Beats Gonzaga, Georgetown Prep
Ohio’s Saint Ignatius school shook up the single-school rankings with a two-game sweep of teams in the DC area, including a defeat of GRR/FloRugby #2 Gonzaga.
Ignatius kicked off the trip with a 19-14 victory over Gonzaga, which has been a national champion or runner up for the last five years. In a defensive battle with Gonzaga hammering Ignatius through the forwards, neither team could break through until just before halftime. That was when Alex Schum scored, and Declan Boldy converted for a 7-0 lead.
Boys HS Games Feb 23-25
Here are the boys HS rugby games this weekend.
The Lindenwood HS tournament is live on FloRugby (click here). That will be a demanding event.
Top-ranked matchups include St. Ignatius against Gonzaga, and Danville against Granite Bay. Southern California crowns a Varsity Red and Varsity White champion.
Check back for scores.
Fort Hunt, West End Make Statements
Fort Hunt did what was expected this past weekend in Mid-Atlantic Premier League action, but Doylestown was a bit of a surprise.
West End beat Doylestown 28-26 on Saturday, while Fort Hunt beat West Shore United 35-7. On Sunday, Fort Hunt hammered Doylestown 88-7, while West End beat West Shore United 28-16.
It was a very strong showing by both Virginia teams, with Fort Hunt solidifying its sport at #2 in the GRR/FloRugby rankings (see here - now a premium feature), Doylestown got dinged, and West End was also bumped up.
