Kahuku Kicks Off
The defending Hawaii state champion Kahuku Red Raiders kicked off their season with a very tough victory 10-5 over the rival Kalihi Raiders.
This was a repeat of the 2015 state final.
“It wasn’t pretty,” said Kahuku Coach Seamus Fitzgerald. “We’re working on new systems with some new players, but we’re looking forward to the coming weeks.”
It’s a busy winter/spring for Kahuku. This combing weekend the All Black Legends will be in Hawaii for a clinic. And then in February they will travel to Utah to take on United, Red Mountain, and Snow Canyon. They then play Jesuit and are expected back to the Pacific Cup in May.
SoCal Varsity Red Still Up for Grabs
Cathedral Catholic moved into a tie for first in the Southern California Varsity Red division with a 31-12 defeat of St. Augustine, setting up a clash of undefeateds this coming weekend.
In a well-played game which St. Augustine needed to stay in the hunt, Cathedral took a slim 10-0 lead into halftime thanks to a penalty from Jack Vecchio and a try from . St. Augustine edged closer in the second half with a try from No. 8 Alex Alves, but Cathedral’s Ryan James scored two quick tries - one from a pick-and-go and one from an interception - to essentially put the game out of reach.
Cathedral was able to open up the game in the last quarter and Cody Waldecker had a strong game in the lineouts, winning Cathedral ball and repeatedly stealing Saints ball. He also scored the first try of the game. No. 8 Liam Brady was dominate at the point of contact.
Winners Keep Winning in Florida
Week two of the Florida Youth Rugby Boys HS DI league and already some teams are making a statement.
Tampa Krewe defeated Naples in startlingly dominat fashion 31-3. Coach Chris DeAnnuntis said the victory was a total squad effort, as all 19 players available stepped up to play superb defense. The Krewe now sit 2-0, while Naples has got to be wondering what happened to their offense, as they were held tryless for the second week in a row.
Also 2-0 is Orlando after a 38-5 defeat of West Pines (FYR puts games into development mode if the score is out of reach and both teams agree, and keeps the score pre-development mode as the official score).
West Pines is a club formed out of 2015 state finalists Weston and the West Pines club. The merger was designed to allow for more depth, but this opening result wasn't what they wanted.
Mira Costa Win Clash of Undefeateds
In a clash of undefeated teams, Mira Costa defeated St. John Bosco 45-24 to clinch a playoff spot in Southern California's Varsity White division and imporve to 6-0 in league play.
St. John Bosco slips to 4-1 and remains in 2nd place in the Varsity White Los Angeles conference.
Mira Costa exacted some revenge for a 44-17 division semifinal loss in 2015 with this victory. Despite having a far lighter pack, Mira Costa battled well up front and got enough ball to score with.
Deep South League Opens
The first weekend in the Deep South Boys HS league saw the defending champion St. Paul’s squad win big.
St. Paul’s defeated West Jefferson 48-0 in a game they controlled from the outset. Nine different St. Paul’s players scored, and the team’s defense was staunch.
"West Jefferson doesn't quit when they are down, but the couldn't match our speed,” said St Paul’s center Cameron Meyers.
St. Paul's faces Florida-based Niceville next weekend. Niceville opened up the season with an impressive 19-14 win over Brother Martin at Spring Hill College in Alabama.
And league debutants Shreveport welcomed the Houma Hurricanes to their stadium on a day of rugby. The Hurricanes had a game on their hands but prevailed 31-10.
Deep South Looks Tight This Year
The Deep South HS league kicks off with defending champions St. Paul’s looking to reload and shoot for a repeat.
It won’t be easy.
"We have four returning seniors on our starting 15,” said regional all-star Mark Spicer. “We've had a great turnout, but our team is centered on growth for our sophomore and junior classes."
"You need to look at the traditional champions in the Deep South for the strength this year,” …said St. Paul’s Head Coach, Dr. Donald Hart. “Jesuit, Shaw, and Brother Martin. That being said, second-year program the Bayou Hurricanes from Houma/Raceland are claiming a position at the top of the food chain. They will be the team to beat."
Big Day for Shreveport Rugby
The City of Shreveport is making a renewed surge to be a rugby town with the debut of its new high school team, and a three-game afternoon of rugby.
The Shreveport Area Rugby Club HS-age team will open league proceedings with the hosting of the Houma Hurricanes.
Meanwhile, also on Saturday, Louisiana Tech will face an LSU 15, and Alabama will take on LSU.
Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for the general public. See a video and article here.
Storer Classic Good Start for Some HS Teams
Several high school teams got some preseason work in at the Storer Classic last week at the UCLA campus.
Among the best-showers was defending NorCal club champs Danville, which defeated defending Utah single-school winners Snow Canyon 27-12 in a tough match that was 7-7 at halftime.
Danville went on to beat Santa Monica 17-3, and upcoming NorCal rivals Lamorinda 33-5.
No. 8 and captain Austin Cowdery was a force and quite possibly the best of the lot at the tournament. Danville captain Keanu Andrade was injured early, which was a shame, as he played only a small part in the action. As a result Cowdery was asked to step in the lead the team and take over as kicker. He did all very well.
2016 Boys Single-School Rankings Week 1
With most boys HS leagues not in action, but one or two actually going, we open up the Boys Single-School rankings for 2016.
There's not that much of a shift compared to the final rankings of the 2015 season (see here), but there is some movement. Much of that is prompted by the beginning of the SoCal season, with Fallbrook and Torrey Pines falling off and Cathedral and La Costa Canyon playing well. Mira Costa plays in a league where you only have to have 70% of the players from one school. However, the Mustangs go for 100% anyway, so they are in the Single-School rankings.
Deep South HS League Opens
The Deep South Boys HS league kicks off this weekend with six teams in action, including defending regional champs St. Paul’s HS.
St. Paul’s will visit a West Jefferson team that was very competitive in what ended a losing season at 3-5. Shreveport joins the league and plays their first game at Lee Hedges Stadium in that city. Shreveport hosts Bayou.
Niceville and Brother Martin both were very competitive last year, with Brother Martin going 2-2 in games decided by three points or fewer. These two will meet at Spring Hill College in Mobile, Ala. Barbarians v Mississippi has been rescheduled for later.
Cathedral Wants Another Shot in SoCal
Cathedral Catholic has a bit of a chip on its shoulder after a tough 2015 season where they almost, but not quite, made the championship game.
The Southern California Catholic school defeated Poway 53-7 to move to 2-0, right behind 3-0 Mira Costa. This weekend, St. Augustine, a very tough customer indeed at 1-1-1, takes on Cathedral hoping to knock them off. Cathedral knows all about those kinds of games - they lost one against Torrey Pines last year that was a contentious game and the difference between making the championship game and staying home. Cathedral was the only team to beat 2015 Varsity Red champs Fallbrook last year, and they liked their chances in the final.
But that didn’t happen, and now they want to get back there.
Honey Badgers Stay On Top
University City defeated Coronado 45-14 to move to 4-0 in the Southern California Varsity White San Diego conference, putting some distance between them and the rest of the league.
But Honey Badgers Coach Jason Lee said the game wasn’t a runaway, despite the fact that Coronado is 0-2.
“Coronado dominated the breakdown in the first half and were the more aggressive team around the breakdowns,” said Lee. “But I was proud of our forwards for stepping up to the challenge and responding in the second half with better commitment to the rucks. Our set piece play, especially off our scrums, went well.”
Brandon Cole was a hard runner at No. 8 and Stephan Phillips was effective in support.
Costa Wins Again, Sets Up Bosco Clash
Mira Costa continued its run through the Los Angeles Conference of Southern California's Varsity White division, beating Wilson HS Saturday 38-3.
The first right minutes were dominated by the Wilson Bruins as their forwards were able to drive and maintain possession. But every time the Bruins got within ten meters of the Mira Costa tryline, the Mustang defense stymied them. Eventually, the Bruins had to be content with a shot at goal on a penalty, and missed.
Given a chance to start over, Costa got going wiht the Tavai brothers leading the way. No. 8 Jonah Tavai chipped over the Wilson defense and chased in to gather and score. He converted his own try for a 7-0 lead.
La Costa Canyon Stays Unbeaten
The Titan Shield was up for grabs this weekend when the current holders of the trophy, St. Augustine, took on La Costa Canyon Mavericks in Southern California's Boys Varsity Red competition.
Both teams were undefeated this season and the game promised to be a tight affair.
Wins Cap Good Week for Phoenix
The Phoenix Rugby varsity squad defeated the Charlotte Tigers 14-7 and North Mecklenburg 55-0 in a warmup weekend of games in Charlotte, NC.
The Georgia-based team, which merged with rivals Roswell during the off-season, has already defeated Charlotte Catholic and Chapin in the preseason.
The Phoenix JVs beat North Meck but lost to Charlotte.
It's been a good week for Phoenix, as a disagreement between the club and the Georgia HS Rugby Association was resolved amicably. The GHSA is working with USA Rugby to acheive official SBRO designation and will soon change its name to Rugby Georgia.
