Big Rivalry Win For Palmer in Their CIRA Opener
Palmer HS upended Monarch 22-5 Saturday in Colorado Interscholastic Rugby Association (CIRA) action Saturday, in a result that wasn't necessarily a surprise, but wasn't exactly expected, either.
Monarch was coming off a win over Valor Christian, while Palmer's opener had been canceled, so there wasn't much to go on.
“Monarch and Palmer both started their programs in 2014 and have gone at it well in season, playoffs, and state championships, and it’s been a game we circle on the calendar every year since," said Palmer Head Coach Scott Mears. "We always prepare for a disciplined and well-drilled team and Saturday’s game was no different.”
Mears said that it's been challenging for the Palmer kids. Their opener against Regis was postponed due to COVID issues, and so the long-awaited return to play had to be delayed a week.
Herriman Over Olympus Caps Big Day in Utah
Herriman and Olympus have been on a collision course since the start of the 2021 season, earning the #1 and #2 seeds in all three age groups (7/8, 9/10, and Varsity) coming in to the Utah Youth Rugby state tournament.
The teams met for league play April 28 with three closely-contested games, with Olympus edging out Herriman for the #1 seed in the 7/8 division and Herriman coming out on top in close games in the 9/10 and Varsity game. The two teams were on course for all three finals until last week, when Mountain Ridge played an excellent game against an injury-depleted Herriman side to punch their ticket to the 7/8 finals – won handily by a very strong Olympus team.
SOC Raptors Keep Going
The SOC Raptors continued their strong run through the Southern California HS league with a 40-0 defeat of the OMBAC/Aztecs team.
Marcus Nguyen scored two tries in the shutout with Sammy McMillan, Asher Hannon, Keona Armstrong, and Leo Jay all touching down as well. Hannon converted five.
In an effort to get as many players playing as possible, the teams played two 25-minute halves for the league game. and then played another 25 minutes to get everyone some time.
The Raptors won that third period 17-5, and then they all finished with some 7s.
"Good day of rugby," said Raptors Head Coach Sam McMillan. "Tons of respect for the OMBAC/Aztec coaches and team. They are a young team and played tough all afternoon. Coach Steve Marshall is one of the best in all of youth rugby."
Cathedral Catholic Look Solid at 2-0
The Cathedral Catholic Dons won two games in SCIRF action this weekend, defeating the Fallbrook Dragons.
On Saturday they met Fallbrook in a clash of two undefeated teams. In this one the Dons took control, winning 64-5.
Cathedral knocked on the initial kickoff giving the Dragons excellent field position for the first five minutes. The Dragons put pressure on the Dons defense but eventually Cathedral forced a turnover and marched down the field to set up captain Dylan Fortunes for a try. Marcus Terzoli converted to make it 7-0.
Rankings-Influencing HS Results Around the Country
Here's a quick look at some of the top-ranked teams around the nation and what they've done this weekend.
You can see scores from around the country here>>
School #4 St. Ignatius vs Club #5 Aspetuck
This was an interesting measurement for both teams, as Ignatius had lost to Royal Irish earlier in the season, and lost convincingly, while Aspetuck had almost beaten Royal Irish, losing on the final play of the game. Ignatius came back to beat Royal Irish in a shortened game last week, but was that as much of an indication of improvement as you might think?
Regis Jesuit Wins First CIRA Game
Regis Jesuit opened up their CIRA season with an impressive victory over new team Valor Christian.
Regis had seen last week's opener canceled, and were certainly ready for this game.
"The game was a great way to knock the rust off and get new players game experience against someone other than our development side as we haven’t played in over 14 months," said Head Coach Anthony Mattacchione. " Our senior leadership stepped it up."
Flanker Zavier Carroll, a three-sport athlete who plays football and wrestles for Regis, is new to the rugby program and was named player of the game by the Valor players. Captain and flyhalf Eddie Maxfield scored three tries and led the attack while center David Dody also had a big day.
Harlequin Holds Off Germantown in Tennessee HS Final
Harlequin Rugby defeated Germantown 30-22 to win the Tennessee Rugby HS Boys final.
Germantown's imposing forwards put Harlequin Rugby on their heels early in the game, and within the first two minutes had broken through for a 50-meter breakaway for a converted try and a 7-0 lead. The issue for Harlequin Rugby was that they hadn't played as many ranked teams as had Germantown. Big, physical, and well-tested, Germantown looked like they might roll over Harlequin.
But a try from wing Chris Stanley, capping off a well-worked team movement, turned that momentum around.
Thunder Rugby Still Unbeaten in SoCal
Thunder Rugby keeps on winning.
After a preseason that saw them beat La Jolla twice and the SOC Raptors and Belmont Shore twice, Thunder opened up their Southern California league season with wins over the San Diego Mustangs and the combined Aztecs/OMBAC squad 59-5.
So that set up this weekend’s clash with a very capable Belmont Shore team. Thunder had defeated Belmont Shore 27-7 in a preseason game, and and this weekend repeated the effort (for the most part), winning 31-3.
Thunder put together an impressive team effort to keep Shore from scoring a try, controlling the scrums and lineouts, and playing solid defense.
Flanker Damian Saldana made tackles all over the place and helped keep the strong-running Belmont Shore team in check.
Fort Hunt Gets Another Shutout
Fort Hunt continued its good run of form with a 55-0 shutout of Richmond.
In what Head Coach Dale Roach called a very good team effort, Fort Hunt recorded its second straight shutout.
Lock forward Grant Raboski and flanker Cooper Costanzo led a very strong forward effort. Thomas Figley at outside center joined the other two in putting in a fine defensive effort. Fort Hunt's defense is what is setting them apart at the moment.
Fort Hunt is currently ranked #18 among HS clubs. Given that the team they beat 33-0 last week, Xavier, won 77-0 this week, Fort Hunt will likely move up.
NorCal Latest: Danville, Menlo-Atherton Win
The #19-ranked HS club Danville beat #12 school team Jesuit in Sacramento Saturday, with the Oaks taking down the Marauders 22-12.
While Jesuit battled in this game and worked hard to keep it close, Danville, behind a hard-nosed forward effort, looked the more impressive team and was certainly the (slightly) more game-hardened.
"It's still week two of not playing for a year," said Danville Head Coach Chris O'Brien. "We moved the ball a little better than last week; it was just a little step up from last week."
Sophomore wing Nate Comiskey emerged as a capable finisher and dynamic attacking player. Up front No. 8 Danny Bray led the forward effort in a game that sees Danville now 2-0 in league play.
Aquinas Wins Wild One Over SLUH
In a battle of leading school teams in the Missouri/Kansas region, St. Thomas Aquinas held off St. Louis University High 39-35 in a wild one.
It was a game that saw the momentum shift back and forth, but Aquinas, ranked #2 among school teams by GRR, eventually built a strong enough lead that even as #28 SLUH scored a couple of late tries, they couldn't quite haul Aquinas in. Aquinas ran out to a 20-14 halftime lead only to see SLUH score early in the second half to lead 21-20. Aquinas responded, and then held on.
"It was a great gam and they are a really good side," said Aquinas Head Coach Tim Kluempers. "We both needed this game. We haven't really been tested the way we needed to be, and I am really proud of the guys for handling being tested."
Staples Makes History With Win Over Greenwich
Staples HS defeated Greenwich in a defensive battle 10-5 in Rugby Connecticut action.
In the 18-year history of Staples Rugby, they have never beaten Greenwich, until this weekend.
Both teams played expansive wide ball and mixed in a more vertical forward attack, but the defenses were stronger. In the end, AJ Deangelis and George Engels scored tries for Staples, and that was the difference.
Lock Owen Clarke was very effective in the lineouts and played hard on defense. No. 8 Brandon Saunders poached ball in the ruck on numerous occasions and that helped keep the Greenwich attack in check,
HS Games This Weekend: Nationals On Our Mind
Wel over 200 Boys HS teams are in action this weekend with Utah and Tennessee deciding state champions.
But we are also looking at where teams that have been invited to the National Championships are leveling out.
We already saw some really exciting games this week with Georgetown Prep tying Gonzaga, and Salesianum coming back to beat St. Augustine.
Rugby Texas to Hold Varsity Championship Tournament
Rugby Texas started its season in February when many thought we wouldn’t even play.
On Saturday, May 15, the Austin Huns are hosting the 2021 Rugby Texas Boys Varsity Championship Tournament at their 4107 Nixon Lane fields in Austin, Texas.
This tournament is for all varsity boys teams.
The Dallas Reds will be hosting a Girls tournament at the same time.
The Austin tournament is a one day tournament.
It is based on a Hong Kong 7s format. Pools are set by the teams’ season record, strength of schedule and division of play.
Teams will be slotted into a Cup, Plate, Bowl, and Shield pools to play two-40-minute matches to win each pool.
Woodlands will take on West Houston in the Cup game, which will be a full-length, stand-alone game.
Salesianum and St. Augustine in a Midweek Barnburner
In yet another tight midweek ballgame between Catholic schools, Salesianum of Delaware weathered a comeback by New Jersey's St. Augustine to score late and win 24-19.
Salesianum went up 12-0 early thanks to tried from Luke Love and Ethan Corrozi (and one conversion from Zach Ottinger) and held onto that lead into halftime. But the St. Augustine Hermits responded well in the second half, scoring three tries and taking the lead 19-12. The Hermits bench showed up nicely in this game.
Flyhalf Chris Giunta also sparked the comeback, scoring two of the three St. Augustine tries, while fullback Will Bumbernick went over for the first try. Giunta converted Bumbernick's effort and one of his own.
Salesianum responded with a try from Seamus Flaherty, converted by Ottinger, and it was all tied up for the final 15 minutes or so.
