Maryland HS Teams in Action
Gonzaga and Georgetown Prep keep winning the MAVRC conference in the DC area.
On April 6 Gonzaga handled St. John's 87-0. Last Friday, Salesianum defeated Dematha 29-18.
Dematha got a big day from two freshmen, Jackson Holtzman, who notched a try in the losing effort, and Jamie Math wasa, whose experience playing in Zimbabwe has proven to be a great benefit to DeMatha. Senior Jack Garner also punched in a try for the Stags. But the Sallies were strong in attack breaking the Dematha line for long gains. In addition, Dematha found themselves on the wrong side of the whistle too often, losing momentum and yielding points to the Sallies.
Herriman Downs Olympus in Utah
Herriman met in-state foe Olympus on Friday night for a key battle that would determine first place in Utah's Single-School Central Conference.
Both teams had been on a roll, and were eager to face their first real test in conference play. The visiting Mustangs came in with an average score of 64-12 in their previous month of play, while the host Titans were coming off of a 132-0 shellacking of first-year Copper Hills. Olympus is a well-run, aggressive and physical side led by Head Coach Brad Anderson, and also boasts a pair of former University of Utah Rugby heavy hitters on its staff with former Utah head coach Mark Numbers and recently graduated All-American Utah prop Spencer Vickery.
Chargers Show Well in Border Battle
The Chargers of Cedar Grove, Wisc. put many on notice with a solid outing this weekend at the Border Battle in the Wisconsin Dells.
The Chargers defeated three well-regarded Minnesota teams, beating Eagan 37-12, Hopkins 79-0, and Edina 32-12. Their JV team beat the JVs of Eagan and Edina, as well.
This follows on a good showing at the Lindenwood HS tournament, where the Chargers went a competitive 1-3, beating Eureka but losing to St. Thomas Aquinas, Penn, and Brownsburg. And after a 44-0 defeat of Pulaski.
Next up for the Chargers is a league game against Nicolet.
Bayou Remains #1 in Deep South
The Bayou Hurricanes continued their winning ways on Saturday with a 47-5 defeat of West Jefferson.
The Hurricanes struck first with stalwart Zavier Triplett at outside center touching down, and then fullback Alvin Delaune adding another. Triplett scored his second, and then wing Shane Wright, wing Demery Rener, and Delaune again scored before the break.
New York Latest - Pelham Starts Strong
Pelham HS opened up their league season in New York with an impressive 39-3 defeat of Fordham Prep.
Pelham had the run of play throughout the game. The first half was somewhat mistake-riddled (at one time Pelham thought they had a try but had placed the ball on the wrong line; another, the ball was run through the dead ball line instead of touched down). But still Pelham led 10-3 at halftime.
In the second half Pelham had virtually all the possession and started to execute a little better, scoring five tries and playing at a speed Fordham struggled to follow.
The Pelham team being paced by Luke Persanis, and the strong running of North Westall and Kevin NDou. When it was time to get it out wide, the halfback pairing of Persanis and Cian Burns moved the ball smartly. Pelham welcomed back fullback Ryan Killeen from injury and he score two tries.
Santa Monica Wins Showdown in SoCal
Santa Monica v Back Bay was one of the most anticipated clashes of the Southern California HS club league, and it didn't disappoint.
Despite the rainy conditions the game went ahead and turned into a tightly fought contest that saw the Santa Monica Dolphins triumph 28-11.
Both team came into the game unbeaten. Back Bay is the defending U18 SoCal champion, and Santa Monica has won both the Santa Clarita Kickoff tournament and the Fullerton Invitational. Bay Back started on the front foot, driving the Dolphins into their own 22 with some aggressive attacking play resulting in a penalty. Back Bay opted for a kick at posts and took a 3-0 lead.
The Dolphins immediately responded from the restart, drawing a penalty from Back Bay, and flyhalf John Conor Shalloe hit a 40-meter kick to level the score.
Gonzaga over Xavier
Gonzaga HS defeated Xavier HS 36-20 Sunday in front of about 2,000 fans at Gonzaga's home field, thanks in large part to a 15-minute scoring spree in the second half.
The two teams battled to a 10-10 tie at halftime, with Gonzaga scoring first on pressure and a quick tap, and added another to lead 10-0. Xavier ran wing Rory Kinsella on an inside move off a scrum to score a try, which Kyle Strehle converted. Strehle then added a penalty goal to tie it up.
Down to Wire in NorCal Premier Semis
Jesuit High School and Danville Oaks will meet next week for the Northern California Varsity Premier championship.
Danville defeated Archbishop Riordan in a very difficult game 37-13. Danville was favored to win but got a stern contest from Riordan. It was much, much closer in the other semifinal, as Jesuit just defeated Granite Bay by the score of 26-24.
NorCal Playoffs - O'Dowd, Cougars, PG, CK
Bishop O'Dowd and Cougars moved on to the Northern California Boys DII final as both won their semifinals Saturday.
The O'Dowd Varsity boys team improved to 7-4 after holding on to defeat a determined De La Salle team 24-21. The Dragons looked as if they would run away with it early. An impressive show of forward power via the hard driving of seniors Richard Rogers, Louis Mischeaux, and Tony Cardenas. Tries from center Andrew Crudo, fullback Robert Crosby, and wing Orion Binder, two of those converted by Crosby, staked O’Dowd to a 19-0 first-half lead. De La Salle managed to get a try in to close the gap, however, prop Troy Coaston powered over just before the break to make it 24-7 O’Dowd.
Woodlands Wins Top Texas Showdown
The Woodlands cae back from a 13-0 deficit to defeat Katy 15-13 in a crucial matchup between the two Rugby Texas South Region teams.
With the victory, Woodlands improved to 4-0 and started off a tough string of games with a win, while Katy dropped to 5-1-1, but got a close-loss bonus point and remains in the playoff hunt in the conference.
Playing with the wind, Katy opened the scoring when wing Caleb Ray burst onto a pass and scampered in for a try and a 5-0 lead for his side. Junior flyhalf Lewis Hopkins then slotted a penalty kick from 30 meters to make it 8-0. Katy continued the pressure, and Hopkins ran in a try at 29 minutes to make it 13-0.
Both sides battled hard with Katy controlling the ball throughout the majority of the first half, but there was no further scoring.
South Greenville Wins Key SC Clash
South Greenville came back from a 20-0 deficit to overcome Wando 26-20 in a battle of undefeated HS teams in South Carolina.
Both teams have logged several shutouts during the season, so giving up points is a rarity for them.
Wando started the game well, going up 20-0 at halftime.
“We were dominating,” said Wando Coach Tod Shepherd, whose team was missing their starting wingers. “We felt we were in total control but in the second half we lost our structure and composure and panicked a little.”
Penalties started to pile up and a yellow card put Wando down a player, and South Greenville scored three tries in that period.
Snow Canyon Over San Diego Mustangs
La Jolla, Calif. - Veteran Referee Mark Richards stood at midfield after Friday night's match between Snow Canyon High School from St. George, Utah, and the San Diego Mustangs U18 club surrounded by the sweaty, exhausted players and summed up both the expectation and the realization that arises when a highly-ranked high school team (No. 16 in GRR Single-School Rankings) plays a seasoned club from athletically rich Southern California (No. 13 in GRR HS Club Rankings).
"Boys, when I saw this match on the schedule," said Richards, "I asked for this game. It is so fun to ref a well-played match. Great plays, big hits, this match was a pleasure. Utah, it's always good to see you out here every year, you're a great team. San Diego Mustangs, as always, I enjoyed reffing your match."
Florida HS Latest
The final week of league play is done in Florida Youth Rugby Boys DI, and Riviera Beach Maritime Academy clinched 1st place with an impressive 26-0 defeat of the Cape Pirates
The result allowed RBMA to finish 7-1-1, and with Tampa Krewe tying Orlando 12-12, Jupiter had the opportunity to jump to 2nd. This the Sharks did, defeating Naples 68-5 to move to 7-2 and taking 2nd.
Desert Vista, Red Mountain Through in Arizona
Desert Vista and Red Mountain are through to the Rugby Arizona state final after both teams won semifinals Saturday.
Desert Vista defeated the West Valley Misfits 50-27 thanks to an excellent day from the backline, especially flyhalf Zane Spiker, center Romain Rabany, and fullback Malachi Knox, who worked nicely together and reeled off a series of long-range tries.
The platform was set up by the forwards with Kyle Bohlen, Kyle Ostendorp, and Adriaan van Niekerk setting the tone and scrumhalf Justin Smith making the right calls.
HS Games This Weekend
As Spring Break recedes into the past it's all-on for HS rugby teams around the country.
We've listed a chunk of those games below; among the ones of note:
South Greenville v Wando. We've got two of the best teams in South Carolina finally meeting, and since both have ben winning games by denying points to opponents, it will be a case of who can find a way through.
