Florida HS Playoffs This Weekend
The playoffs have arrived in Florida, with the various regions coming together in crossover matches.
This weekend it's the quarterfinals in the South. Jupiter (3-1), Okapi (2-0), RBMA (2-0), and Cardinal Gibbons (3-1) have all won their groups, while Cape Pirates, Key Biscayne, Boca Raton, and St. Thomas Aquinas have al finished 2nd (for some this means 2nd out of a two-team group). Those eight will play off this weekend.
March 18 Region 2 (South) QFs
Cape Pirates at Cardinal Gibbons
Boca Raton at Okapi
St. Thomas Aquinas at Jupiter
Key Biscayne at RBMA
The Northern teams will go into a semifinal round a week later, as will the South. Orlando, (4-0), Tampa (3-0), Naples (2-2), and Westside (2-2) are the top four from that region.
March 25 Region 1 Semis
Orlando Host Naples
Royal Irish and St. Edward Renew Rivalry
Royal Irish may have beaten St. Edward 15-0 during the Lindenwood Tournament last week, but you might also feel comfortable discounting that result.
The games were short. The season is still young. It was SAT Weekend. So did it really tell us what we need to know? Never fear, HS rugby fans, that will all be rectified this weekend because Royal Irish will play St. Edward in a full-length game.
For Royal Irish, which ended up winning the Lindenwood Tournament, this will be an important test.
Coach Terry Rankin ran the Royal Irish team with Head Coach Scott Peterson away on business.
Coastal Dragons Come Back to Win
The OMBAC Wallabies hosted the Coastal Dragons for the opening game of the U18 SoCal South Gold Division this past weekend.
Both teams were missing keys players due to SAT testing, but it was the Dragons that looked the most out of sorts in the early stages. Ethan McVeigh opened the scoring when he cut through a disjointed defensive line and converted his own try. Five minutes later he scored again by rounding off a good effort by the forwards that took the ball to within a meter of the line and dove over from the base of the ruck. Again, McVeigh converted his own try for the 14-0 OMBAC lead.
The Dragons made some strategic substitutions and were able to stem the tide, secure some possession and get into the OMBAC 22 for the first time. There the big loosehead prop Will Fox was able to crash over. OMBAC 14, Dragons 5.
North Carolina Latest - Packed at the Top
Both Boys HS leagues in North Carolina are tight at the top as three or four in each league are pushing for 1st place.
In the single-school league in North Carolina, which includes 12 teams, Myers Park beat the Ardrey Kell Knights 31-14 to move to 5-0. Three teams - South Meck Sabres, WA Hough Huskies, and Providence Panthers - are 4-1.
South Meck slammed East Meck 109-0 this past weekend.
(Before you roll your eyes at East Meck, take note that East Meck is in a rebuilding year with a new coach and fronted up all day, even when they could have cut the game short.)
Jesuit New Orleans Wins in DC
Jesuit of New Orleans traveled to Washington D.C. this past weekend to take on national powerhouse Gonzaga High School’s Varsity Black squad in a first ever matchup between the programs.
This was not Gonzaga's top squad, but a 2nd-level varsity team, and still a tough competitor for any team.
Georgetown Prep Holds Off St. Joe's Prep
A cold and breezy day greeted the boys from Philadelphia for a Jesuit showdown between St. Joe's Prep and Georgetown Prep on Sunday leading to a very competitive game.
For St. Joe’s this game came two games after they beat Loyola Blakefield 22-12 on Friday.
“It was something we felt we needed to do,” said St. Joe’s Coach Brian McCloskey. “Playing Friday and Sunday is tough. Our goal was to get out ahead on Loyola and get ready for Georgetown Prep. We were ready for it, but it was good preparation for us.”
Bayou Hurricanes Win Key Game
The Bayou Hurricanes kicked off their torrid four-week stretch in Louisiana HS Rugby with a solid 45-12 victory over St. Paul's.
The visiting Bayou Hurricanes got off to a slow start again, with the hosts striking first and converting for a 7-0 St Paul’s lead. The winds started to pick up a bit and big No. 8 Elijah Hayes went in for the Hurricanes' first try. Wing Gabriel Cardenas converted for a 7-7 scoreline. St Paul’s would strike again before halftime, but missed the conversion. With only a few minutes left before the break, Bayou center Zavier Triplett cruised in and with the Cardenas conversion, the Hurricanes led 14-12 the break.
Kahuku Wins Again in Hawaii
Kahuku HS continued their winning ways in Hawaii, shutting out St. Francis 25-0 this past weekend.
Inside center Na'a Toaraa was the player of the game for the Red Raiders, but Kahuku also got some big plays from captain and openside flanker Mamea Owens, and vice captain Harmon Brown at outside center.
"This was one of our best defensive displays against a much larger St. Francis team," said Kahuku Head Coach Seamus Fitzgerald. "Offensively the teams cohesion started gelling this week as well. St Francis is a spectacular team to watch and have weapons in every position. We'll meet again in state playoffs."
Kahuku beat Kamehameha 34-10 the week before.
NorCal Latest - Tough Games for Top Teams
Jesuit, Danville, and Granite Bay won in the Northern California Premier league, and two had kind of a rough time of it.
Granite Bay moved to 3-0 in the Premier League with a tough 26-19 victory over Mother Lode.
SFGG Beats Pen Green
San Francisco Golden Gate won a meeting of highly-ranked Northern California teams as the #13 SFGG outfit beat #11 Peninsula Green in NorCal Top 5 competition Saturday.
Genesis Wins Utah Opener
It wasn’t pretty, but it was a win. That was the message Genesis Rugby Club Head Coach Tuli Vaitohi delivered to his team after they opened up the Utah club rugby season with a victory Saturday in the opening weekend of Utah Youth Rugby action.
It was a hard-nosed Brighton team that took on Genesis, but in the end, the Genesis depth proved to be too much for the home side to overcome, and Genesis won 49-15.
Tampa to 6-0
The Tampa Krewe made something of a statement in Florida Youth Rugby action with a convincing 33-3 win over Orlando.
Tampa is now 6-0.
Fullback Nice Heikkinen was player of the game for Tampa, while senior and captain Stephen Walters was excellent on his goalkicking and led from the front.
Tampa Coach Eric Saunders said he knows things will get tougher once the playoffs come, but his team is playing well.
"We're doing well so far," he said. "We're focused on continuous improvement in preparation for stronger competition coming from the East Coast and Miami area of Florida," said Saunders. "To be honest, we're a little bitter about losing a heartbreaker in the State Championship last year. I think everyone's eyes are focused on the prize."
Tampa now has beaten Naples twice and Orlando twice.
Lindenwood Tournament Day One
The Lindenwood Tournament returned this weekend with six top HS teams in action Saturday and Sunday.
On Saturday, despite chilly and snowy conditions at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Mo., all of the games were held.
Fort Hunt Beats Gonzaga
Fort Hunt, the #1-ranked HS club, defeated the #3 single-school team Gonzaga Saturday in a tense, physical game.
The run of play mostly favored Gonzaga, but Fort Hunt got two crucial early tries, held on desperately in defense despite two yellow cards, and won 19-12.
Union County Downs Charlotte Tigers
The Union County Lions defeated the Charlotte Tigers 32-15 in a huge North Carolina and MSIRL clash.
Both teams went into the game unbeaten, and both teams were missing players due to this being an SAT exam weekend. While this was a North Carolina Youth Rugby league game, it was also part of the new Mid-South Independent Rugby League (MSIRL).
"We just went at it playing the rugby we've been playing," said Union County Coaching Director Steve McAreavy. "We've been working on basic skills and just executing them well. It was a small field so we needed to be physical and work hard in the rucks."
