Oregon Champs Impress in NorCal
The Union Titans, defending Oregon single-school champions, took a short trip to California to kick off their season.
The Titans played a series of shortened matches with some DI teams from Northern California, defeating the Cougars 19-5 and Sierra 35-12 on Saturday. On Sunday, the Titans defeated the Sac Eagles 31-19 and the Cougars 36-5.
“Serra played a good game and the Cougars and Eagles also showed a lot of heart and were tough opponents,” said Union Head Coach David Curle.
Curle took 30 players on the trip and the Union B side also got some game time in. Their 1st 15 features seven players who made all-state last year, and the Titans certainly look in good shape to contend again in Oregon this year.
Hurricanes Storming Through Deep South
Watch out for the Bayou Hurricanes.
The Louisiana HS club continued winning big this weekend with an impressive 51-5 defeat of Niceville in the Deep South HS Conference. that victory put the Hurricanes at 3-0 in the Deep South. They were led by Demery Reener, who scored four tries, and Hunter Breit, who scored two. Xavier Triplett, Reese Guidry, and James Williams all touched down once, while Breit added three conversions on a windy day.
Niceville did not travel as strong as they like to, played hard until the end and were rewarded with a try late.
Rugby Georgia Latest
The 3rd week of Rugby Georgia’s season had two matches on the slate with the feature game being played between the Titans and Trojans.
La Costa Canyon Puts Exclamation Point on Season
The undefeated La Costa Canyon Mavericks took on the winless Poway Titans under clear skies on an unusually warm February night Friday to finish up the Southern California Varsity Red regular season.
Both teams had numerous players missing due the long weekend, but to both team’s credit they were able to field full rosters of 23 players.
From the start, Poway opted to kick deep only to find LCC fullback and captain Patrick French, who took off on a hard counterattack and looked like he would go all the way. French was brought down on the Poway five-meter line, but LCC recycled the ball quickly, only to be penalized for obstruction, alleviating pressure for Poway.
NAV Selects Chosen for Vegas
The National Athletic Village (NAV) has selected an all-star studded side for the Las Vegas Invitational U18 Varsity pool. The NAV Selects held tryouts in January and February in partnership with Tiger Rugby to identify talent in the Carolinas, California and Texas that were hungry to prove themselves as some of the best high school players in the country.
Florida Latest - Orlando, Pirates Surge
Orlando rebounded from their first loss of the Florida Youth Rugby season to defeat previously-unbeaten Riviera Beach Maritime Academy 26-19 this past weekend.
The victory was important as it vaulted Orlando back up to 3-1, now essentially tied with RBMA. Meanwhile, Jupiter edged Okapi 19-10 and Tampa beat winless West Pines 32-10 to remain undefeated at 4-0.
For Orlando, the win was a testament to the players' heart, as they came back from 19-0 down.
"The boys showed a lot of grit and fought hard," said Orlando Coach Chris Quigley. "We have improved greatly. The game structure and pattern has improved. We were able to spread the ball wide. My backs are really starting to come from steep."
With solid work in the set pieces and in first-phase attack, the Orlando players are starting to make better decisions as the game flows.
South Greenville Wins Rivalry Match
South Greenville sits atop the South Carolina Boys DI HS league after an impressive 36-0 defeat of Greenville HS this past weekend.
Wando, with an 18-0 shutout of the Ravens, keeps pace at 2-0, while Chapin, having lost two very close games, claimed a close win over Aiken.
Greenville HS lot their inspiration No. 8 Avery Crouch early in their clash with South Greenville, and that hurt them. But South Greenville, which didn't graduate many players from last year, was a powerful force in general, especially in the forwards.
Lock Ethan Kannenberg had a superb game in only his second game of ruck, using his size to dominate the set piece. Jackson Clark was effective at scrumhalf, running the South Greenville offense, and Grant Weston was also tough to stop.
Woodlands, St. Pius Make Statements in Texas
The Woodlands made something of a statement this weekend with a 34-14 victory over highly-regarded St. Thomas in Rugby Texas action.
In an intense, physical clash, both teams boasted large and physically gifted forwards, which were relatively evenly-matched. The game, then turned on the fact that the Woodlands backs were the better.
Woodlands junior flyhalf Kieren Farmer returned to action for the first time after an ATV accident in December, and showed no ill effects from his time off. The all-state player used his impressive speed to score two tries on breathtaking runs. Wing Kameron Gladney added two tries and was active defensively all day, while centers Eugene Bizer and Jose Maria Guzman also were able to find space on the outside for tries.
Mira Costa, Bosco to SoCal Varsity White Final
Mira Costa will play St. John Bosco in the final of Southern California's Varsity White Conference after both won semifinals this weekend.
Mira Costa defeated a tough Rancho Bernardo team 47-7 to continue the Mustangs' dominant play this winter. Rancho is experienced and athletic, but the Mira Costa squad has been playing some inspired rugby of late. Costa exerted pressure early and got over the tryline four times, only to be held up by the tenacious RB defenders.
Granite Bay to 2-0
Granite Bay moved to 2-0 in the Northern California Varsity Premier with a 30-19 defeat of Mother Lode.
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Flyhalf Desi Streater continues to have a strong season, and he scored two tries. Big forward David Hall scored a nice try set up by Justin Oles, who shredded the defense before offloading.
Torrey Pines Streaks On - to Varsity Red Final
Torrey Pines clinched a spot in the Southern California Varsity Red final after securing a bonus-point victory over St. Augustine Friday night.
With the win, Torrey Pines moved six points ahead of rivals Cathedral Catholic, and so can't be caught even if Cathedral wins and scores four tries.
The game itself was held on Senior Night and, as TP head Coach Matty Sandoval explained, "it was a typical Senior Night game, a bit disjointed at times. But the guys showed up and made plays when they had to."
HS Boys Games This Weekend
It's a busy weekend in Boys HS rugby.
We've already written some league-specific previews for Florida, Northern California Premier, and Southern California, and there will be some more info coming.
RBMA Looks for 4-0 in Florida
The big game in Florida Youth Rugby's Boys HS DI has to be Riviera Beach Maritime Academy at Orlando.
RBMA is 3-0 and Orlando is 2-1 and in this very tight and competitive Florida league, already these clashes are starting to carry some weight.
For Riviera Beach, the season started with two very, very close wins, before they exploded for 56 points against Naples.
SoCal Finals to be Decided
The Southern California leagues are coming down to the wire, with the Varsity Red still in question and the Varsity White down to semifinals.
In the Varsity White, no one was happy with the fact that University City v View Park had to be decided by a series of coin tosses after the game was found to be a tie, not a View Park win.
Nonetheless, it worked out for UC, as they won the coin tosses 3-2 and host St. John Bosco this weekend. Bosco knows what it’s like to play a tough game with View Park, having beaten them 24-20 at the beginning of the season.
Bosco is 6-1 in league and playoff action, although two of those wins were by forfeit (played, but not official). Their win over Dead Rabbits last week was a very closely-contested one, and they will need to be better and more clinical to take care of the Honey Badgers.
Falcons Shock Danville
The new-look Solano-Yolo Falcons claimed a big scalp Thursday night with a 28-22 defeat of the Danville Oaks in the Northern California Premier Varsity division.
Solo is the result of a merger between Dixon HS, which won the national single-school title in 2012, and two clubs nearby. The idea was to add 30 or so players to ensure depth in the Premier, which requires teams to field three sides each week. In fact, the additional players numbered only eight, but Head Coach Rob Salaber said those players were crucial to ensuring that Solo would be able to play in the Premier.
Last week, Solo beat Lamorinda 24-10 in a game where Salaber said his team did not play well. This time around, against the defending NorCal club champion Oaks, Solo was much better.
