Rattlesnakes Strike in NC
The Raleigh Rattlesnakes defeated the Charlotte Tigers 33-5 to win the North Carolina high school club title.
Budd Bay Sets Date with Liberty in Washington
Liberty will meet Budd Bay in the Rugby Washington DI Boys final after both won their semifinals on Saturday.
It was a difficult victory for Liberty, as they were held to only 17 points by Eastside. But it was enough, as the Patriots prevailed 17-13.
Meanwhile, Budd Bay avenged their home loss to Kent a couple of weeks ago by beating the Crusaders 36-28. In the previous game, Budd Bay scored seven tries, but failed to convert a single one as both of the team’s goalkickers were unavailable. That wasn’t the case this weekend, as Lui Sitama was back at fullback and converted three of six tries to help secure the win.
Budd Bay Head Coach Trevor Anderson acknowledged Sitamas open field play, as well.
“It was his counter-attacking abilities that Kent had trouble with,” said Anderson. “Lui is an aggressive ballcarrier who breaks most tackles.”
East Takes Colorado Title
At least they got the game in before the snow came.
East HS defeated Regis Jesuit 10-5 in the Rugby Colorado Boys DI championship game Saturday at Infinity Park in Glendale, Colo. It was a cold, rainy day and that didn’t lend itself to smooth ball-handling, and certainly both teams had their share of knock-ons. That put scoring at a premium, and in fact the teams changed ends with a 0-0 halftime score.
United Wins Utah Multi-School Title
In a close, tense encounter United Rugby Club defeated the Orem Stallions 18-10 to take the Utah Youth Rugby HS club title Saturday.
It was a rainy day at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City and the slick conditions made it difficult for teams to hold onto the ball. And while it wasn't the prettiest of spectacles, it was the same for everyone. United led most of the way, but couldn't shake Orem. It wasn't until late in the game that Ben Griffin raced in to turn a 13-10 score into 18-10.
United Head Coach Colin Puriri said that it was nice to close out a tight game for once.
"The last few weeks we've been on a good role, and it was really good to win this one," Puriri said. "We played a good, physical game. They have some excellent players, including D'Arman Notoa, who might be the best player in the state."
Snow Canyon Takes Utah Single-School
Snow Canyon won the Utah Boys single-school championship, defeating Herriman 16-15 on a rainy Saturday at the University of Utah on the final play of the game.
The two tams went back and forth in a tight contest, and while Snow Canyon played well in the early going, could only produce two penalty goals from Sam Slivers. Meanwhile, Herriman scored twice to lead 10-6.
Herriman then broke through the Snow Canyon defense to score and take a commanding 15-6 lead.
It seemed as if Herriman would hold on, but, Snow Canyon got into Herriman territory, and then ran a nifty backline move that put fullback Richmond Anderson in under the posts. Suddenly, it was 15-13.
“That’s a play we work on and the boys made the call and executed it,” said Snow Canyon coach Jay Day.
Clash of Titans in Pacific Cup
The Pacific Cup capped off Saturday with a massive clash between Danville and Kahuku, as expected.
Here’s a rundown.
State Champs!
Here’s a quick rundown of some state championships this weekend
Tennessee State Final
South Doyle 24-18 Ravenwood
South Carolina State Final
South Greenville 13-6 Wando
North Carolina State Final
Raleigh Rattlesnakes 33-5 Charlotte Tigers
DC/Maryland MAVRC Final
Gonzaga 20-8 Georgetown Prep
Colorado DI Final
East HS 10-5 Regis Jesuit
(3rd/4th PAC over Colorado Springs 38-7)
Colorado DII Final
Fort Collins 26-24 Titans
Kansas State Final
St. Thomas Aquinas 38-12 KC Cougars
Missouri State Final
Gonzaga over Georgetown Prep for MAVRC
Gonzaga 20 - Georgetown Prep 8
With a crowd of thousands watching on, the MARVC Championship played out closer than many expected, with Georgetown Prep pushing Gonzaga to the edge.
It was 15-8 for Gonzaga until the very end of the game, when Reggie Corbin’s try put it away and won the championship 20-8 for the top-ranked single-school team.
Gonzaga started the game firing on all pistons, and after a series of multi-phase movements got a mismatch at the tryline and prop Jack Carroll punched over at the three minute mark. The Eagles kept the pressure on, trying to use their size advantage, battering the smaller Prep team in tight and then looking to get their speed free on the outside.
The Hoyas were staunch in defense, but could not break out of their own half.
Finals Set in Utah
The finals for Utah Youth Rugby's two Boys HS championships are set, with one major upset.
The Orem Stallions defeated the West Valley Warriors 27-14 to make the final of the Utah Multi-School playoffs. They will take on United, which defeated Wasatch 34-12 Friday night.
The final between the two will kick off at 4:30 Mountain Time on Saturday, and will be streamed like at http://sfan.tv/sfan/0 4.30pm MDT
Meanwhile, in the single-school bracket, it was as expect. Snow Canyon handed East HS a 46-26 loss to make the title match, while Herriman beat Olympus 37-19.
Saturday's final will kick off at 3pm Mountain Time and will be streamed live at http://sfan.tv/sfan/0
Liberty Leads Field in RugbyWa Playoffs
The semifinals in Rugby Washington kick off Saturday and it’s hard to imagine any team other than Liberty winning it all … unless you’re Budd Bay.
If Budd Bay can get by their longtime rival Kent in the semis, the Barbarians have a good shot at defeating the 9-1 Patriots. That’s because, in their team meetings this season, the teams have been separated by just three points each time - a 17-14 Budd Bay win at Liberty March 21, and a 20-17 Liberty win at Budd Bay April 25.
“Budd Bay has given us problems for years,” said Liberty Head Coach Jeff Candler. “No matter how good a team we’ve had, they’ve stepped up. Their U17s have beaten us three years in a row for the state championship. Counting those games, and a U19 final, they’ve upset us four times in the state final.”
Four Left in Oregon HS Clubs
There's very little between the four HS club teams left in Rugby Oregon.
Sure Beaverton ended the season 10-0, but their victories over Eastside and Linn Benton (26-22 and 10-3) were pretty tight. Even #4 seed Bend has been a physical test for all concerned.
Linn Benton Head Coach Drew Wolf knows that confidence is a good thing - his team feels it - but tat confidence can also be a curse.
"We played Polk this past weekend and it was a really, really physical game, and I think it's exactly what our guys needed," he said. "We don't want them going into the playoffs feeling overly comfortable. Young players can get it in their minds that they're going to win, and don't put the work in to win. It's sort of a High School Hubris. Like you don't expect the other team to play hard against you."
Playoff Time!
It’s a big championship weekend around Boys HS rugby, as some playoffs begin, and some end.
South Doyle faces off with Ravenwood in the Tennessee state final at Middle Tennessee State University. Ravenwood hammered Christian Brothers in the semis, with scrumhalf Jeffrey Rein - off to Furman University in the fall - scoring fire tries, and No. 8 JB Williams (another future Furman freshman) leading the defensive effort.
South Doyle has been constantly strong all season, bolstered by players from a 12-1 football program (or perhaps the 12-1 football program was bolstered by the rugby team). This will be a huge clash.
Wando, South Greenville, Clash for SC Title
South Carolina’s Wando viewed themselves as perhaps one of the top 20 teams in the country last year, perhaps better.
Pacific Cup Latest
Latest Scores from the Pacific Cup (NOTE - Day Two action was moved to the University of San Diego after the Little Q was flooded)
