Iowa HS Season Underway - in 7s
The Iowa Youth Rugby Association single-school season is underway, and it’s a competition that’s different from others because the league is 7-a-side rugby.
This is the plan of IYRA Director Chris Draper, who reasoned he could get single-school teams of seven to twelve players much more easily than the 20-30 or more players you need for 15s. The plan has worked very well, with short Friday night 7s tournaments being the order of the day.
Last week, three venues hosted events April 3, with six teams - SE Polk, Ankeny Centennial, Ankeny Hawks, Boone, Cedar Falls, and Winterset, going 2-0, while Waterloo East won one game and tied another.
Brigham Campbell of Boone led the day with five tries, while Christian Heimer and Joey Snyder (both Ankeny Centennial), as well as Ankeny Hawks’ Brad Phipps, scored three.
Charlotte Catholic Needs Competition to Grow
Charlotte Catholic HS is looking to make something of a statement at the Jesuit Classic, as the team caps off something of a rebuilding period.
After some lean recruiting years, the program was taken under the leadership of Ramon Villacura, who resolved to work hard to get students at the school to consider rugby (yes, even in a varsity program you ave to recruit). The result was a promising but young 2014 team that Villacura opted not to send to the Boys HS National Invitational Championship. This year, Charlotte Catholic is indeed going to the NIC (it is in their hometown after all), with a slightly - slightly - more seasoned team.
“I have in the varsity squad three sophomores,” said Villacura. “We have some good players but they are still lacking in rugby maturity. They want to fight, they want to work hard and get better, which is good.”
Mountain View Keeps Winning in Idaho
Mountain View continued its strong run in Idaho building on their 2014 state championship.
Jesuit Classic at Gonzaga
It’s a cavalcade of powerhouses as the 6th Annual Jesuit Classic kicks off in Leesburg, Va. Saturday morning.
Eight top Boys HS programs will field nine teams in the Varsity competition, while JV and Freshman brackets will also feature teams.
Among the Varsity participants are five ranked teams, plus the #1 team’s 2nd side. The other three are all on the cusp of Goff Rugby Report’s rankings. In addition, there’s a ranked team in the JV bracket, as well.
Defending NIT champs Gonzaga are the hosts, and are ranked as the #1 single-school team by GRR. Gonzaga has two very strong 15s and should have no trouble doing well with both sides.
St. Thomas Wins Key Game
St. Thomas pulled off a huge victory Thursday evening as they beat Houston rivals Cy-Fair 42-11 in Rugby Texas South Division play.
With the victory, St. Thomas finished their regular-season schedule with a 5-2 record. Cy-Fair dropped to 4-2. With Woodlands set to take the division, St. Thomas is now in position to claim 2nd if Cy-Fair beats Kingwood next week, or if Kingwood fails to get a bonus-point win over Cy-Fair.
“This was a big win for us,” said St. Thomas Coach Jim Wolfinger. “They are a good team, big and physical, but our guys showed they know how to play tough defense and be hard young men.”
Flanker and captain Payton Pardee had a strong game once again, and Josh Pane, George Michael, Nate McKinney, and Robert Gonzales all contributed to a solid forward effort.
In the backs, Santiago Gonzalez continued to play well.
Gamebreakers - HS Boys This WeekDerek Womak, Lake Travis, Texas
A big, imposing ballcarrier, Womak has helped propel Lake Travis to a 5-1 record in the Rugby Texas North Division.
Leki Fotu, Herriman, Utah
A physical presence for HSAA U17s, Fotu captained the HSAA team to a win over Belgium.
Jack Abom, Cumberland Valley, Pa.
The center scored three tries and was brilliant in poaching possession as Cumberland Valley defeated rivals West Shore United.
Will Brennan, Seattle
Brennan’s first try sparked a comeback that he helped cap with a second try as Seattle overhauled Kent 31-26.
Jack Desmond, Brother Rice, Chicago, Illl.
The flyhalf showcased some slippery running skills and good vision as Brother Rice defeated Mt. Carmal.
2015 Boys HS Club Rankings Week 10
With the cold-weather states getting going we will see a few more teams break into the HS Club Rankings. This week, a solid body of work gets Mississippi, KC Cougars, Kingswood, and Beaverton in. West Valley moves up one again thanks to another big result, this time beating United.
But this week we can give you a little look into how we decide some of these things, and how thin the thread can be. We had Eastside out of Oregon ranked last week, along with Clark County.
Aircraft Charter Solutions PoW - Sam Slivers
You hear talk about "leading by example" but for different rugby players it means different things.
For Sam Slivers, our Aircraft Charter Solutions Player of the Week, it means working hard every day at practice. It means "don't take anything lightly." But for others who talk about Slivers, it might be that at 5-9, 160 he's not your prototypical inside center - especially in a big-boy state like Utah - and yet he fronts up against much larger opposition and wins, using his skill, bravery, and intelligence to lead Snow Canyon HS to the top of the state heap.
Snow Canyon Victorious in SoCal
Snow Canyon HS in St. George Utah took a short trip to Southern California over the weekend, with their JV team losing a close game to Tri-Cities and their varsity handing the San Diego Mustangs a 43-3 defeat in Poway, Calif.
“We’re in rural southern Utah and we end up traveling a lot for rugby,” said Snow Canyon Coach Jay Day. “It’s just as far for us to travel to Southern California as it is to go to Northern Utah. So we go there looking for quality opponents, and a different style of play.”
Traditionally, Utah rugby usually focuses on a power game, whereas Southern California teams are smaller and move the ball a bit more. It’s a more free-flowing style and it is a style Snow Canyon likes to play. Snow Canyon has developed a relationship with the Mustangs.
Olympus Returns from PNW Tour
Olympus HS has returned to Utah after a successful tour of the Pacific Northwest.
Olympus started the trip with a wild one against Capital HS in Idaho, winning the game by two points (or tying it, depending on who you ask). They then followed up with a game against the Seattle Vikings, which Olympus won 41-19.
Then on to British Columbia, where the Utah squad defeated Lord Tweedsmuir 38-12, and wrapped it up perhaps their most impressive rest, a 41-15 defeat of the Burnaby Lake U18 team. Burnaby Lake led 10-7 at halftime in that final came, and Tyler Ringwood was brought in at halftime and he, along with Mason Draper and Jack Anderson sparked a comeback that turned into a romp.
Next up for Olympus is a clash with vaunted United in a non-league game. United has run into a couple of road blocks so far this season, but remains a formidable side.
Jr. Blues Tops STA
The Kansas City Junior Blues edged St. Thomas Aquinas 31-24 over the weekend in a game that’s not part of any league, but is usually considered the battle for Kansas City rugby supremacy.
It might well be, although the Kansas City Cougars are still trying to make it three’s a crowd.
For the Blues, it was a good bounce back after losing in the final of the Heart of America tournament to Union out of Oklahoma. Certainly the players were eager to finish the game off - perhaps too eager.
“We would have done better if we didn’t give up about 50 penalties,” said Jr. Blues Coach Eddie Cummings. “We spent more time being offsides than anything else. When we had the ball, we scored. We just kept committing penalties.”
2015 Boys Single-School Rankings Week 10
A relatively slow weekend as Easter put several teams on the sidelines. Several teams, such as Belmont HS, Union (Oregon), Capital and Mountain View out of Idaho, and Oklahoma's Bixby move in.
Got to Get that Tackle Jacket
The Maryland Exiles may have blown out Frederick this weekend in Rugby Maryland league play, but the well-regarded club has a rival this year, and they already know how tough.
North Bay tied the Exiles 28-28 last week, and it was a message to all in the state that there’s a challenger for the top spot. North Bay is now 3-0-1 in league play, and looking to finish undefeated.
Kahuku Dominates in Hawaii
The Kahuku HS Red Raiders won the Hawaii Youth Rugby Boys HS championship Saturday after a dominating performance through three matches.
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The Red Raiders did not allow a try in defeating Waikiki Beach 26-0, Waimea 60-3, and the Kalihi Raiders 36-0 in the final.
Kalihi had pulled off a bit of a surprise, defeating perennial contenders Hilo Reign in the semis.
STHS, Lake Travis in Midst of Texas Playoff Rush
The Rugby Texas Boys HS leagues has been like an ocean, with the tides and waves shifting and changing throughout the season.
