Herriman Beats Highland, But It Costs
Herriman defeated Highland 31-14 on Friday night at Herriman High School in a high-level clash of Utah teams.
Herriman jumped out to an early 14-0 lead with tries from brothers Strider and Payton Fountaine. Highland came back to even the score at 14-14 at halftime, as Herriman struggled to overcome a serious injury to captain Jake Barker. The injury is bad news for Herriman, but the team rebounded in the second half, shutting out Highland and getting strong play from Ammon Sagala, Alec Perschon, Si'i Fifita, and Jackson Hammer.
KC Junior Blues Hold Off SLU HS
The KC Jr. Blues defeated a very tough in-state opponent, holding off a comeback by= St. Louis University High to win 33-26.
This has become a huge rivalry in recent years as the two teams have played in the state final in four of the last five seasons. Without starting No. 8 Ayden Augspurg, the Blues still started well, scoring the opening two tries to lead 12-0.
SLUH replied with a try, and the teams traded tries for a 19-12 KC lead at the break.
In the first 15 minutes of the second half, the Junior Blues scored two converted tries to seemingly put the game away 33-12.
But St. Louos University High wouldn't back down and scored two late tries to get within a score.
SLUH Coach Chris Keeven said his team usually ends up osing to KC by only a few points.
Redhawks Survive Elements, Copperheads For Win
The Raleigh Redhawks defeated the Clayton Copperheads 34 - 26 on Saturday in a game that almost didn’t happen.
Drama And Dominance In Louisiana SFs
Jesuit of New Orleans and the Bayou Hurricanes will fight it out for the Louisiana Boys HS state title after both won semifinals over the weekend, but those victories were as different as could be.
The Hurricanes won in dramatic fashion over Brother Martin, while Jesuit shut out the NOLA Barbarians in convincing fashion.
Brother Martin started strong against the Hurricanes, camping out in the Hurrcanes' half for most of the first 20 minutes. The Hurricanes defended well but Brother Martin did come away with two penalty goals for a 6-0 lead.
Things started to change a little after that, as the Hurricanes made some inroads and then moved the ball through the hands to Jansen Folse, who scored the first try of the game. That made it 6-5, and that's how the first half ended.
Jesuit Over Granite Bay In High Rankings Clash
In a battle of the #3 single-school boys HS team and the #2 HS club team, Jesuit of Sacramento defeated the Granite Bay Grizzlies 31-22.
The game was as expected, hugely physical and tight throughout. Jesuit was only able to pull away in the final team minutes. Down 22-21, the Marauders got a try, converted, and a penalty to seal the deal.
Centers Hunter Donaldson and Davin Kerry were physical and aggressive in a game where they needed to be.
(David Barpal photos.)
Defense, said Jesuit head coach John Shorey, was the difference in the final moments, but phase play was also critical.
“We were able to hold onto the ball longer with a mix of forward pick-and-goes before running the ball through the backs and using misdirected runners.”
A Massive Weekend In Boys HS Games
Once again a gentle reminder that several of the leagues around the country could do a better job reporting scores. Texas has been really good of late, and Oregon is outstanding in general. Some other states don't even have a schedule up yet.
This week, Florida goes into its semifinals. Watch out for Jacksonville, led by Nathan Schooling at flyhalf (what a great name for an athletic #10) and center Tony Robison, who is crazy fast, they could take the whole thing.
Louisiana is also into its semis. Jesuit NOLA has been building and buikding and looks really good. Cole Radetich has moved from wing to scrumhalf and has blossomed. But this is a team that is winnin up front.
Boys Nationals Update: Who Did What This Week
Here's Week 2 of our updates on how teams in the 2019 Boys HS Rugby National Championships are faring.
The Boys HSRNC competition will be held at the RAC in Salt Lake City, Utah, and will consist of three games for each team over three days, May 16-18.
The entire tournament will be LIVE on FloRugby (Click here for more—subscription required)
Here's what they did last week:
Redhawks Defeat Vienna
The Raleigh Redhawks defeated Vienna in Virginia despite having some players late to the game due to traffic.
Maryland Exiles Edge West Carroll
In a game that illustrated how close the top three teams in Rugby Maryland are, the Maryland Exiles were able to just get by West Carroll 15-14 this past weekend.
The Exiles dominated the first half and were rewarded with two unconverted tries. The first came in the 10th minute as the ball went through the Exiles backline to Wing Junior Kayembe. As he was tackled, Kayembe popped the ball up to supporting Flanker Elijah Ruspi. Ten minutes later is was Kutztown signee Center Noah Lucas who split the West Carroll defense to touch down in the corner. Halftime Maryland Exiles 10 West Carroll 0
Herriman Solid In Shutout Of Olympus
Herriman HS defeated Olympus 26-0 in a tough, physical game at Herriman HS last Saturday, winning a meeting between two ranked teams—Herriman is #4 and Olympus #12 in the FloRugby Single-School rankings.
Herriman was in control from the get-go and got first half tries from Connor Hyde, Isaac McQueen, and Payton Fountaine. Both teams played strong defense, but Herriman was able to finish off the few chances available.
Olympus made Herriman go phase by phase and be patient, while Herriman tackled extremely well and did not allow Olympus to have possession of the ball past midfield the entire half.
Jesuit Sacramento Wins Key Game vs De La Salle
Jesuit of Sacramento defeated De La Salle 48-7 a battle of top single-school teams in California.
Jesuit already defeated SoCal CIF champ St. John Bosco, and De La Salle defeated SoCal runner-up St. Augustine. So this was a de-facto final to see which was the top single-school team in the state. Jesuit put in a nice mixture of kicking for territory and running to space was too much to De La Salle.
"This was a nice team effort," said Jesuit Head Coach John Shorey.
Hooker Logan Carter scored two tries, while flyhalf Jack Marchant was very effective with the boot. Outside center Max Schumacker scored two tries while No. 8 Soren Peterson led the defensive effort.
Next up for Jesuit will be Granite Bay.
Boys HS Games March 27-31
The leagues are expanding now that March is concluding. Look for April to really heat up.
Check back for scores.
Woodlands Holds Come And Take It Tourney
The Woodlands Youth Rugby Club held its second annual ‘Come and Take It’ Rugby Tournament in The Woodlands, TX over Spring Break. Woodlands Rugby along with Rugby Texas and Tournament title sponsor Waste Connections hosted over 600 players representing 38 teams from across Texas on March 16 at The Woodlands Township Gosling Sports Fields. Both boys and girls ranging in age from 5 to 18 came together for what is again being recognized as the largest youth Rugby tournament to ever be held in the State of Texas according to officials with Rugby Texas, the youth rugby organizer for the State of Texas.
Herriman Defeats Rival East In Tight Utah Clash
NIT invitees East and Herriman met Saturday at Herriman HS in a game with huge implications in league standings in Utah’s Single School Tier 1 division. With both teams entering the game ranked in the top 10 nationally, the game had the makings of an instant classic, and it did not disappoint.
There is always a bit of familiarity when these teams play, as the several members of both coaching staffs are alums of the old Highland Rugby program, and added familiarity to boot as East boasts two starters in fullback Quincy Sandoval and No. 8 Talin Finau that began their careers with Herriman before moving to the East area at different points.
Tonia McPeak photos
Boys HS Nationals Update: Who's Doing What
Twenty-four teams will compete in the 2019 Boys HS Rugby National Championships.
The competition will be held at the RAC in Salt Lake City, Utah, and will consist of three games for each team over three days, May 16-18.
The entire tournament will be LIVE on FloRugby (Click here for more—subscription required)
How are these teams doing so far? Let's take a look:
