Around the Nation in HS Rugby
Around the Nation in HS Rugby
Around the nation in Boys HS Rugby.
Boys HS Rugby Scores April 3-7
Southern California
We’re coming up to two Boys HS National Championships play-ins in Southern California this coming weekend, with San Diego Mustangs vs Thunder, and SOC Raptors vs Belmont Shore.
The Mustangs have already seemingly established themselves as the leading team (so far) in SoCal having beaten Belmont Shore, and then SOC Raptors 48-13.
“Our defense is in form and our attack is improving,” said Mustangs Coach Ramon Samaniego. “But our discipline is atrocious. If we don’t get our penalty count down, we could be in big trouble in the close games we expect in Elkhart.”
Having beaten Raptors, and the Raptors having beaten Thunder, then you would logically expect the Mustangs to beat Thunder. Of course the Mustangs coaches wouldn’t want GRR to say that. They want to approach the next game with a full level of concern.
Regardless, San Diego is favored against a very good Thunder team. The big question next week is the Raptors vs Belmont Shore game. That game could well be very close—few are willing to make a prediction.
Belmont Shore lost to the Mustangs 29-5 on March 22.
Northern California Premier
See our report here: NorCal Latest: Granite Bay, DLS, Jesuit Win. SFGG Looms
Northern California Gold
On a pleasant spring day in Sacramento the Carmichael Hawks defeated Elsie Allen 40-7 to rebound from last week's loss to Lamorinda. Wing Nick Visaca scored three tries and center Sakiusa Tikotani scored 22 points on two tries, two penalty goals, and three conversions to lead the Hawks.
Overall, though, the defense was the story for Carmichael.
Meanwhile, Lamorinda beat Sacramento Air 48-31.
Lamorinda’s forward pack set the tone early and prop Vita Tuapaki bulldozed over the line twice. Flyhalf Thomas Parrot directed play with composure and flair, slicing through the defense for two well-taken tries. He and No. 8 OC Lehner were named players of the game.
Support came from all areas of the field. Flanker John Sharky Tamale crashed over for a try after sustained forward pressure, while scrumhalf Romel Mariano sniped over from close range. On the wings, Will Puamau used his pace to finish off a flowing backline move, and center Micah Anum added to the tally with a clinical finish. Elliott Lewis, also in the centers, slotted four conversions from eight attempts.
Sac Air showed resilience and flair of their own, keeping the scoreboard ticking with 31 points, thanks in part to strong showings from their key players. Flyhalf Issac Koi kept the Lamorinda defense guessing, while No. 8 Wayne Koi led from the front with powerful carries and solid defense, both earning Man of the Match honors for their side.
Ohio
St. Ignatius has a habit of scoring tries late to pull away and this week was no different. An intercept try and one helped along by penalties saw St. Xavier of Cincinnati score on the Cleveland team, but Ignatius took a 28-14 lead into halftime. As the game wore on, and despite some unforced errors, the Wildcats built on that lead and ended up winning 64-14.
There were some bright spots for St. Xavier, notable inside center and captain Sam McNab and try-scorers Nate Hodapp and Mikey Ealy. But Ignatius, especially their forwards, were powerful in contact and finished well. Jacob Papesh and newly-minted Naval Academy commit Connor Bender were very good, while flanker Mason Hartley was tireless and produced one of the more impressive tries of the day. The best might have been Chris Perez's effort when he saw a chance for a grubber, regathered his kick and outpaced the chasers. Or it might have been a nice interplay of offloads for Jimmy Coughlin to score in the corner.
Rafe Gabrovsek continues to be very difficult to play against.
Oklahoma
F5 held off Bixby 19-12 on a cold day in the Sooner State. This was a rematch of the state final from 2024. Bixby opened the scoring with an interception, and held that until late in the first half, forcing turnovers in their 22 to stymie F5 scoring chances.
But as halftime approached F5 wing battled through contact to go over in the corner.
In the second half neither team was able to break through, and it wasn’t until the final eight minutes or so that anyone scored. At that point F5 flyhalf Lucas Willette broke through a series of tacklers to score. Fullback Jonny Haxton converted and it was 12-7 for F5.
Bixby responded immediate to tie it up. But with just a few minutes left fullback Ryan Martindale went over to give F5 the lead, and Haxton converted to seal it.
F5 prop Tupetaiki Manuotalaha was named player of the game.
Massachusetts
North Carolina
Rivalry Battle as Charlotte Cardinals Hold Off Charlotte Tigers
Pennsylvania
Doylestown Keeps Winning in PA
Connecticut
Dramatic Ending Friday Night in Connecticut
New Jersey
Morris Lions defeated Bridgewater 53-21 in a nice rebound after losing to St. Augustine the week before. Head Coach Adam Brennan said his team learned a lot from that loss and showed some of the improvements a week later.
Sophomore center Ian Gamboa led the way offensively with three tries while his midfield partner, Jean Luc Doumbe, scored two. Flankers Brandon Reitman and Jackson Levine and wing Donovan Chang all scored tries.
"While we have strong senior leadership—seven seniors—Morris has nine freshmen and sophomores starting and others getting great experience as finishers. There is a renewed enthusiasm in our program and we are excited for the rest of the season and our future."
Brennan stepped in to coach after thr tragic death of coach Troy Bartley and the club leadership has put together an impressive coaching staff including Kurt Murrell, Rich Corney, Don Slade, Neil Hogan, and recent St Bonaventure graduate Ethan Doumbe.
"Ethan has been invaluable in bringing fresh ideas to practice plans based on his experience from one of the nation's best college programs," said Brennan.
Single-School Update
New Trier out of Illinois hosted touring Valor from Colorado in a clash of leading teams from the two states. Led by a strong game from twin brothers Douw O’Kelly and Arian O’Kelly at scrumhalf and flyhalf, New Trier put together one of their better performances of the spring. Captain and flanker Jayden Salazar led the defense and constantly made the gainline.
Valor controlled most of the territory and possession and looked very organized. But the New Tier defense was excellent, while Arian O’Kelly’s goalkicking—two conversions and two penalty goals—proved the difference in the 20-12 victory and was named Man of the Match.
Florida
After a rough loss last week Jacksonville rebounded this week with a 58-26 victory over Wellington. That win put the Wolverines into 2nd place in Florida, behind unbeaten Key Biscayne. Although, it's important to point out that Okapi White has two games left on the schedule, and it's likely that one of them, against their 2nd side, Okapi Pink, will be a forfeit by Pink. So Okapi White will probably end up 6-1.
That means all eyes will probably be on Jacksonville vs Key Biscayne.
"Last week was good, and a confidence boost to putting us back on the right track," said Jacksonville Head Coach Aaron Church. "It was a complete team effort. We saw the forwards really step up this past week."
Isaac Swain, Noah Thiessen, and Daniel Gluntz ran well and scored a few tries. Matt Brown-Ramos scored a try and kicked a further 16 points for a total of 21. Slade Castle-Pierce scored two.
"We were able to spread the attack and really increase the pace of our ball movement," added Church. "Everyone seems to be hitting peak form and showing well, which is what we need to enter this weekend. To beat teams like Key Biscayne and Okapi, we have to be fit and disciplined, play on the right side of the whistle, and keep penalties and mistakes at a low. Both of those teams bring a wealth of experience from Argentina, so we have to be disciplined on both sides of the ball offense and defense and play to our strengths of speed and physicality."
| Florida HS League | W | L | T | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
| Key Biscayne | 6 | 0 | 0 | 178 | 75 | 103 | 24 |
| Jacksonville | 4 | 2 | 0 | 208 | 102 | 106 | 18 |
| Okapi Pink | 4 | 2 | 0 | 122 | 132 | -10 | 18 |
| Okapi White | 4 | 1 | 0 | 164 | 93 | 71 | 17 |
| Wellington | 2 | 4 | 1 | 169 | 205 | -36 | 14 |
| Tampa | 2 | 4 | 1 | 140 | 184 | -44 | 14 |
| Ft. Lauderdale | 1 | 5 | 0 | 86 | 176 | -90 | 9 |
| Boca Jrs | 1 | 6 | 0 | 108 | 208 | -100 | 8 |
Montana
Week 2 in Montana saw Helena win big over Yellowstone paced by four tries from Hagen Paddock and nine conversions from Nathan Mohs. Gallatin won fairly comfortably over Cascade, with Kaysen Konkol scoring two tries and totalling 26 points; seven other players scored tries.
