We are wrapping up the Boys HS season with our final rankings.
Here below is the final Top 50 for High School club teams. We had a few games following the HS National Championships, most of these being championship and playoff games. In the end, we have very little to change near the top. The teams in the top 30 or so did what was expected of them and we end up not moving anyone.
There is some movement lower down—and you see really a correlation between the teams that had more action after nationals, and where we see the level of play. Many of the states where competition probably had a tougher time coming out of COVID, and thus had trouble playing out-of-state, are ranked a bit lower. These, coincidentally, are often the leagues that held championships in late May or early June.
This isn't always the case, but there seems to be a connection somehow.
We got to see Warrior and Dayton in-person and that was good. Warrior won the D2 final in Ohio in commanding fashion, while Dayton won the D1 club final is a close one. But the thing is, Dayton's overall schedule was tougher. We like Watkins Warriors a lot—they're a fun team to watch—but we end up rewarding the tougher schedule.
Overall it has been a really good season in HS Clubs. many that started slowly put together something special at the end. Numbers are getting back to the levels pre-COVID. Ultimately we hope these rankings serve as a way to drive interest and fun. We also think that the overall message should be: play someone new, play someone different. The attraction of rugby should be that it isn't like other sports. We break bread with the opposition after a game; players often embrace after spending 70 minutes knocking each other down. And one of the things we do is, we tour.
Yes you can go overseas (if you want to, check out Irish Rugby Tours for how to get that done), but sometimes a trip to Tennessee or Arizona or Florida can be just as instructive, just as bonding, just as intriguing. And if you're winning a lot, you should be seeking out ways to play a team that will beat you. Not for the rankings per se, but because the lesson should be that the game is the thing, the competition is the thing, and there is always someone better.
To fool yourself or your team into thinking they are the very best at anything when they aren't does no one any good.
