Green Takes South Carolina Final
Green Takes South Carolina Final
For the third year in a row Greer and Oceanside Collegiate Academy met in the South Carolina Boys HS State Championship, and Greer took the title for the second year in a row.
Greer won 28-22 in a back-and-forth affair featuring multiple lead changes.
Greer struck first with a line break and finish by senior flyhalf JW Sarkees, who sliced through the defense from 40 meters out, showing the vision and speed that got him an invite to the USA U18s 7s camp this past November. He converted his try to give Greer the early 7-0 lead. OCA would quickly respond. They combined strong forward play with quick ball out to the wing where Gavin Gaspar hit a big gap out wide and then broke multiple cover tackles on his way in from 60 meters out.
With the score tied 7-7, OCA struck again. Another big break from Gaspar got OCA to within five meters, where they were awarded a penalty. OCA went quick to lock Travis Anderson, who knifed through the defense for the try. This gave OCA their first lead, 12-7. On the ensuing restart Greer’s forward pack regained possession and went on the attack. They worked the ball down to OCA’s five meter and were awarded their own penalty. Big sophomore prop Jason Sprague took the quick tap and was over. With the conversion, Greer regained the lead at 14-12.
OCA was awarded a five meter scrum after a well-placed deep kick and worked a backrow play out to the wing for the try and a 17-14 halftime lead.
“OCA came into this game well prepared to stop our big forwards,” said Head Coach Warren Taylor. “Their captain and No. 8, Wes Stone, led an aggressive approach in the first half that really set a positive tone for them. Our team withstood the pressure and really hit them back in the second half.”
The second half saw Greer reestablish themselves as the dominant team in SC boys high school rugby. Back-to-back tries by Greer finally broke the game open for the defending champs. Junior prop Adrian Stancel scored first for Greer with a bruising run through the OCA defense. Senior center Eli Smith followed up with his own highlight reel run through the OCA defensive line finishing with a diving try in the corner. Eli showed the strength and speed that got him an invite to the u20s 15s camp this past December. An untimely yellow card saw Greer go down a man for the last 10 minutes of the match. OCA was able to capitalize early in the man advantage closing the gap to 28-22. The final minutes were hectic, but Greer’s defense stood tall to preserve the victory.
“I would like to thank my three assistant coaches. Without their commitment to helping coach this team, we would not have won another championship,” said Taylor. “We look forward to continuing to improve our play at a couple of upcoming marquee events; Ruggerfest next weekend and the Friendship Cup at the end of March.”
Junior prop Adrian Stancel was named Man of the Match with his hard running and tenacious defense. With tries at four apiece, JW Sarkees going 4-for-4 on conversions provided the added scoring needed to secure the win. In his two games against OCA, Sarkees went 9-for-9 on conversions. Sophomore flanker Will Durst and junior flanker MJ Myers both contributed big games in the win.
3rd Place
Wando beat Spring Hill 48-10 to take 3rd in South Carolina. Nick Flood scored three tries in that game and Jack Moran added two, while Wes Stanley, Bryce Farmer, and Brock Fienberg touched down.
Girls Championship
The SC Girls HS State Championship was played by two teams that also know each other well. In their third meeting of the winter season, Wando beat Oceanside 48-5 to claim the championship.
Wando was led by a dominant forward pack. They gained chunks of territory all match with huge runs from their forwards. OCA was missing two impact players but still found the heart to play the game much closer than the score indicated.
