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.
