Leagues start, finals are decided, and tournaments held. It was a great way to end February in high school rugby.
Southern California
Oceanside edged San Clemente 29-24 to win the Multi-School school-season final in SoCal. Led by the center pairing of Exzodus Taele and Malachi Misa as well as captain Thomas Reynoso Oceanside completed an unbeaten season.
In the Single-School final ... the game was postponed and will be played tonight, March 4.
Northern California
We did report on Jesuit beating De La Salle in a close one, but the big win was Rio Americano beating St. Ignatius San Francisco.
It was an expected win for Rio and sets up the Northern California School Open Final against St. Francis. That game will happen Saturday. Meanwhile, in Southern California, Torrey Pines plays Orange Lutheran tonight, Wednesday, March 4. That game was originally slated to occur on Saturday but had to be rescheduled.
Also in Northern California, in the D1 division, Junipero Serra beat Bishop O'Dowd in impressive fashion 47-19.
Due to a quirk in the format of the league, O'Dowd remains #1 in the league because they have played more league games.
Serra runs well inside and that creates space out wide. Carson Strain scored three tries on the day, and Drew Takapoutolo, Will Oreccia, Parker Van Doren, and captain Peyton Thomas all touched down. Paki Latu kicked six of seven conversions. OC Lehner continues to be excellent for O'Dowd and he scored for the Dragons.
Takapoutolo's passing was excellent for Serra, and their pack set the tone.
The Colorado season opened with Monarch beating Regis Jesuit and Denver East holding off Valor.
Fullback Aidan Morton scored two tries for Monarch while center Henry Whitcher added one in a 18-10 victory. East won
Gregory the Great over Gonzaga
GGA made it two straight years in which they opened their season with a victory over the national contender Gonzaga. This was a close one, but Greg's made a nice statement with this one.
"Gonzaga was impressive as always, and put us through it. We constantly fought to keep or regain our pace and form," said GGA Head Coach Garret van Beek. "It seemed like the game could crack wide open at any moment from either side. It was a beautiful day to play some rugby, and we are grateful to have had the opportunity to play such a talented team."
James Martin was probably GGA's best player on the day, but Greg's wins when they are playing as a unit. Rarely are they big enough to bully teams, so unity and fitness are the foundation of what they do.
St. Martin's is a school that has some similarities to Gregory the Great, and is a similar rugby team in that they players are rarely big bruisers, but they play hard, work together, and are very fit.
They showed that in their emphatic win over Pendleton, which is a solid club team.
Red Mountain is coming on well, and so is Tempe. This week on the 1st-side level Tempe shut out Scottsdale 47-0. They defend very well and attacked with speed. They just need to clean up their discipline. James Tosh at No. 8 was co-player of the game; so was captain and flyhalf scored tries and tested the defense with his running.
The center pairing of Masiu Aholelei and Connor Colao were powerful on the carries.
NorCal Club
The NorCal club season had a big early game with Danville edging Granite Bay 20-17. This was a classic rivalry match. Tries from Tanner Gates and Jules Prevot paced Danville to a 20-17 win, with Jack Younger's kicking the difference.
The game ended with Granite Bay knocking on the door at Danville's goalline. The Oaks defense held on brilliantly. It was a gritty, tough game from both and we'll see more from them.
Northwest Tour
The Missoula Stampede toured the Pacific Northwest, running against the Liberty Patriots and the against Eastside Lions.
On Friday night at Liberty High School, the Patriots ran out to a 14-12 lead thanks to tries from hooker Shawn Aperila and No. 8 Rohan Twohey, with captain and fullback Marek Wright adding the extras.
Liberty Patriots huddle up.
Liberty dominated possession but finishing was a chore against a hard-working Missoula defense. The second half saw Liberty take control. Liberty's stout defense prevented any more line breaks by Missoula, while Aperila scored his second and outside center Ariki Roozendaal capped off a nice backline move. Wright completed a 4-for-4 night and Liberty had won 28-12.
On Saturday, Missoula bounced back with a 25-17 win. This was a hard-hitting match and Missoula found themselves shorthanded for more than half of the game thanks to a red card on a high tackle, and, later a yellow for another infraction.
This was an excellent learning tour for the Stampede, who are looking to move up the rankings and broaden their horizons.
Carolina Ruggerfest
The Ruggerfest is a development and preseason tournament, so the results should be taken as such. However, some teams compete to make a bit of a statement, too.
In the U19 competitive bracket, Key Biscayne out of Florida and Rebels out of Georgia both went 3-0. Key Biscayne beat Wando, West End, and Green Bay and gave up exactly ... zero points in doing so.
Rebels beat Edina, Charlotte Tigers, and Benedictine in games that were a bit closer. Speaking of close, Benedictine, out of Virginia, didn't win a game but in their two losses and a tie, their overall points difference was just -12.
Un the Elite bracket, Okapi and Charlotte Cardinals, who had played on Friday, suited up for the weekend. The Cardinals ran out mostly players who did not play on Friday, but Okapi had made the trip with 28 players, so everyone who played Friday doubled up.
Okapi went 3-0, beating the Cardinals XV in the process. On the other side, the Charlotte Tigers won all three games, including a nervy 17-12 decision over Fort Hunt.
Fort Hunt and the South Carolina Barbarians were pretty close, too.
As a 17-year-old Spencer Huntley required a waiver to play for the USA U20s, an indication of how he was rated in the USA age-grade pathway. He got that waiver and impressed for the USA U20s, and then moved up to the USA U23s. He led the San Diego Mustangs to a national HS Club championship in 2024.
He also played in the SoCal single-school league for Cathedral Catholic.
Hope Rogers began playing rugby at age 16 in high school and continued to compete during her time at Penn State University. There, she won four National Championships, was crowned MVP on two occasions, was named to the USA Under-20s and earned Collegiate All-American honors for four years. Rogers was also an impressive discus player during her senior year in high school where she broke a school record and won Gold at Districts for the sport.
Nathan Caruso is a steady, smart fly half who drives Villanova’s attack with calm decision-making and a reliable skill set. He’s been central to Villanova’s success in the MARC, controlling tempo and keeping the team organized under pressure.
Tonga Kofe is one of the most promising young front-rowers to come out of the American rugby pathway. A powerful and hard-working prop, he rose through the Utah Warriors development system.
Ray Santiago has emerged as one of RPI’s most influential forwards, a player whose size, athleticism, and rapid development make him stand out in the Division II landscape.
Christy Ringgenberg is one of the most accomplished and versatile players to wear the USA jersey, earning recognition on the Goff Rugby Report All-Time American list for her impact on both 15s and 7s.
