Invitations to Boys HS National Championships are Out
Invitations to Boys HS National Championships are Out
The Boys HS Rugby National Championships Committee has announced the list of teams invited to attend the 2023 tournament.
To be held May 25-27 at the Moose Rugby Grounds in Elkhart, Ind., the Boys HS National Championships will feature three brackets: Single-School, HS Club, and a Tier II. Ultimately 24 teams will be invited with the top eight-seeded Single-School teams going into the Single-School Bracket and the top eight-seeded Club teams going into the HS Club bracket.
The other eight teams, whether school or club, will be in the Tier II bracket.
Here’s who has been invited so far, with some team notes:
HS Club
Granite Bay (2022 HS Club Champions)
Woodlands (4th in 2021-3 of last 4 HSNC losses by a try or less)
Danville (2018 HS Club Champions and current NorCal contenders)
Vienna (4th in Tier II in 2022)
Layton Christian (up-and-coming Utah team)
Aspetuck Valley (5th in 2022)
Berks County (2022 Rugby PA champions; already defeated Aspetuck)
Kansas City Jr. Blues (Returning after a very strong start to 2023)
In addition, some regions will have play-ins, which really means that games between applicants will be tracked with the winner garnering a place. The losing team(s) in those play-ins aren’t necessarily eliminated, however—a 22-21 result could mean both get invited.
Play-ins and Why:
Charlotte Tigers and Charlotte Cardinals. While the Cardinals were the top side in the region in 2022, the Tigers were national runners-up in 2021. Both teams have shown strength and depth this year and have been informed that their game on April 1 will be a HSNC play-in.
Royal Irish and Pendleton. (This entry is edited since there's been a change). While Royal Irish has a storied history at the national tournament (four championships from 2012 to 2017), early depth issues coupled with the rise of Pendleton has promoted a play-in for these two teams. After the play-in was offered, Royal Irish declined the invitation, which means Pendleton will garner the invitation.
Southern California. Five club teams from Southern California have applied, and four of those played in 2022, performing well (2nd, 3rd, 6th, and 1st in Tier II). Overall they were, overall, 8-4. However, the BHSNC is designed to be a National tournament, and as such, while acknowledging the strength of SoCal rugby, the Committee also feels that 2022 might have been a special case. So the top four teams in SoCal—Belmont Shore, SOC Raptors, San Diego Mustangs, and Thunder—will be on a competition watch, with special consideration given to the fact that these teams still have to plan travel well in advance.
Single-School
St. Ignatius (2022 Single-School Champions)
Gonzaga (Four-times champs since 2014)
Herriman (2021 Single-School Champions)
St. Thomas Aquinas (4th in 2022)
Jesuit Sacramento (Six-time champs since 2008 and solid early results)
Staples (4th in 2021)
Greenwich (6th in 2022)
Regis Jesuit (Brand new team and new region)
Play-ins and Why:
Xavier and Rye. With Rye an up-and-comer in New York, they will play-off with Xavier, which finished 5th in 2022.
Penn and Bishop Dwenger. Penn was the 2022 Tier II runner-up and while Dwenger struggled with injuries at the national tournament in 2022 (7th in Tier II) they did win a game and return a large chunk of that team. As with the Royal Irish-Pendleton play-in, these two teams are in Indiana (Penn’s home ground is, in fact, the Moose Rugby Grounds), and so making late-spring travel decisions will not be difficult.
The Wait List
There is a wait list, as well, although perhaps it’s better to call it a Watch List. Injuries, travel issues, and other unforeseen events can mean a team has to bow out late. This, of course, happened more than usual in the last couple of years because of COVID. Just about every year someone from the Wait List is invited, and if you have done the math on the list above, you will see that there is a little wiggle room (invitees plus play-ins account for 22 or 23, not 24 spots).
The Committee
The Selection Committee is:
Joe Sweeney. Won a National Championship with Xavier HS in 1985 as a player and twice more as a coach. He remains part of the Xavier coaching staff and also a faculty member at the school.
Bart Bottorff. Recently-retired from a long career coaching the Penn HS program. He manages the Moose Rugby Grounds.
Joe Fridkin. A lawyer by trade Fridkin has been involved in the Kansas City Blues and KC Jr. Blues programs for years. He is a member of the Kansas City Blues Hall of Fame.
Alex Goff. Editor of Goff Rugby Report and reporting on the Boys HS National Championships for over 20 years, Goff serves as a seedings advisor.
Notable
Two selection committee members are affiliated with teams that are in play-ins—that decision was made with their support. In 2022, the KC Jr. Blues were not invited, a decision supported by Fridkin.
The Moose Rugby Grounds became the host venue in 2022 after COVID forced a move to Kansas City in 2021 and then it was the turn of the Midwest to host. Bottorff operates the Moose grounds, but he remained a reluctant host, not wanting Elkhart to be an automatic choice and also expecting the venue to potentially move for 2023.
But the rest of the committee, as well as leadership of USA Youth & High School Rugby urged him to host it again simply because it’s one of the best multi-field rugby venues in the country. The Moose Rugby Grounds are lush grass fields and have space for four rugby pitches.
Committee Member Lee Kelly was instrumental in many of the decisions surrounding the BHSNC but sadly passed away in the summer.
