North Carolina’s school season kicks off Friday and it’s going to be a tight one. “This is going to be an extremely competitive season with honestly no clear favorite,” said Jason Zehmke, who coaches Charlotte Catholic. “And that will make for an incredible season.”
This league plays a school season that culminates in the first weekend of February. Players then flip to a club season.
One of the upshots of that format is that the games in the school season will be staggered so that players can go support their clubmates with whom they will play in the spring.
This is an idea designed to add more supporters for each match.
Defending champs South Meck will come in having graduates some outstanding players, several of which have started impressively in their collegiate careers.
Head Coach Rick Norvell will have some talent to fill in (Auden Gallant, Henry Norman, John Restrepo, Brody Evans, and Aaron Santos) and they have recruited some football athletes, too.
It’s a job to rebuild and reload, but, said Norvell, “it’s nothing different from years past and we fully intend to get back to the big dance.”
Finalists Charlotte Catholic will return nine from the team pipped by South Meck last season. “We are working hard to improve in certain areas where we dropped off last season,” said Zehmke. Still, Catholic made massive strides over the 2023-24 season.
The Huskies field two squads and have solid depth. Coming off a state win in 7s for the 5th year in a row, the Huskies can look at some key returners down the spine of the team with JJ Ah Hoy at hooker, Kai Campbell at No. 8, and Max Colson at flyhalf. Add in TJ Kieffer at flanker, who, like the other three, is a Charlotte Cardinal club player also, they are very solid. Brothers Adrian and Markus Guerrero at fullback and scrumhalf are handy.
“We have a few new lads that will grow very nicely into the roles assigned to them,” said Head Coach Bruce Colson.
Marvin Ridge is another contender and they have a solid senior core led by Bodhi Davis and Brady Murray in the backs and Aidan O Connor and Wells O Mara in the pack.
The team has three players going to USA Rugby’s age-grade winter camp—Aiden McLaughlin, Evan Culicerto, and Zane Schumacher.
Bolstered by a strong junior class and 50 players in the high school program, and backed by an Anthem Rugby cadre of assistant coaches (Sam Golla, EJ Freeman), Marvin Ridge might be poised to shake things up.
Dec 5 matches:
South Meck at Capitals (ppd)
Huskies at South Charlotte
Charlotte Catholic at Clayton
Marvin Ridge at Ardrey Kell
