The High School 15s season is beginning this weekend.
Oh, sure, not for everyone; not even for most. But it’s starting in North Carolina and Southern California’s CIF league will be kicking off in a couple of weeks also.
North Carolina and Southern California both have a split season where the single-school teams play in a league that wraps up in February and then the regions switch to a HS Club-based competition that wraps up in April or May.
This week then it’s the North Carolina winter school season kickoff. Teams are playing in three tiers. The top tier defending champs are Hough HS, which beat Marvin Ridge in the final.
Hough is back again, of course, scheduled against Sun Valley. Unfortunately, that game will be a forfeit by Sun Valley which means Hough doesn’t get their first game until next week against Corinth.
Hough saw star flyhalf Zach Colson graduate and he is at Queens University Charlotte. But his younger brother, Max, will move to the #10 jersey from fullback.
That leaves a central group of No. 8 Kai Campbell, scrumhalf Port Kuebler, and flyhalf Max Colson with experience and ability leading the team (all three were an important part of the Charlotte Cardinals team that won the HS Club National Championships). Overall Hough graduated six starters.
“But we have many returning players and one or two new great talents that have joined us,” said Head Coach Bruce Colson.
Part of that rebuilding is that the multi-tier system in North Carolina allows a development side to play in those lower teams.
