The Puriri Memorial Invitational is set for this coming weekend in St. George, Utah.

This tournament is a traditional kickoff tournament for teams in Utah and in neighboring states. For the past few years this tournament has been named in honor of Ra Puriri, the father of longtime Utah HS coaches Colin and Michael Puriri.

However, on December 7th, 2023, Michael Puriri, the legendary high school rugby coach of Snow Canyon, passed away in Hawaii. This weekend, his legacy will be honored with the renaming of the tournament to simply the Puriri Memorial Invitational to honor Michael and Ra.

Michael's son, Mikaera, is the Invitational Director.

"I am super excited for the chance we have to honor my father with some of the best high school rugby on the West Coast," said Mikaera Puriri. "The level of competitiveness at this year’s Invitational is going to be strong, and I am very much looking forward to it."

You might notice we don't see the name Snow Canyon or Te Mana. Shortly after Michael Puriri’s passing, Mikaera met with the coaches of the southern Utah program, and they jointly decided to retire the names of Snow Canyon and Te Mana to honor Michael's legacy. So now the team from St. George will be called Tribal.

Also competing in the Puriri Memorial Invitational are defending Utah state champions East HS and Layton Christian Academy. Traditional powerhouses Herriman and Olympus will also be in attendance, as will Mountain Ridge, Rhinos, and Brighton. Arizona's Red Mountain will once again make the drive up to compete, while Hawaiian powerhouse Kahuku will make the long trip from the Islands.

"Planning and preparing for the Invitational has been very bittersweet," said Mikaera Puriri. "This has always meant so much to my dad, and it’s still hard to believe he won’t be there. But, it is still amazing that we have the opportunity to continue his legacy, as well has his father’s. And that’s why we have once again renamed the event to the Puriri Memorial Invitational. It will be an exciting weekend.