South Carolina state champs Wando won the Mid-South Independent Rugby League playoffs this weekend, defeating the Charlotte Tigers and Union County Lions on two shortened games.

The MSIRL was created to provide tougher competition for teams in the North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia area, and did just that, putting pressure on several state champions and contenders to raise their game.

During the regular season, Charlotte Catholic finished with the best record, with Union County, Wando, and Charlotte Tigers following. However, Charlotte Catholic having just completed a tough three-day National Championships tournament, where they finished 2nd in Tier II, opted out of this weekend's playoffs. That left Wando and the Tigers to play off to see who would face the Lions.

Wando put on an excellent performance, defeating the Tigers 17-5, and a somewhat depleted Union County 35-7 to win the playoffs. Union County was not able to field a full 15 players due to late player cancelations, but fronted up anyway. They accepted a forfeit loss before the game against Wando was played, borrowed some Charlotte Tigers players, and played the game.

Wando had tough games throughout the MSIRL season, including a 15-7 loss to the Tigers, and a close, 24-15 loss to Catholic. Wins over Greenville and Myers Park were also close, while their loss to Union County was only 12-0.

Union County, for their part, finished 2nd behind Charlotte Catholic with a 6-1 record. Catholic defeated Union County in MSIRL and North Carolina league play (same game), but lost to Union County in the state final 36-25.

But Wando had the depth to follow it up in the playoffs - and the league was, from the beginning, designed to be decided via a playoff.

All in all, it was a successful first season for the league. The MSIRL featured nine teams, of which four won state championships this year, and two more were state champions last year. The other three were all in the playoffs for their respective states the past two seasons.

The final player rankings for the 2017 MSIRL season are:

1. Wando
2. Union County
3. Charlotte Tigers
4. Charlotte Catholic
5. Myers Park
6. South Greenville
7. Phoenix
8. Irmo
9. East Cobb

For 2018, the league is expected to expand to 12 teams in two conferences, with Greenville and Chapel Hill likely additions. Teams will play five matches in-conference and two crossovers during the Carolina Ruggerfest.

The top two from each conference will go into the playoffs, which will conclude before HS Nationals, not after as was the case this year. Teams from Virginia and Tennessee may join.