The chase to the top in North Carolina's school season is a tight one with Hough, South Meck, Laney HS, and Marvin Ridge all unbeaten.

Yes, yes, South Meck has a tie, but they didn't lose. Right behind that four is Charlotte Catholic at 2-1-1.

While some of these teams are pretty well established, one of the new kids in town is Marvin Ridge. 

The Marvin Ridge team got going thanks to a Middle School program launched in 2020. Alan Mitchell ran that team, seeing it win the state championship and triple in roster size.

As those players got older they entered high school, so Mitchell had a high school team on his hands. Not all of the experienced players are. Finlay Mitchell and Jake Schumacher are both in the USA High Performance pathway; Easton Yancey and Hayden Mullens have played with Eagle Impact Rugby Academy and Rugby ATL Academy, and others such as Nate Rawls, David Starr, Ethan Hurwitz, and Emmanuel Jones, have played with the Charlotte Cardinals and Charlotte Tigers.

But the team does have an interesting dynamic in that younger players are the ones helping get newbie seniors up to speed.

“It’s really rewarding to see that culture build,” said Mitchell. “The new players are really loving it and they’re open to learning, which is really important. We are fortunate to have our most experienced players in key positions, so the spine of both teams is strong.” 

Many of the freshmen have played three years in middle school, and several have also played with EIRA or the USA South Panther Academy.

The experience of the younger players is allowing Mitchell to base the team’s approach on mastering basic skills and a team ethos rather than relying on a small number of strong athletes.