Vienna's journey to victory in Tier II of the HS National Championships could potentially be traced back two years.

It was in 2021 that Vienna won the National Youth 7s Tier II, and while not all of those players were in Elkhart this year, it was certainly a harbinger of future success. But the journey has also had its obstacles. The Vienna team had big dreams last year and saw their hopes to win Tier II fritter away partly because they ran up against a very good Thunder team, and partly because they let composure breakdowns creep in. Champions keep it together even when it's not going well. They learned that harsh lesson in 2022 and put it into practice in 2023.

"I have told my players all year that adversity will come in life and on the rugby pitch and sometimes it will come in droves," said Head Coach Kendall Erickson. "Those who are the most resilient, who get back up each time they are knocked down, who make every day count, every practice count, every game count, who make every play count, will become exceptional, will build their legacy, and will achieve the righteous desires of their hearts."

To stack the adversity deck Erickson put together a tough schedule of 20 games, 15 against ranked opponents and another against South Africa touring side St. Andrews. Their only losses came to St. Andrews and a close game against Gonzaga. Both Erickson and Gonzaga Head Coach Peter Baggetta pointed out that Vienna's youth program had several alumni on the Gonzaga team—it seemed as if the only team that could beat Vienna was Vienna.

Last year after injuries hit Vienna, they found it difficult to recover. This year, injuries hit and still they found a way to perform—their April 1 defeat of Xavier HS of New York (29-28), despite missing several starters, was an indication of that. Perhaps their only real slipup was a strange 40-40 tie against Loudoun. Strange because ties usually don't produce 80 points.

But there's a story behind that game, too.

Rolling Along

Yes Vienna was rolling going into the end of April. They were playing well and challenging very good teams. Then disaster struck. At the Gonzaga Classic, captain and flyhalf Camden Erickson suffered a broken wrist in the middle of Vienna's game against NOLA Jesuit. Ironically, he suffered that injury just after scoring a crucial try. Even more ironically, the rest of the team picked up their game and played very well in the second half to seal the game and followed that up with a 14-5 win over Aspetuck to win the Plate.

But a week later against Loudoun, a team they were favored to beat, Vienna's vaunted defense deserted them and they tied 40-40. It was, perhaps, the one time they faltered when dealing with tough times. 

"Our Vienna boys were incredibly disappointed in that game and re-committed to playing high-level Vienna team rugby," said Coach Erickson. "This was their fork-in-the-road moment. They could have chosen the easy path of accepting that they just weren't as good given all their injuries to key players, but instead they took "the road less traveled and that made all the difference."

Players now had to switch positions; they all had to demand more of themselves. 

"Rather than complain or make excuses, they studied their new positions and gave everything into playing anywhere at the highest level possible," said Erickson.

Tomas Edmeades, ins superb form during the season, moved to the wing because a hand injury limited his passing. He didn't complain and instead embraced the new job. David Kendig, Jack West, Owen Lebkisher, Owen Sheeran, and Luke Jarvis all showed leadership. Vienna openside and state wrestling champ Owen Lebkisher flew all around the field making tackles; his teammates fed off him and followed his lead.

The result was a state semifinal win over Richmond to the tune of 82-7 and then a state final against rivals Fort Hunt. It was in this game that Edmeades broke his hand and had to leave the game, but they battled on and won 36-28.

Even so, said Erickson, they had not quite hit their stride.

Bend Don't Break

All season long Vienna had produced an intriguing approach to the game. They defended very well, but didn't fret too much about having to back up. In some games they might back up phase after phase for 80 meters. But, they were biding their time. They'd make their tackles, avoid penalties, and wait for that turnover chance. Often teams would get impatient when they saw how long it was taking them to score. They'd force it, turn the ball over, and Vienna would ship the ball quickly to an open player and burst down the field to score—sometimes on the breakaways, sometimes a little more slowly than that, but overall they could win games with 30% possession.

The key, however, was tackles, sure—loose forwards Lebkisher, Luke Jarvis, Juan Cat, lock Jack West, and prop Owen Sheeran, among others, were aggressive and proficient tacklers—but it was also about not being offside. To allow a team to inch their way down the field and stay connected on defense, you have to retreat back onside phase after phase. That requires fitness, attention to detail, and concentration. 

That defensive patience helped them in their HS Nationals opened against St. Thomas Aquinas. While Aquinas punished some penalties and kept it close, Vienna, despite resting some players, was able to score late to seal a 26-15 win. Sophomores Miguel Lopez, Matthew Vojta, Sawyer Behrin, and Oscar Espanol all took the field and played well in a key win.

In the Tier II semifinal, Vienna met Aspetuck. The Connecticut team had had a taste of Vienna's bend-don't-break defense twice before, and perhaps thought to find a way around it. It didn't work. 

Vienna's defense was aggressive and forced Aspetuck into penalties, penalties Vienna punished quite ruthlessly. All that work on passing and connecting came together on the day as Vienna exploded for a 57-0 lead and cruised 57-14. 

Erickson called it "possibly the prettiest game of well-executed rugby all weekend." Aspetuck Head Coach Ray Weiner said "I have never seen a high school team move the ball all over the field so well. Vienna attacked from every direction almost every time they attacked and our Aspetuck boys tackled their guts out, but couldn't keep up with the ball movement." 

The Best Waterboy Possible

It was a moment you wanted to bottle, but they had another game to play. Camden Erickson, who was with the team as chief off-field cheerleader and culture leader urged his teammates to forget about that game and focus on the next play. Throughout that weekend, instead of sulking, the younger Erickson carried water, advised his teammates, and even refereed two JV games over the weekend.

There was also a secret plan—if the final went into overtime, Erickson was going to cut off his cast and enter the game in the final moments in case his boot was needed in the overtime kickoff.

"Camden started playing Vienna Rugby in first grade and he and [I] had recruited the majority of the team over the last 12 years," said Coach Erickson. "Camden had so much invested and rugby has been his place of solace among his own personal life adversity. Nobody wanted to succeed more than Camden. So he decided to be the best waterboy possible. He kept his boys laughing, calm, cool, collected and most of all confident in themselves. He did what leaders do, rise up to the occasion in any way you can, no matter the adversity or limitations."

(Camden Erickson bibbed and casted but still cheering. Kourtney Jarvis photo)