The Mid-South Independent Rugby League (MSIRL) held 14 league games over the weekend at Carolina Ruggerfest.

The huge number of games in a short period of time revealed how the teams are stacking up against one another - in depth as well as quality.  Three teams in the league emerged still undefeated and are leading the standings – Charlotte Catholic, Union County Lions, and the Charlotte Tigers.

Games were shortened for the Ruggerfest, but still counted as full league results. However, due to the short length of the games, the bonus point structure was adjusted - instead of a bonus point for four tries in a game, BPs were given for three tries instead.

Charlotte Catholic made a very impressive MSIRL debut. The team had a late start on the MSIRL season and the four matches they played this weekend were their first in league play.  Saturday, the Cougars shut out both South Greenville and East Cobb – 30-0 and 45-0 respectively.   Sunday, Wando gave Catholic their toughest match of the weekend, but ultimately the Cougars prevailed 24-15.   Catholic wrapped up the weekend by moving past a hard-hitting Irmo side 32-10.

Union County played three matches over the course of Ruggerfest.  On Saturdaythe Lions started their trek with a 12-0 victory over Wando in a very hard fought contest.    The matched up well against Irmo later in the day and won 27-5.   The lions played one match on Sunday, getting ahead of a rebounding South Greenville side 27-17.

The leader in MSIRL at the moment (by virtue of having played more league matches to date than UC Lions or Charlotte Catholic) is the Charlotte Tigers.   The Tigers have now played and beaten every team in the MSIRL save the Cougars and Lions.   The Tigers handled all three of their opponents this weekend with relative ease -  Saturday they downed Irmo 27-7 then South Greenville 25-7.  On Sunday, in a much anticipated cross-town rivalry, the Tigers blew open what many expected to be a close game with Myers Park – the final 32-12, the last Myers Park try coming after the Tigers effectively emptied the bench in the final minutes of the match. 

Other MSIRL teams in action included Myers Park – who split the weekend winning two matches and losing two, Wando – who went 1-2 over the weekend but was a serious contender in both losses, Irmo – who went 1-3 but who continue to improve as their athletes’ rugby IQ rises, and both East Cobb & South Greenville went winless (0-3, 0-4) over the two-day event.   East Cobb lost a few starters to Vegas 7s who joined the USA South Panthers. South Greenville, even while losing matches, is playing better and better.   They are likely still a top contender for the SC state championship even if a top spot in MSIRL this season may now be out of reach.

This coming Saturday will be telling as the undefeated Charlotte Tigers and Union County Lions will play.   That match along with Tigers v Charlotte Catholic and Catholic v Lions will not only shape the MSIRL standing but also have a big impact on the top of the leader-board in the highly competitive NCYRU HS Open League.