Rocky Rugby out of Texas took a preseason trip across the South earlier this month, facing two defending state champions.

The Austin-area team faced Georgia state champions Phoenix Alpharetta and then Louisiana state champs Jesuit of New Orleans. In frigid temperatures in Georgia, Rocky defeated Phoenix 31-12 at the Life University grounds in Marietta. Phoenix won the B-side game.

"I made sure to play all my young kids, so losing wasn't a problem," said Rocky Head Coach Paul McCartney. "The fact that all of the players got game time was way more important."

The players then got some work in with the Life University coaches and a tour of the campus (McCartney is an alum).

After a side trip to Orange Beach in Alabama, the Rock players took on NOLA Jesuit in New Orleans. Rock won 51-7, while the JV side lost to the Bayous Hurricanes, one of the top clubs in the state.

"The experience for our club was awesome and it will be a trip these players will not forget," said McCartney. "We are off to a good start, but still have tons of work to do."