HS Champions Update
HS Champions Update
Update on state HS rugby championships this weekend. St Thomas Aquinas, Irvine Rhinos, Union County Lions
It's a weekend of deciding champions in boys high school rugby, and here are some game reports from around the nation:
The Rhinos finished their regular season with a 74-34 defeat of the Wallabies. But for regulation in the first two playoff games, it was tough. The Rhinos beat Santa Monica 28-21, and with 10 minutes to go in the semis they were down 21-7 to the San Diego Mustangs. It was then that the tiring Mustangs (playing in their seventh game in 10 days) were overrun by a fit and aggressive Rhinos team. Irvine scored twice to tie the game and four times in overtime to win 49-21.
That pace continued in the final, as the Rhinos scored three early tries against Back Bay, the pick of them being Masefield Funa, who grabbed the restart and burst through the line to score under the posts. Back Bay bucked up and replied with two tries to make it 19-10. But in the second half, paced by three tries from flyhalf Moses Sepulona, the Rhinos pulled away 48-15.
Rhinos coach Derek Nellmapius said his team got into too much penalty trouble in the first half -- usually offside in the backline. "But in the second half we reduced the unforced errors and we were much more accurate taking the ball into contact," he said.
The Rhinos used their forwards to make the gainline and then spun it wide -- simple enough stuff but highly effective as the Irvine pack made the gain line on a regular basis. That, above all, made the Irvine Rhinos the SoCal champions.
"When we do well we work the phases and the offloads really well," Blue Valley head coach Matt O'Donnell said. "We did that pretty well the first 20 minutes. But we would work our way down to their 22 or even the five-meter line and then cough it up. It was very frustrating."
Aquinas put defensive pressure on Blue Valley, and Xavier Doering was a huge presence in the forwards, working the breakdowns and making ground with the ball in hand. With Sam Gasparovich playing well at flyhalf and using his kicking skills to pin Blue Valley back, STA took control.
"Blue Valley came at us strong, as we knew they would," STA coach Eric Matserson said. "But the difference was our guys stayed with their pattern of play, and we maximized the opportunities our possession gave up."
"It was a very physical game, but we got into a nice rhythm and started to put things together," McAreavy said. "It was a great game and played in the right spirit. I think our back row did a really good job on them defensively."
With the loose forward making it hard for Charlotte Catholic's danger men to close out the game, and with inside center and captain Joey Hobbs back from injury and causing problems, they were able to score tries late to win it.
"It was a perfect game for us heading into Nationals," Gonzaga head coach Peter Baggetta said. "They pushed us hard and made us work. They are one of the better defensive teams we have played. They will continue to get better."
Southern California
SoCal's season is split into a single-school season in the early going and then a high school club season. Torrey Pines and Los Alamitos won the two varsity competitions in the winter, and now it was the club bracket's turn. On Saturday, the Irvine Rhinos completed a torrid run with a surprisingly dominant 48-15 defeat of the Back Bay Sharks.The Rhinos finished their regular season with a 74-34 defeat of the Wallabies. But for regulation in the first two playoff games, it was tough. The Rhinos beat Santa Monica 28-21, and with 10 minutes to go in the semis they were down 21-7 to the San Diego Mustangs. It was then that the tiring Mustangs (playing in their seventh game in 10 days) were overrun by a fit and aggressive Rhinos team. Irvine scored twice to tie the game and four times in overtime to win 49-21.
That pace continued in the final, as the Rhinos scored three early tries against Back Bay, the pick of them being Masefield Funa, who grabbed the restart and burst through the line to score under the posts. Back Bay bucked up and replied with two tries to make it 19-10. But in the second half, paced by three tries from flyhalf Moses Sepulona, the Rhinos pulled away 48-15.
Rhinos coach Derek Nellmapius said his team got into too much penalty trouble in the first half -- usually offside in the backline. "But in the second half we reduced the unforced errors and we were much more accurate taking the ball into contact," he said.
The Rhinos used their forwards to make the gainline and then spun it wide -- simple enough stuff but highly effective as the Irvine pack made the gain line on a regular basis. That, above all, made the Irvine Rhinos the SoCal champions.
Kansas
Earlier in the season St. Thomas Aquinas met Blue Valley and came away with a hard-fought 13-12 victory. It was Blue Valley's only loss of the season. That is, until Saturday, when the two met in the Kansas state final. In this game, Blue Valley did not bring its best, and Aquinas ran out 41-5 winners."When we do well we work the phases and the offloads really well," Blue Valley head coach Matt O'Donnell said. "We did that pretty well the first 20 minutes. But we would work our way down to their 22 or even the five-meter line and then cough it up. It was very frustrating."
Aquinas put defensive pressure on Blue Valley, and Xavier Doering was a huge presence in the forwards, working the breakdowns and making ground with the ball in hand. With Sam Gasparovich playing well at flyhalf and using his kicking skills to pin Blue Valley back, STA took control.
"Blue Valley came at us strong, as we knew they would," STA coach Eric Matserson said. "But the difference was our guys stayed with their pattern of play, and we maximized the opportunities our possession gave up."
North Carolina
Union County came back from 21-7 down to beat Charlotte Catholic 36-25 in a thriller of an open final. Lions head coach Steve McAreavy said his team worked down Catholic."It was a very physical game, but we got into a nice rhythm and started to put things together," McAreavy said. "It was a great game and played in the right spirit. I think our back row did a really good job on them defensively."
With the loose forward making it hard for Charlotte Catholic's danger men to close out the game, and with inside center and captain Joey Hobbs back from injury and causing problems, they were able to score tries late to win it.
MAVRC
Gonzaga took on an up-and-coming Good Counsel team in the final of the Mid-Atlantic Varsity Rugby Conference, and in the pouring rain, Gonzaga came away 24-7 winners. Gonzaga was smart with the ball and forced Good Counsel to play a long field in the rain. In fact, GC's lone try came when an errant kick gave Good Counsel the ball in a good attacking position."It was a perfect game for us heading into Nationals," Gonzaga head coach Peter Baggetta said. "They pushed us hard and made us work. They are one of the better defensive teams we have played. They will continue to get better."