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  • 🏉A New Team to Watch & A State Final You Need to See📣

🏉A New Team to Watch & A State Final You Need to See📣

PLUS: What are Gonzaga and Ignatius up to? 👀

Author

Ipse
February 14, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time ⏳ 9 minutes

Hey there, Rugby Rioter!

🏉 Welcome! Another week, another batch of rugby madness. Some teams are storming ahead, some are still coming out of hibernation—let’s dive in.

In This Issue

Tip: Keep an eye on the RANKINGS page so you can keep up with scores and trends around the country 🏉 
things are heating up…🔥

Spring 15s: 15 days (March 1st - unofficial start of the season for many teams)

Carolina Ruggerfest: 15 days (March 1st -2nd)

Gonzaga Classic: 57 days (April 12th)

Montana Invitational: 71 days (April 26th)

Nationals Tournament: 97 days (May 22nd)

  • Wanna test your top varsity team this spring? You should attend the Gonzaga Classic (April 12-13) — Here’s the link

🏉More games you don’t want to miss 🏉
(this weekend)

Torrey Pines vs Orange Lutheran

Both undefeated. Both top-five in the rankings. Need I say more?

Gregory the Great (PA) vs Fort Hunt (VA)

Both of these teams will play Gonzaga within the next 4 weeks. Let’s see how they deal with each other first.

Okapi (FL) vs Wellington (FL)

How will Okapi respond after last week’s loss? What caliber team is Wellington?

Cathedral Catholic vs Mira Costa

Mira Costa (#13) has only lost one game. Cathedral (#1) hasn’t lost any. SoCal is pretty dang competitive this year…

De La Salle (CA) vs Sacramento Jesuit (CA)

A NorCal showdown with huge implications. DLS just beat St. Francis last week. Sacramento Jesuit edged St. Ignatius SF in a close game. Is the NorCal Hierarchy about to shake into place?

ICYMI 👇

What are Gonzaga and Ignatius up to?

🏉We catch up with the 2024 Nationals Finalists as they prepare to begin their 2025 campaigns.

www.rugbyriot.com/p/what-are-gonzaga-and-ignatius-up-to

South Meck stuns Hough in the last seconds of Semi-Final.

South Meck advances to the State Final after a huge game.

www.rugbyriot.com/p/south-meck-stuns-hough-in-the-last-seconds-of-semi-final

The Riot Notepad: NC State Finalists, and rankings movement around the US.

Our fast-and-furious notes on a few games from the weekend.

www.rugbyriot.com/p/the-riot-notepad-nc-state-finalists-and-rankings-movement-around-the-us

Lukas Lupinski, Charlotte Catholic, leading the charge against Marvin Ridge last week.
Credit: Shel Powell

St. Louis Jets

Location: St. Louis, MO
Head Coach: Lukas Black
Program History: 2 years

Never heard of them? Neither had we. But the St. Louis Jets should be on your radar this year. An up-and-coming HS program, helmed by Head Coach Lukas Black, these guys may only be in their 2nd season, but they finished 4th in the state last year and gave top teams a run for their money.

About the coach: Lukas Black cut his teeth playing rugby in England for a Harlequins academy side before moving to the US to play for Lindenwood University — followed by a stint with the MLR Academy. A series of events brought him back to St. Louis, where he became an assistant coach at SLUH (a prominent HS rugby club) and helped see the team to a state championship. Next — in 2023 — Lukas brought together several schools to form a new team, and the St. Louis Jets were born. Coach Black guided the newly formed Jets boys through a successful first season, earning 4th place in Missouri and finishing with an overall record of 7-8.

🔥Good Signs: In 2024, the Jets played a very close game against 901 Rugby (formerly Germantown), losing by the razor-thin score of 12-5. That’s a notable result—901 is a well-respected club team, ranked in the top 50 by the Goff Report.

What is Coach Black most excited about this year?

“I’m most excited to see some of my younger guys come to the forefront and compete. I graduated about 10 guys last year but have a really good core group of younger guys who are ready to step up.”

🔦Player Spotlight:

  • Ashton Vannatta | Senior
    “Very physical. Very good at tackling. A huge asset for us.”

  • Wyatt Grant | Senior
    “He went to New Zealand to train, and I’ve seen incredible progress in him.”

  • Judah Medlen | Sophomore
    “Exceptionally fast. Exceptionally aggressive. Very good tackler. Very good ball runner.”

  • Lucas Fauke | Sophomore
    “You would never know he’s a sophomore. He’s very physical. He loves the violence of rugby.”

🗓️ Big Upcoming games:

  • SLUH - Feb. 15th & April 5th

💬 Quote to bank:

We asked Coach Black who they have circled on their schedule this season. Love this answer 👇

❝

“It’s got to be the ex-girlfriend, right?? *laughs*

As long as we beat SLUH, I’m happy.”

Lukas Black (HC St. Louis Jets), on who they have circled on their calendar.

Well, they’ll get their first crack at “the ex-girlfriend” this weekend. The Jets take on SLUH in a preseason match this Saturday.

The St. Louis Jets
2024

We’re looking forward to tracking the Jets’ progress in their second season. We’ll keep you updated!

Oddball musings, induced by borderline hypothermia.

🏉 Rhinoplasty: That’s what happens when you charge shnoz-first into an oncoming opponent’s forehead. Been there, done that… twice. (Side note: love that ‘Rhino’ is in the name. Fitting.)

🏉 Leg day is having a moment. Gone are the chicken legs of yesteryear—today’s high school kids look like they could jumpstart a Boeing 747 with those quads.

That’s a wrap, gang!

Next week we’ll have more dope rugby stuff to share with you; scores, highlights, stories, RANKINGS UPDATES… all the goods.

If you like this content, share it with your friends! The easiest way is to copy this URL www.rugbyriot.com and text it to your pals.

Be well, ruck with gusto, and may your compression shorts always stay in place.

-The Rugby Riot Team

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