On a sunny North Carolina afternoon at Queens University, Charlotte Catholic finished their remarkable 2026 campaign as North Carolina State Champs.
But the Hough Huskies didn’t make it easy. No sir. They challenged the Cougars for every possession and were in it till the end.
The game opened with each side testing and probing one another’s defense. And neither side left much space to exploit. Luke Zehmke rained down contestable kicks, but Hough defenders did well to collect them. Max Colson hit the launch codes with his own boot several times, but Catholic was calm under the ball and territory hard to come by.
After a lengthy opening period that included a ton of turnovers from both sides, Charlotte Catholic finally struck—Hooker Will Dominguez started the forward pack charge that eight-man Miles Caple eventually cashed in from close range. First points on the board. Zehmke nailed the kick to make it an early 7-0 Catholic lead.
Luke Zehmke was nails from the tee
📸 Dan Caple
The slugfest continued in the middle of the pitch for several minutes. Turnovers at the breakdown became a theme and both squads learned that running the ball solo was a terrible idea.
Each side traded penalty kicks and headed into the break with Catholic on top 10-3.
Catholic pounced to open the second half. A stolen lineout in Hough’s territory saw the Cougars expertly pass the ball through the hands to the wing. Kai Campbell prevented the initial attempt, but loosehead Shep Schrift crashed in from the ensuing ruck and extended the Catholic lead to 15-3 less than five minutes into the second frame.
Then, a similar story on the other side of the pitch. Charlotte Catholic took an attacking platform and again spun it wide. This time it was center Thomas McKillop who broke a couple tackles and plunged over in the corner. The kick missed, but Catholic had built a 20-3 advantage.
Lukas Lupinski is a ferocious ball carrier
📸 Dan Caple
Then Kai Campbell and Max Colson took matters into their own hands. A series of slicing runs from these two set up the Huskies on the doorstep, and then Campbell powered into the try zone. After the conversion by Colson, Hough had closed the gap to 20-10 with plenty of time on the clock.
That’s when things got interesting. The try lit a fire under the Huskies.
Markus Guerrero, Hough’s jitterbug scrumhalf, applied pressure with his boot. And then—in a moment of individual brilliance—substitute Tanner Finnerty made a terrific run through the middle, bounced off a couple tackles, and dotted down another Huskies try. In a flash, the Huskies brought the score to 17-20 with 14 minutes left to play.
Sensing the shifting momentum, Catholic captain Andrew Kuhn wisely pointed to the posts when Catholic received a penalty on the kickoff. Luke Zehmke slotted it splendidly and scratched another 3 points for Catholic. 23-17 Catholic up.
A confusing sequence followed—in which it appeared that Catholic had scored an excellent try from the lineout—but the AR had seen something nefarious during the throw, and a scrum was given to the Huskies.
📸Dan Caple
Kai Campbell got rumbling again—the dude was everywhere all game—and threatened to break free, but Catholic’s Zehmke smuggled the ball in a tackle and put Catholic within striking distance. When Hough was called for not rolling away, Zehmke calmly slotted another important penalty kick and extended their lead 26-17 with 3 minutes remaining.
📸 Dan Caple
Max Colson launched the restart kick into the sky and Catholic mishandled it. After a grueling battle down to Catholic’s try line, Hough was awarded a penalty five meters out. And it was Kai-time. Campbell forced his way between the Cougars defenders and stretched out for the try. 26-24 Catholic after the kick.
With no time left on the clock, Hough mounted one last attempt to steal the victory, but Catholic stood firm and met the their ferocity with cool-headed aggression. A bobbled ball by the Huskies ended it.
Three whistles from the referee.
And Charlotte Catholic are your North Carolina State Champs.
Final Score: Charlotte Catholic 26 — 24 Hough Huskies
📸 Dan Caple
“An amazing game of rugby played by a bunch of mates. Not sure it gets better than that. Only 4 points between the two teams in two games. Tells you everything you need to know. Hats off to Bruce and his young squad, who have fantastic seasons ahead.
For the Catholic boys and coaches, couldn't be more proud of them. What a journey these past 2 seasons have been. We asked a lot of our players and they delivered. So happy they have this win to remind them of what they were able to achieve.
This season saw some truly amazing rugby from all the North Carolina teams. The standard, rugby IQ and pure enjoyment has been pretty impressive. Good things ahead.”
Riot Take:
I’m not sure I’ve ever seen so many crucial turnovers in a title game. The ball was never safe at the breakdown, and both of these squads were downright artful at snatching the ball away from tackled players.
Speaking of turnovers, Kai Campbell is an absolute menace in this department. He was responsible for so many jackals that I lost track. Campbell put the team on his back in this game and I feel for him that it ended in a loss for his side. The guy poured it all out.
Luke Zehmke is a smooth operator at flyhalf, and his three successful penalty kicks proved crucial to Catholic’s state title. His work from the tee is just one part of his bag of tricks, and it demonstrates what well-rounded player he’s become.
Will Dominguez is fun to watch. The Catholic hooker bounces through tackles and accelerates in space like a pinball.
Max Colson has one of the cleanest kicking motions I’ve seen in the country. His mechanics are sublime no matter which type of kick is required.
Sophomore Markus Guerrero impressed at scrumhalf for Hough. His movement around the ruck is sudden and his box kicks are sharp.
Both forward packs deserve high praise. This was a battle in the trenches. Catholic had been steamrolling opponents this season, but the Huskies went nose to nose with them. One thing that stood out to my eyes is the pace these boys carried the ball with—flat out barreling into the defense on every carry. There are many things a coach can teach his players about technique and strategy, but passion and fortitude are innate. Catholic and Hough have vast amounts of both.
Worth noting: The Huskies once again lost a game by only two points. That means their three losses this season came by a combined 6 points. That’s wild.
Charlotte Catholic also boasts an impressive stat—over the past two seasons, the Cougars have only lost one game. Remarkable considering this program went 0-7 in 2024, only to climb the mountain and become state champs in 2026.
With the school season complete, many of these boys will join forces on the Charlotte Cardinals now.
Mark my words, the Cardinals are going to be a beast that nobody wants to face.