Hey there, Rugger!
👊 Happy Friday.
Today we’re cranking up the volume on our first live-stream: Cathedral Catholic vs Charlotte Catholic. And giving a few quick hits on action around the country.
If that’s not your jam, just head over to the Rugby Riot Hub and check out the other upcoming games and recent rankings.
Packed with rugby. Let’s go 👇
First things first…
We’re bringing you our very first Rugby Riot live-streamed game, in collaboration with TVX Sports Video—the same guys who crushed it at West Coast Sevens this fall.
It’s tomorrow at 9pm EST. Charlotte Catholic vs Cathedral Catholic. Set a reminder. Don’t miss it.
SoCal Rugby
SoCal’s slate has some juice this week.
Torrey Pines Rugby hosts Bishop O’Dowd Rugby in a NorCal–SoCal crossover that should be genuinely instructive. Bishop O’Dowd is on a mini SoCal tour, taking on both Torrey Pines and Cathedral Catholic Rugby this weekend. Back-to-back road tests against two of the region’s toughest programs will tell us a lot about where O’Dowd sits this season.
Torrey Pines enters the weekend coming off a 21–15 grinder against La Costa Canyon Rugby—a game that showed just how comfortable this group is when things get uncomfortable. It also reinforced what we suspected: LCC is a force to be reckoned with.
LCC imposed their physicality early, and Torrey absorbed it, responded with their own physicality, then leaned into what they do best: kicking to space, controlling territory, and punishing mistakes. When the game tightened late, Torrey stayed cool-headed on defense and made LCC fight for inches. That composure is becoming a defining trait of this team.
“Our boys don’t panic. They trust the system and each other, and know if they execute, we’ll hold them out. I think our biggest asset is our defense, and the boys believe it too.”
Cathedral Catholic and Charlotte Catholic Rugby meet Saturday—more on that one in our Match of the Week section below.
And don’t sleep on Orange Lutheran Rugby vs Loyola Rugby. This is a rematch of last year’s SoCal semifinal, where Loyola shocked the league and broke some OLu hearts in the process. Revenge games tend to bring the heat.
North Carolina Rugby
Last week delivered one of the season’s tightest results so far.
Marvin Ridge turned heads with a 14–12 nail-biter win over league-leading Hough Huskies. It was tight, physical, and featured outstanding defensive play by both sides.
Marvin Ridge’s winger, Aiden McLaughlin, bagged the Man of the Match honors with an outstanding performance—including an individual effort kick-chase down the sideline for a game-changing try.
Head Coach Alan Mitchell shared:
“As a group, really learned a lot from last week’s defeat by Charlotte Catholic. We really studied the film, had a couple great practices, and calloused our minds going into the Hough game.”
At the top, three teams are starting to separate: Charlotte Catholic, Marvin Ridge, and Hough all head into the final week of regular season play looking legit.
The real intrigue now is the fourth playoff spot. That race is wide open, and the final week could get weird.
Charlotte Catholic has been the most consistent team so far—but they’re on a plane to San Diego this weekend for a massive test, then return home for a bruiser against Hough next week. If they can survive the jet lag and rip off back-to-back wins… well, look out, North Carolina.
Around the Country
Texas officially kicks off this weekend, with the Barbarians facing Faith Family Academy. The Barbarians enter as favorites, but FFA just wrapped up a North Carolina tour—not a casual decision. Shows they’re serious.
Florida opens with Key Biscayne vs Boca Raton. Key Biscayne showed quality last year, and this one should give us an early read on whether that momentum carries over.
NorCal saw San Francisco Golden Gate roll past St. Ignatius 67–7 in an early-season matchup. The rest of NorCal comes alive next week.
Louisiana got rolling last week, with Brother Martin shutting out Jesuit New Orleans 29–0. More games are coming soon as the schedule fills in.
Shay Farkash breaks loose vs La Costa Canyon last week.
📸Adam Taich
Player shout out 💪
Shay Farkash has been a problem for opponents early this season.
Through just three games, he’s already accounted for 45 points for Torrey Pines (CA). Yes, some of those tries come off well-executed mauls and strong collective effort from the Torrey pack. But make no mistake: Farkash’s engine runs hotter than most.
He carries the ball with violence and balance, and consistently wins the gain line. A relative newcomer to rugby, the former wrestler is putting his stamp on the game every week.
Cool shot of a Charlotte Catholic and South Meck scrum from their match last week.
📸South Meck Rugby
Cathedral Catholic (CA) vs Charlotte Catholic (NC)
🗓️Saturday, Jan 17 | 9pm EST
📍San Diego
👊Live-streamed
🎙️Live Commentary—Will Hooley
Yeah, we’re double-dipping on this one. Sorry not sorry—it’s going to be a great game.
There are a few reasons we’re so pumped about this matchup.
First, it’s the first-ever meeting between these programs—and a true coast-to-coast clash. One of our biggest gripes with the staggered winter seasons is how insulated regions like NC and SoCal can feel at the single school level. School teams rarely play outside their backyard. This game is a meaningful step in the opposite direction. Massive kudos to the coaches and parents for making it happen. SoCal, treat them well 🫡
On the rugby side, it’s a really compelling matchup. There’s club-season intrigue—both schools feed powerhouse club programs, the Cardinals and Mustangs—but more importantly, they’re evenly matched on paper. Both rosters feature multiple USA U18 prospects, and neither side is short on confidence.
Charlotte Catholic brings a fast, athletic forward pack that thrives at the breakdown and strikes quickly once they crack your structure. Their backline isn’t just along for the ride either, with Luke Zehmke and Thomas McKillop capable of breaking free for a long run and ruining your day on defense.
Cathedral, on the other hand, boasts one of the most electric backlines in the country. Dylan Trower and Reese Reiter can break games wide open, and Cathedral’s edge speed forces defenses to cover every blade of grass. Add in studs like Nick Ocon and Adrian Aybar in the forward pack, and this is a roster that’s dangerous across the board.
This also marks Rugby Riot’s first high-quality live stream, complete with live commentary from the talented Will Hooley. It’s the start of what we’re calling the Rugby Riot Marquee Matchup Series. If this game isn’t in your region—or even if you don’t have a rooting interest—watch it anyway. We’re bringing this thing to your backyard soon.
Without further ado, here’s the game link. Save it. Let’s pack the stream tomorrow and grow the game 👇
Think you know rugby? Prove it!
Who is the most capped USA Men’s Eagles player of all time?
That’s a wrap, gang!
Next week we’ll have more dope rugby stuff to share with you; scores, highlights, stories… all the goods.
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Be well, ruck with gusto, and may your compression shorts always stay in place.
-The Rugby Riot Team