Hey there, Rugger!
👊 Happy Friday.
We’ve got our first state final, folks. Another excellent livestream lineup. And we take a stab at which forward packs have impressed us most so far.
Packed with rugby. Let’s go 👇
Tournaments approaching:
🏟️Puriri Memorial Invitational
🗓️Feb 20–21
St. George, UT
🏟️Carolina Ruggerfest
🗓️Feb 28–March 1
Charlotte, NC
🏟️Friendship Cup
🗓️March 28—29
Nashville, TN
But first, a word from our presenting sponsor, World Rugby Shop! 👇
🔥Can’t miss NorCal games
Rio Americano vs Sacramento Jesuit—Sat, Feb 7
Will the Raiders make a statement against a regional powerhouse? Or will Jesuit bring big brother energy and show why they’re perennial national contenders?
Added stakes: These schools are close neighbors, and it quietly feels like a battle between public and private schools.
De La Salle vs St. Francis—Sat, Feb 7
Sticking with NorCal for a sec, this is a rematch of last year’s NorCal school final—when St. Francis broke De La Salle hearts with a gutty win to advance to the state final. We’re not saying it’s a revenge game for De La Salle, but we’re not saying it isn’t… Ok, it’s a revenge game.
🎥 Livestream you should tune in for
Torrey Pines (CA) vs St. Augustine (CA)
⌚️Sat, Feb 7 — 5:30 ET Kickoff
📺 Watch it here
Reasons to watch:
Both teams are in the SoCal Premier playoff picture.
Torrey Pines is undefeated.
St. Augustine has won three straight, averaging 63.3 points per game.
Dallen Stanford on the mic and TVX Sports Video crushing it with their production crew.
👊Forward packs that go BOOM
In no particular order, here are a few forward packs that jump off the game film.
Torrey Pines (CA): The Falcons operate at an insanely high work rate—this entire pack is a gritty cast of killers. They’ve built a tough defensive identity throughout the season, and have a knack for scoring tries from close range after bashing the opposing defense with well-executed mauls and pick-and-goes. Their tactical IQ in mauls and lineouts is the cherry on top.
Charlotte Catholic (NC): Find me a more athletic group of forwards… I’ll wait. The Cougars have an enviable crew in the engine room. One thing that stands out is the speed and ball skills these lads possess on the attack. It’s almost like their entire pack is made up of centers, the way they find offloads and keep the ball advancing downfield. They’re very difficult to slow down, and they open the entire pitch up for exploitation by drawing opponents into close quarters.
La Costa Canyon (CA): Physical and intimidating at the point of contact. Similar to Charlotte Catholic, LCC’s pack is loaded with athletes who are equally effective doing the dirty work as they are throwing haymakers on the attack.
Rio Americano (CA): The sample size is smaller, but we were so impressed with this group’s polish in their recent game against De La Salle. They’re not the biggest fellas—at least compared to De La Salle—but their technique and IQ stood out big time. What they lack in size, they make up for with fierceness and savvy.
Keanen Teeter scores for Charlotte Catholic last weekend in the semifinal.
📸Dan Caple
Maybe you can’t stop talking about rugby. And maybe you want to work in the sport in some way but haven’t figured out what your lane is yet.
Well, this just came to our attention: Dallen Stanford offers unique courses that teach you how to be a rugby commentator for live games.
Dallen is a former US National Team player turned professional commentator. He’s got the chops.
We love this for a couple reasons:
First, we need more talented rugby commentators in this country. They’re the folks that bring the game to life and draw people into the action. We desperately need more as the sport grows across the country.
Second, what a cool way to stay involved with rugby and get paid at the same time.
So if the commentary path even mildly intrigues you, check out Dallen’s courses at the link below 👇
p.s. We were not asked to give this shout out. We just genuinely think it’s awesome and something that grows the game.
Want to help us grow?
I wouldn’t ask this if I thought it was going to bother you — but this community has been incredibly supportive, so I figured I’d make a small ask.
We’ve opened up one sponsor spot per team page in the Rugby Riot Hub. Just one. No clutter, no banner ad nonsense, no mosquito-swatting while you’re trying to read about rugby.
It’s a clean, season-long placement for a local business, and when a team page gets sponsored, that program also gets a $500 gear discount from World Rugby Shop.
Here’s the ask:
If you have a moment this week, would you be willing to share your team’s sponsorship link with one or two local businesses you think might genuinely be into it?
That support helps us expand coverage, invest in livestreams, and keep building things that give high school rugby the hype it deserves.
Here’s where that link is located on your team page 👆
They say it takes a village.
I’m asking my village—wanna help?
Cheers,
Zach — Chief Rioter
HUGE hit by a De La Salle player last week vs Rio Americano
🏆Charlotte Catholic vs Huskies🏆
NC State Final
📍Queens University
⌚️Sat, Feb 7 — 3:00pm ET kickoff
📺Watch here
It all comes down to this.
The Huskies have made it back to the state final after narrowly missing out last year. Charlotte Catholic returns for another shot at the title after falling in the final last year.
Key factors:
Catholic rides into the final with a perfect 7-0 record.
Huskies enter the title match with a 4-2 record.
Note: They lost those two games by a combined 4 points total.
Catholic looked disjointed for the first time all season during their last game against the Huskies, though they still won. Sure, they had several key players out with injury and illness, but the Huskies know these guys well and will exploit any weaknesses they have perceived.
Catholic thrives on up tempo gameplay. When they get rolling, they’re extremely hard to contain. The Huskies will likely want to slow them down at the breakdown and test their back three with long kicks—forcing them to earn territory repeatedly and keeping their forwards from getting into a rhythm.
For both teams, penalties were a major issue last time they faced off. Whichever team limits their own mistakes will have a big advantage.
Key players for Catholic:
Luke Zehmke | Flyhalf
Nobody is executing the high ball at a higher level than Zehmke right now. He pressures the defense both on the ground and in the air with terrifying consistency. Plus, he’s one of the best defensive 10s in the country—always lurking and tackling everything that moves.Miles Caple | Eight-man
The sophomore has no regard for your feelings or physical well-being—he just tramples you. It’s very rare that this gentleman doesn’t break the gain line. Also an imposing defender.Andrew Kuhn | Scrumhalf
Captain Kuhn makes the whole thing go. He delivers clean ball to his pods and backs, and has keen instincts for where space is available.
Key players for the Huskies:
Max Colson | Flyhalf
Colson has an extremely high rugby IQ. There are times when he sets up his teammates so magically that they seem surprised to receive the ball. He also has a cannon for a leg, and can flip the field with a monstrous kick when the moment requires.Kai Campbell | Eight-man
I have an image stuck in my mind of Campbell with a nose-guard on, plowing through defenders at last year’s Gonzaga Classic—terrifying stuff indeed. He has a barbarian attitude as a ball carrier and it usually takes more than one man to bring him down. He’s also a turnover specialist at the breakdown.JJ Ah Hoy & TJ Kieffer | Hooker and Flanker
Two highly experienced forwards. Their high rugby IQ and tenacity lead to many turnovers on defense, and they both carry the ball with purpose.
💬Coach’s Quote—Huskies:
“We need to play like we did last weekend and add another 20% physicality and IQ to match what Catholic brings. They are a very solid team with minimal weaknesses
We need to make things happen and not wait for Catholic to leave openings….because they just don’t let that happen. They beat us narrowly but with a few of their starters out. So, we know we are up against it.
No better reason to play the game than against a well drilled and coached program with X factor sprinkled in.
It’s gonna be fun as well as most of our players are friends with the lads at Catholic. They’ll hit each other and then hang out later….thats for sure.”
💬Coach’s Quote—Charlotte Catholic:
“Here we go, right? Championship Saturday between two great programs, who are all great friends, from players to coaches.
For Catholic, we are very proud of this and last season. It's going to be a tough game on Saturday against a team that could easily have beaten us during the regular season but for a missed kick.
I have no idea of the result, but I do know that we'll have to give it everything we have to come out on top against a really good team. Coach Bruce will have Kai and the boys fired up and ready for battle.”
That’s a wrap, gang!
Next week we’ll have more dope rugby stuff to share with you; scores, highlights, stories… all the goods.
If you like this, share it with your friends!
Be well, ruck with gusto, and may your compression shorts always stay in place.
-The Rugby Riot Team