📝Mid-week recaps: Charlotte Catholic vs Cathedral Catholic

Final: Charlotte Catholic 34, Cathedral Catholic 19
📺 Watch the replay

What an incredible display of high school boys rugby.

Charlotte Catholic came to play, and it didn’t take long to find out whether their dominant North Carolina league form would translate against a vaunted Southern California opponent. The Cougars found early rhythm through their forward pack, with hard runs and crisp offloads bringing them to the doorstep before the backs finished the assignment, courtesy of Keanen Teeter.

Cathedral built an impressive attack of their own—which ended with a sideline try by Boyd Stockmeyer—but Charlotte captain Andrew Kuhn tilted momentum right back with a clever little scrummy keeper near the ruck, diving over the line to extend the lead to 14-5. The rest of the first half was a mixed bag for Charlotte. Offsides penalties and a 20-minute red card forced them to absorb pressure for long stretches. Still, they hung tough and carried a narrow 14–12 advantage into the break.

The second half told a different story. Once Charlotte cleaned things up, they unleashed a violent and direct attack that gave Cathedral trouble all over the pitch. Luke Zehmke put on a clinic at flyhalf, relentlessly testing the Cathedral backline with moon-tickling contestable kicks that rained down again and again. Combined with a tireless pack of dogs numbered 1 through 8, Charlotte was able to keep the pressure on Cathedral for much of the second half and dictate where the game was played.

The Caple bros were indefatigable. Keanen Teeter imposed his will in the backline. Kuhn produced clean ball for Zehmke all game. I could keep naming stellar members of the forward pack, but honestly it was a rock-solid effort from Charlotte across the board.

Cathedral Catholic notes:
Cathedral had bright moments, particularly during their lengthy possession that resulted in their opening try — the type of balance and composure we’ve grown to expect from a Matt Hawkins–coached side.
Sustaining the attack proved difficult against Charlotte’s aggressive defense, but flashes of excellence were still there. The tip-pass worked well with the forward pods when Cathedral had established rhythm. Dylan Trower showed off his strong kick and long passing range, including a terrific skip pass under constant pressure. Kingston Hawkins made the first tackler miss nearly every time he carried and consistently found space. Flanker Adrian Aybar delivered a truly stellar performance, standing out with bone-crushing tackles and hard carries throughout, and notching a try of his own in the second half. Winger Boyd Stockmeyer consistently put himself in the right place at the right time, scoring twice on the day.

Noteworthy: Speedster Reese Reiter was predominantly used as a decoy on set pieces. Not a bad idea given the attention he draws—but a definite tradeoff when the ball isn’t in his hands.

Riot Take:
This game lived up to its billing. Charlotte Catholic showed no signs of fatigue after arriving Friday night, delivering a composed, physical performance that confirmed their success is not a local phenomenon.

Cathedral Catholic remains in excellent shape. This match carried the intensity of a high-stakes affair, but for Cathedral the bigger picture is still a California state title run. Friendlies like this provide a valuable chance to test combinations and stress points. We’ll see what adjustments emerge when they face Torrey Pines this weekend.

Overall, the feedback from players, fans, and coaches on both sides has been overwhelmingly positive. If this becomes a regular cross-country fixture, American rugby will be better for it.

Final: Torrey 33–7 Bishop O’Dowd

Torrey Pines is hitting an early-season groove. They’ve won four straight and handled the visitors without much trouble in this one. The season is still young, though, and Cathedral Catholic looms this weekend. Bishop O’Dowd, on the other hand, heads home with two solid matches under their belt—ready to take on a brutal NorCal schedule.

Worth noting: Cathedral quickly turned around on Monday and thumped Bishop O’Dowd 54–31, a reminder that early results can swing fast. SoCal is just getting interesting, and nobody has separated from the pack yet.

Final: Boca 18–14 Key Biscayne

This result surprised us a bit. Key Biscayne gave reigning champs Okapi a run for their money last year and even defeated them in an early 2025 matchup. So naturally we expected them to hit the ground running in their 2026 opener. Not so fast said Boca Raton. The highlights we’ve seen showed a hungry Boca side with plenty of speed. And unless our eyes were tricking us, Boca slotted a penalty kick from distance… off a drop kick. No tee needed.
Keep an eye on Boca Raton.

Final: Dallas 50–21 NOLA

The Jesuits clashed, and Dallas dropped a 50-burger on their New Orleans counterparts. Dallas had a strong 2025 season until they dropped a close one to Strake Jesuit last May. Between Strake, NOLA and Dallas, Jesuit rugby is strong in the South region. Dallas would love to exact some revenge on Strake this year, and they’re off to a good start with this commanding win. Next week they face a young Las Colinas team before the schedule heats up in February.

Final: Barbarians 32–12 FFA

The Barbarians haven’t been shy about their nationals aspirations, and while this result may not move the needle with the nationals committee, it’s a strong way to open the season nonetheless.
Woodlands is up next for the Barbarians—you can’t overstate how important that clash is for the Barbarians. Woodlands is the Goliath of the South—the biggest measuring stick for clubs with big goals. So, Barbarian Horde, load the ships, the intensity is about to crank up to 11.

Outside North Carolina, it’s too early to declare top squads in each active region. But the early returns already have a couple surprises (hello, Boca Raton). Several pivotal coastal matches are on the slate this weekend (Torrey Pines/Cathedral, Charlotte Catholic/Hough), while Woodlands joins the fray in Texas.

Buckle up. 2026 is here, guys.