Hey there, Rugger!
👊 Happy Friday.
What a week. Nationals delivered, state titles are still being decided, and we've got one more national championship recap for you below.
Packed with rugby. Let’s go 👇
🏆 Nationals crowns champions
🥇 Club: Charlotte Cardinals (NC)
🥇 School: Herriman (UT)
🥇 Tier 2: Charlotte Tigers (NC)
🥈 Club: San Diego Mustangs (CA)
🥈 School: St. Ignatius (OH)
🥈 Tier 2: Carmichael Hawks (CA)
That’s two national titles heading back to Charlotte this year. North Carolina rugby is having itself a year.
Podium finishers
• Doylestown (PA) grabbed 3rd place in the Club division during their first-ever trip to Nationals. Not bad for a program that returns a healthy chunk of its roster next season.
• La Salette (IL) finished 3rd in the School division. Year after year, these guys seem to punch above their weight.
• Raptor Rugby (TN) claimed 3rd in Tier 2 for the second consecutive season. Consistency 👊
🏆 State title update
Winners
• Pendleton (IN) secured its 5th Division 1 State Championship.
• Royal Irish (IN) captured the Indiana Division 2 crown.
Still to come
📍 Connecticut
• Greenwich vs Trumbull — June 6
(D1 State Championship)
• Stamford vs Simsbury — June 6
(D2 State Championship)
📍 Wisconsin
• Elkhorn vs Eastside Exiles — May 30
(State Championship)
📍 Ohio
• St. Edward vs St. Ignatius — May 30
(Ohio Premier Final)
• Westshore vs Warrior Rugby — May 30
(Ohio Division 1 Final)
📍 New York
• Xavier vs Rye — May 31
(State Semifinal)
• Fordham Prep vs Fairport — May 30
(State Semifinal)
📍 Illinois
• La Salette vs Marist
(Championship)
• Neuqua vs Morton
(Championship)
Massachusetts is reaching title time too. We’ll follow up once we have the schedule details.
Let us know if we missed anyone by replying to this email.
⭐ California launches U19 All-Star Tournament
This weekend, the Grizzlies are rolling out something new: the inaugural California U19 All-Star Tournament.
Hosted in Los Alamitos, the event brings together top talent from NorCal, SoCal, and the Legion pathway for a showcase of some of the best high school players in the state.
If a livestream becomes available, we'll post it on the Riot Hub.
📈 Rankings Update
See the full picture here 👉
Charlotte Cardinals retake #1 in the club rankings.
Honestly, Nationals did most of the work for us. The current Top 5 club rankings match the final Top 5 finishers in Elkhart exactly.
On the school side, Herriman and St. Ignatius sit at #1 and #2. Could it really be anyone else?
One interesting note: Charlotte Catholic (NC) and Torrey Pines (CA) remain inside the Top 10 despite not playing since February/March.
That might seem odd until you remember where many of the Charlotte Cardinals and San Diego Mustangs players came from.
Both school programs supplied a healthy dose of talent to the club teams that just finished 1st and 2nd at Nationals. Safe to say those rankings are holding up just fine.
📊 By the Numbers 2026 (so far)
Best Average Point Differential
Herriman (UT) | +38.6
Charlotte Cardinals (NC) | +37.5
Highest Scoring Offenses
Celina (TX) | 52.2 points per game
San Diego Mustangs (CA) | 48.4 points per game
Stingiest Defenses
Herriman (UT) | 9.1 points allowed per game (average)
Charlotte Cardinals (NC) | 10.5 points allowed per game (average)
Tightest Regions
Southwest | 11.2 average point differential
Northwest | 12.5 average point differential
💛 Golden Shorts Deliver
The Charlotte Cardinals came up big with their new initiative at Nationals.
10 dollars for every point the Cardinals scored at Nationals.
The Cardinals scored 132 total points on their way to a national title. That’s $1,320 donated to Claire’s Army by Cardinals sponsors.
But then, GS2 Millwork offered to MATCH every dollar raised, bringing the total amount to $2,640!
Claire’s Army supports families navigating the challenges of pediatric cancer—a noble cause, and one we’re happy to get behind.
Well done, Cardinals, and thank you PepsiCo, GS2 Millwork, and all the supporters who made this happen. 🙌
Did you miss these recaps from the National title games?
They’re unapologetically rugby focused. And they’ve been taking some of the best teams—including Gonzaga and The Legion Academy—overseas for years. Sky High Sports - The Rugby Tour Specialists, are the best people to work with when it comes to rugby touring.
Get your 2027 tour on the calendar today — and tell them we sent you 🙌
Zane Schumacher celebrates the Charlotte Cardinals National title win.
📸 Unknown
A collection of tries we captured Day 1-2 at Nationals 👆
“We lost to them last year, so we wanted to play a little angry, play a little smooth, play a little cool—something like that.”
This might be our favorite quote of the year. Watch the moment here.
Charlotte Tigers vs Carmichael Hawks
Tier 2 National Final
No two teams at Nationals had bigger chips on their shoulders than the Tigers and Hawks. Each won their respective state/regional titles, yet both came into the tournament with lower than expected seed positions.
Carmichael, seeded #8, were our dark horse candidates in Tier 2. The Tigers, seeded #6, had already beaten Woodlands at Friendship Cup and rode into Nationals with a NC State title under their belt.
The early proceedings were defined by back and forth momentum. The Tigers scored first on a line-breaking run by Xavier Flowe. Then the Hawks responded almost immediately when they stole a scrum and powered over the line.
Slick conditions caused all sorts of trouble over the next 15 minutes, as neither side could manage to grip the ball. Turnovers in the midfield erased momentum, until the Tigers’ kicking game started tilting the scales.
Pinned under their own posts, Carmichael defended desperately until the Tigers earned a penalty, which flyhalf Kellerman duly slotted to give the Tigers an 8-7 lead.
The Carmichael response was swift. A lineout-turned-maul saw Cash Lazard thunder through contact and dive over the line. 12-8 Carmichael at halftime.
To open the second half, Carmichael showed off their trademark offloading skills, slinging the ball through the hands until Isaac Gomez crashed into the try zone on the edge. Suddenly, it felt like the Hawks were pulling away with a 17-8 lead.
But the Tigers had no interest in that narrative. They mounted a sustained attack inside the Hawks’ 22 and forced Carmichael to absorb wave after wave of pressure under their own posts. Eventually that pressure paid off when the ball crossed over in the hands of winger Brooks Earp. And the Tigers were right back in it, though down 13-17.
That’s when things went a bit sideways for Carmichael. The combination of slippery ball and Tigers’ pressure led to some uncharacteristic handling errors from the NorCal boys. To the Tigers’ credit, the Hawks’ shifty playmakers were largely bottled up and limited to short gains.
This all led to the Tigers camping inside the Carmichael half—then Nehemiah Gill struck like a lightning bolt off the edge. The winger outraced Carmichael defenders and dove over the line, giving the Tigers their first lead of the second half. 18-17 Tigers after a missed conversion.
Fighting tired legs and three days of wear and tear, the Carmichael Hawks emptied the tank as time expired. They nearly broke free on the edge in the dying moments, but a clutch Tigers turnover and kick to touch ended the game.
The Tigers bench exploded onto the pitch, celebrating their club’s first national title.
Final Score: Tigers 18—17 Carmichael
The Charlotte Tigers are Tier 2 National Champions
Congratulations!
“Winning our first national title in program history means so much to the players and I. The guys have worked so hard for a long time to reach this point and I couldn’t be more proud. We will cherish the moment forever!”
Charlotte Tigers, Tier 2 National Champs
📸 USA Rugby
Riot takeaways:
The Tigers did an excellent job containing the Hawks’ playmakers. They made things uncomfortable all day and their speed off the line forced Carmichael into a more direct battle in the trenches. Solid plan, and even better execution by the Tigers.
Carmichael will regret some handling errors in this one. It seemed that many opportunities ended with the ball in their opponents’ hands. Their exciting open style that saw them outplay their seeding requires perfect execution, but fatigue and wet conditions certainly played a role in several missed connections in the final.
Both these squads surpassed expectations this year. It’s been a pleasure to cover their games and see these boys pour it all out every week.
Hell of a season, Carmichael and Tigers!
Oddball musings, thanks to the cold tub.
🏉 We need to add a footrace to the Nationals festivities. I’m dying to see guys like Reese Reiter, Aiden McLaughlin, and Nehemiah Gill go head to head.
🏉 Can someone explain why there are no food trucks at Nationals? Like, do you want us to leave the complex for food? I can only eat so many snack-stand hotdogs…
🏉 I have no dog in this fight, but it’s fascinating to watch NCR gobble up CRAA programs. Where does this all end? Beats me—but a unified collegiate system would be superb. Rooting for RUGBY to win over here at the Riot ✌️
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