🏉The Gonzaga Classic at a Glance

Saturday was a cold, windy day, but the atmosphere—and the rugby—were phenomenal.

Teams set up mini tent villages across the sports complex as music hummed, players mingled, and parents and coaches drifted between fields with coffees in hand. With two turf pitches running non-stop all day, it had that perfect tournament buzz—despite the chilly wind.

The loneliest man on campus was the Kona Ice vendor. Poor chap—I saw exactly zero customers visit his Hawaiian-music-emitting shaved-ice truck on Saturday. Sunday brought warmer weather, and presumably some dollars to his cash register.

The second day of the Classic was clear and windy. We were treated to several excellent games and a dominant performance in the title match.

Overall, the Gonzaga Classic was a smoothly run event with just the right blend of camaraderie and intensity. We were especially impressed by the organizers’ communication as the weather forced schedule changes. Every match had to be played on the complex’s two turf fields—and somehow, they pulled it off without a hitch. Well done.

👇Here are a few quick hits and observations from the tournament:

Top team? There’s no debate.

The Charlotte Cardinals—winners of the Gonzaga Classic 2025: Premier Division.

The Cardinals’ greatest strength—summed up in a word—is DEPTH. Maybe not the most exciting word, unless you’re a coach, but it was on display all weekend. It didn’t matter who they subbed in—the quality of play never dipped. Hell, they have their very own “bomb squad” that jogs onto the pitch in the second half—just in time to crush any opponent’s hopes of a comeback.

There are playmakers all over this roster. Big bruising dudes in the forward pack, shifty jitterbugs in the back line, a scrumhalf/flyhalf combo that run a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it attack—and everyone makes their tackles.

Talent spotlight:

• Porter Kuebler (scrum-half) is the spark plug of the offense. He rarely makes a poor decision and runs a relentless, up-tempo system that refuses to ease off the throttle. His 8 tries on the weekend tell you everything you need to know—Kuebler isn’t just a distributor; he’s a shrewd operator with killer instincts.

• Vince Keller leads from the fullback position, constantly communicating to the guys in front of him and picking his moments to join the attack.

• The Cardinals’ backline features a three-headed dragon:

  • Max Colson is the silky-smooth flyhalf,

  • Luke Zehmke the enforcer at inside center,

  • and Zane Schumacher is the twitchy #13 who puts defenders on skates.

• And the entire forward pack deserves high praise. These guys are bullies at the breakdown, dominant ball carriers, and the foundation for everything Charlotte does well.

This isn’t hyperbole—the Cardinals are simply a very talented squad. One thing that caught our eye at the Classic was the team’s demeanor. The boys from Charlotte looked like they were having a hell of a time, playing loose yet focused rugby—running through their gears effortlessly and cheerfully. Winning every game certainly helps with that, but even head coach Jason Zehmke noted after the game, “I think we may have found something this weekend,” suggesting that all the pieces are coming together for a squad that is looking every bit like a national title contender.

And the Cardinals also brought things full circle—closing the loop on last year’s Classic.

Last year’s final ended in dramatic fashion, with Gonzaga clinching the title on a last-play Charlotte penalty kick—one that many on the Charlotte sideline believed split the posts. The referee disagreed, and Gonzaga won.

This year, Charlotte led 47–5 with just a couple minutes to go when they were awarded a penalty. For the first—and only—time all weekend, they pointed to the posts.

The kick was good.
The game ended shortly after.

Final Score: Charlotte Cardinals 50 — 5 Gonzaga

Teams that caught our eye.

Raptor Rugby (TN) — Winners of the Varsity Division.

Raptor Rugby showed up and showed out—and probably should’ve been in the Premier division.

They dominated Gonzaga Black 54–0, edged Wando in a tougher matchup, and looked sharp in the Varsity final with a convincing 28–5 win over LaSalle.

The Raptors recycle the ball quickly and utilize space near the sidelines very effectively. They were proficient tacklers across the board, these boys did a great job creating turnovers and speedily catching opponents on their heels with counterattacks.

We came away impressed—and left wondering how they would’ve fared against Gonzaga’s top side or BC High. Maybe next time.

Gonzaga (DC)

The final didn’t go Gonzaga’s way—but there were plenty of bright spots throughout the weekend.

They put together a strong body of work to reach the championship match, and their win over BC High stood out: disciplined, cohesive, and clinical. The kind of rugby we’ve come to expect from the boys from Eye Street—textbook set pieces, sharp tempo control, and a knack for finding space.

This is a young Gonzaga squad—sophomores galore—but the learning curve is shrinking by the week. Tournaments like the Classic are exactly what they need: a firehose of experience over two intense days.

A few standouts:

• Ethan Heim is an absolute animal at fullback. He wears #15, but his role is part flyhalf, part field general, part kickoff assassin. He scored a brilliant solo try in the final—snatched a restart kick, broke a couple tackles, and willed his way into the try zone.

• Charlie Waller is a certified speed demon on the wing. His footwork is sharp, his vision is excellent, and he creates real problems for defenders when given space.

• The forward pack made some excellent tackles throughout the weekend—the type that make the crowd go “Ooooo”. We didn’t catch all the boys’ names, so we’ll give the whole group a shout-out.

BC High (MA)

BC High is just plain fun to watch. High work rate, powerful running, and no shortage of physicality—that’s their formula.

They’ve got serious athletes, and three of them happen to be brothers. Scrum-half Braxton Blind and inside center Brennan Blind are twins, while Colton Blind, wearing #13, is the youngest. Having three lookalikes in the backline creates this weird sense of déjà vu: “Wait—didn’t that guy just get tackled? How is he carrying the ball again?!” And they all run with the same mindset—direct, aggressive, and completely unbothered by contact.

Their match against Gonzaga was tight. The DC boys may have edged it, but BC High showed poise and bite. We actually wondered what a full length match between the two would look like.

This team is dialed in. Their defense is an organized machine. Their offense has great speed and structure. Everyone seems to be on the same page—and they don’t waste opportunities.

No question: BC High is one of the best teams on the East Coast.

Pleasant Surprises

Father Duenas “Friars” (Guam)

The scrappy band from Guam turned a lot of heads.

At first glance, they looked like a group of misfits: different shapes and sizes, baggy white shorts, and not much fanfare. I’ll admit, I didn’t expect much. But then the whistle blew—and they came out intense, physical, and full of energy. These boys ran hard and played their hearts out.

The highlight of their weekend was a hard fought win over Clayton, but the Friars kept every game close—with a 19-17 loss to BC High and a 10-5 loss to Gonzaga.

And they brought some serious gamesmanship to the party.

Their scrumhalf had a whole routine. During opposing scrums, he’d reach down, touch the ball, and casually say to the opposing hooker: “I cursed the ball. Sorry.”

Then came the footwork battle.

At nearly every scrum, he’d slide his foot in front of the opposing 9’s. The other 9 would push his foot back in front. Back and forth it went—sometimes ten times in a row—until both of them looked like they were trying to win a Ukrainian folk-dance battle.

And during lineouts, one of the Friars would raise his hand to his ear and dramatically listen in on the call before announcing “I heard that!”

They wore smiles the whole time. They played hard. And they made it fun. Father Duenas brought something totally unique to the Gonzaga Classic—and we were glad they did.

LaSalle (PA)

LaSalle looks sharp.

An argument could definitely be made that they belonged in the Premier division. The boys from PA looked focused and well-organized all weekend. It’s an athletic group that thrives on creating turnovers at the breakdown and striking quickly in transition. Their kick chase blanketed the field, and their tackling was fierce from start to finish.

One area they’ll want to shore up is kick coverage, where a few gaps left them vulnerable to opportunistic grubbers and punts. But overall LaSalle showed up ready, and they left an impression.

They look like a well-coached, disciplined team—and one that could make serious noise in Pennsylvania this playoff season.

And that’s a wrap!

There were several games we weren’t able to catch—with games happening simultaneously it was near impossible to see every moment. These are just a few teams that jumped out to us.

A big thank you to everyone who joined our live text updates on WhatsApp! We enjoyed giving you casual commentary from the event and we may do something similar at future tournaments.

Cheers!

-Ipse, Chief Rioter