National Guard Boys’ High School, Under-19 Rugby Championship Finalists Set

from USA Rugby:

PITTSBURGH – Following a full day of stiff competition at Founders Field on Friday, May 15, the title contenders in USA Rugby’s National Guard Boys’ High School and Under-19 Championships are now locked in place.

Upsets throughout the Under-19 Boys’ competition set the stage for a Saturday evening rematch of last year’s final – a Utah showdown between Salt Lake City’s Highland Rugby and United Rugby Club (Alpine). Highland met a tough match against Highlanders Rugby, Chapel Hill but advanced with a 31-15 in its tournament opener and is still on course to repeat its 2008 results, after pushing past the Kansas City Junior Blues 42-3 in the semis.

A win in the finals on Saturday would not only mean a second consecutive U-19 title for Highland, but its nineteenth championship title in the history of USA Rugby’s High School/U-19 Championships. However, Utah United is out for redemption after falling short in the 2008 final, and proved fierce competitors in day one. United downed Union County (N.J) 24-5 in the first round and secured a 31-17 win over No. 6 seed West Shore United (Pa.), who kicked off the tournament with a massive upset over the No. 3 Westerville Worms (Ohio).

With just injury time remaining, a successful kick from West Shore fullback Steffan Cameron made all the difference, securing a narrow 16-15 victory over the Worms to advance to the third place match versus the Kansas City Junior Blues on Saturday. Kansas City opened the day with a convincing 17-5 win over the Los Angeles Cougars but proved no match for perennial powerhouse Highland Rugby in the semis.

The L.A. Cougars will faceoff against Westerville for fifth place on Saturday at 11 a.m. After falling just short versus West Shore United in a heartbreaking finish, the Worms found a 26-12 victory over Union County in the consolation semis. Union County will meet Highlanders Rugby in the battle for 7th place when the Boy’s U-19 competition picks up on Saturday.

“There were some great upsets and some high quality matches today that could have proven to be the championships game,” USA Rugby Director of Competition Dan Payne said. “It’s always exciting to watch well coached teams and observe the progress of players at this level.”

Leading the pack in the Boys’ High School division were reigning champions Jesuit High School (Sacramento), who now look to defend their title against Christian Brothers High School in the final match at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Jesuit dealt Charlotte Catholic a commanding 50-0 shutout in the opening round of play and moved on from the semifinals with a redeeming 27-5 win over Xavier – a reversal of outcomes from the teams’ last meeting just two weeks ago when Xavier topped the Sacramento squad while on tour preparing for Championships.

Christian Brothers did not have such smooth sailing to the final round. The team topped Indiana-based Penn High School 33-5 in its first game of the day but then met a tough battle against Gonzaga College High School, just barely coming away with a win, 25-22, to advance to the final on Saturday night.

Gonzaga will now meet Xavier for a shot at third place, an improvement from the 2008 Championships when the teams sparred for fifth place. Instead, this year’s fifth place match features Brownsburg RFC and Penn High School. Brownsburg kicked off to a rough start in the losing end of a 43-0 shutout against Xavier, but then pulled off a shutout of its own, 24-0, against Charlotte Catholic.

Charlotte will meet St. Thomas High School (Texas) in the seventh place match when Boys’ High School play resumes at noon on Saturday. St. Thomas fell to Gonzaga 37-3 in its opening match but hung close with Penn High School in the consolation semifinals, resulting in a 14-12 final.

“The quality of high school rugby in the U.S. has increased dramatically, and tournaments such as this will help make us a super power,” said USA Rugby Lineout Specialist Luke Gross, who was onsite as an Age-Grade evaluator. “The players here today are certainly making great strides in building the future of USA Rugby.”

Competition picks up again at 9 a.m. on Saturday morning with the Girls’ Under-19 match featuring 2008 champions Divine Savior Holy Angels versus Colorado’s Summit High School on field 2, and last year’s fifth place finisher Maryville (Tenn.) against the West Carroll Lady Marauders on field 1.

Tickets for the event can be purchased in day or weekend increments, starting at $6 for a youth (12 & Under) and military day pass, up to $50 for a VIP weekend pass, which includes VIP parking and deck seating. General parking is $2/day. Tickets will be sold at the gate on the day of the tournament or via the Pittsburgh Harlequins’ Web site at www.pittsburghharlequins.org.

For more information on the USA Rugby National Guard Boys’ High School and Boys’ and Girls’ Under-19 Championships, visit www.usarugby.org/goto/Championships.

Boys’ High School
Jesuit of Sacramento 50, Charlotte Catholic 0
Xavier 43, Brownsburg RFC 0
Gonzaga College HS 37, St. Thomas 3
Christian Brothers 33, Penn 5
Jesuit of Sacramento 27, Xavier 5
Brownsburg 24, Charlotte Catholic 0
Christian Brothers 25, Gonzaga College HS 22
Penn 14, St. Thomas 12

Boys’ Under-19
West Shore United 16, Westerville Worms 15
United Rugby 24, Union County 5
Highland Rugby 31, Highlanders Rugby 15
Kansas City Junior Blues 17, L.A. Cougars 5
United Rugby 31, West Shore United 17
Westerville 26, Union County 12
Highland Rugby 42, Kansas City Junior Blues 3
L.A. Cougars 21, Highlanders Rugby 0