PA State Champions Highlight

Coach Brian McCloskey of St. Joseph's Preparatory School in Philadelphia, Pa forwarded me this highlight reel of their state championship winning season.  Some great plays and athleticism is on display here and it is great to see such a high quality of rugby being played at the high school level.  If any other high school teams (or any American rugby club for that matter) would like to share a highlight reel they have, we will gladly post it.

CPD Quarterfinal: Utah vs Army

At West Point, Utah squared off against Army in a highly anticipated game between two evenly matched opponents. The Black Knights' strategy was to bully the Utes with their forwards, and to utilize Will Holder's excellent kicking. The Utes relied on Thretton Palamo's powerful running, and the speed of the intimidating backline. There were plenty of lead changes. However, when it counted, Utah mounted a fantastic comeback to steal the game from the Black Knights.

Utah: 32
Army: 26

CPD Quarterfinal: Life University vs Cal

When you go after the Golden Bears, winners of 25 national championships, you are going to have to score tries.  Life learned this when they traded attempts at 3 points for Cal's tries, and just could not keep pace despite holding their own for long stretches of the game.  Cal moves on to face Utah and Life looks forward to another year of growth with a young team.  Tom Rooke put in 3 tries for Cal.

Cal: 43

Life: 10

CPD Quarterfinal: St. Mary's vs Arkansas State

St. Mary's of California had a score to settle with Arkansas State in Jonesboro. The Gaels were knocked out of the playoffs last year, and were out for revenge in this Quarterfinal. The sloppy conditions on the field forced many knock ons in the match, spoiling scoring opportunities for both teams. Yet despite the conditions and St. Mary's hard hitting defense, it was the Red Wolves that emerged victorious, with superior play and a relentless backline.

Arkansas State: 30
St. Mary's: 17

In the Pipeline...

CPD Quarterfinal: St. Mary's vs Arkansas State. Expect it around 10 PM est.

CPD Quarterfinal: Navy vs BYU

The College Premier Division quarterfinal match was kicked off in Provo, UT between the heavily favored Cougars and the determined Midshipmen. In the 1st half, Navy's mistakes and failed attempts to find touch proved too costly against the caliber of team BYU fielded. The Middies displayed glimmers of hope as they lay siege to BYU many times. However, the floodgates opened late in the 2nd half, allowing the Cougars to give the crowd their money's worth.

BYU: 64
Navy: 12

In the Pipeline...

CPD Quarterfinal Match: Navy vs BYU

Plays of the Week: Vote for #1

Kicks galore and our first women's rugby plays highlight this week's POTW.  Sorry for the POTW absense last week.  Exams have hit us hard.

D1 Women's Playoffs: Dartmouth vs Stanford

The change of venue to the University of Buffalo's Kunz Stadium sure didn't affect the women in red. Stanford's balanced attack proved too much for the Big Green. Long runs, fantastic stiff arms, and a POTW candidate provide the entertainment in this exciting match.

Stanford: 40
Dartmouth: 15

CPD East: Kutztown vs Dartmouth

After a long season with plenty of heartbreaking losses for Kutztown, the Golden Bears convincingly defeated the Big Green in their last match.

Kutztown: 31
Dartmouth: 10

CPD West: Arizona State vs BYU

The Cougars look to be in championship form as they finished their regular season with a shutout win over the Sun Devils. Some many trys, passes, and runs make up this highlight reel. Their pre-kickoff haka set the tone when Arizona State decided to turn its back on it.  No judgment here on the decision, but it definitely got the Cougar's blood up.  BYU hosts Navy in the first round of the post season.

Pre-kickoff Haka

Highlights

BYU: 80
Arizona State: 0

CPD Pacific: UCLA vs St. Mary's

The Gaels fine tuned their skills before their highly anticipated playoff match at Arkansas State.

St. Mary's: 43
UCLA: 22

CPD East: Delaware vs Penn State

The Fightin' Blue Hens looked unstoppable in their final match of the season. They led 27-5 at one point, with Penn State down to 13 players due to yellow cards. However, the Nittany Lions were able to claw back into the match in the 2nd half and earn a well deserved victory.

Penn State: 42
Delaware: 41

CPD East: Navy vs Army: Beast of the East

The Black Knights were able to win the East with an exhilarating win over the Midshipmen. The match is full of big hits and exciting trys. Ben Leatigaga was once again unstoppable. Unfortunately, some trys were missed by the camera. Army will host Utah in a Quarterfinal match at West Point.

Army: 34
Navy: 27

In the Pipeline...

First and foremost the exciting contest of Navy vs Army, followed by the high scoring match of Delaware vs Penn State.