Rugby Players Excel at De La Salle

Like many sports at De La Salle High School, the school’s rugby program has continued to build success over the last several years. In the spring of 2022, the varsity rugby team finished No. 1 in the country after posting a 10-0 record and winning the California Single School and the Northern California Premier Club championships.

The growth under current head coach Derek Holmberg is also expanding to the national level. Current players Tommy Rainsford ‘23 and Lucas Meranda ‘24, as well as recent graduate Dominic Besag ‘22, were all members of the USA Rugby program this past summer.

Tommy and Dominic played for the USA Rugby U18 team in the Corendon Summer Series in Amsterdam, while Lucas played on the U16 squad. However, to compete at this level, players and their families must be committed to the process. “These guys are from families that are really involved in rugby,” said Holmberg. “They understand and appreciate the culture and are willing to make the sacrifices to get on the national level.”

For De La Salle student Tommy Rainsford, his journey to the USA Rugby squad took off after the Spartans defeated Torrey Pines (52-24) in the California Single School Championship game. Tommy raised enough eyebrows at that game, that he was invited to play in tournaments in San Diego and Texas. Following further evaluation from the USA Rugby administration, he was invited to join the team on an international stage. Tommy accepted the invitation and, along with former Spartans’ teammate Dominic Besag, the U18 USA Rugby team posted a 3-0 record against Belgium, Canada, and the Netherlands. “I’ve never experienced anything like that before,” reflects Tommy. “Not a lot of people say they got to do it. It’s one of the greatest things I’ve ever done.”

The accomplishment for Tommy is the result of hard work and dedication, both on and off the field. Tommy credits De La Salle with supporting his dreams and future, “De La Salle makes you work harder than everyone else. Because we’ve never experienced anything like that, you know what to expect from yourself. And you know what level you have to go to get where you are.”

Current De La Salle Alumni Playing College Rugby

Matthew Abbes (Saint Mary’s), Keanu Andrade (Cal), Jake Anton (Florida International), Jack Becker (Saint Mary’s), Dominic Besag (Saint Mary’s), Hayden Bullotta (Saint Mary’s), Sam Carlson (San Diego), Will Devine (Saint Mary’s), Easton Elting (Cal Poly, SLO), Luke Freeman (Cal), Michael Freeman (Cal), Jonathon Hackett (Saint Mary’s), Lance Hackett (Cal), Terrell Hopson (Lindenwood), Zion Jerge (Saint Mary’s), Andrew Jullien (Saint Mary’s), Torres Kapust (San Diego), Nicholas Laughlin (Oregon), Peter Mazolewski (Cal Poly, SLO), Jack McGuiness (Alabama), Thomas Olson (San Diego), Michael Puckett (Cal), Elijah Prospero (Saint Mary’s), Jonathon Puckett (Cal), Luke Ogburn (Cal), Brendan Regan (Boise State), Kevin Regan (Saint Mary’s), Jacob Serafino (Nevada-Reno), Tyler Shelley (San Diego), Jackson Short (San Diego), Max Simmons (Saint Mary’s), Erich Storti (Saint Mary’s), Mario Storti (Saint Mary’s), Cole Taft (West Point), Grant Taft (Utah), Logan Tatum (San Diego), Cooper Tomkovicz (Saint Mary’s ), Nathan VanderKlught (Cal Poly, SLO), Cooper Wilkerson (Oregon State)