Rugby Utah
Men Division
State Championship: East v Layton Christian Academy
Written by: Rob Kingsford
Congrats to the 2024 Utah Youth Rugby Division 1 State Champions, your East High Rugby Team! The State Championship match was one for the ages. This was a matchup that boasted the #5 nationally ranked single school team, East High School, going up against the #4 nationally-ranked, multi-school club side, Layton Christian Academy (LCA). East had finished the regular season 4-2 with losses to Herriman and LCA. LCA had entered the match as the only unbeaten team in the Division 1 Conference.
This match really was a tale of two halves: it was all LCA in the first half. They had a fantastic offensive attack. The Leopards were stuck playing defense for most of the first half. East was able to bend yet not break, and hold LCA to 14 points in the opening half of play East had opportunities, but they were unable to turn those chances into points. East had a one-point halftime deficit the week before against Herriman, and they managed a comeback victory. Could they do it again? 14 points would be a little bit of a taller task, especially against a team like LCA. The first 10 minutes of the second half was a stalemate but East was building momentum. 12 minutes into the second half, the East boys counted their first score. Senior Prop Ben Blake had a strong pick and go, and unfortunately broke his leg on the play. It resulted in a pass out from junior scrumhalf Andy Flandro to senior prop Sam Tuai, who then offloaded to junior hooker John Vai for the try under the posts. The Rex Bateman conversion was good. East 7 – LCA 14.
There was a bit of a time delay getting Ben off the field. He was put on the orange stretcher and all the East boys carried him off to the side where the paramedics could attend to him and allow
play to resume. It was all East from this point forward. They lost a soldier, and they were going to go get the victory!
East would get the ball back on the next kick off and they began the attack. With strong runners, sold off loads, and a strong pick and go attack, the Leopards would score again. On the 10th phase in a row, 8man Papa Matelau picked from the back of the ruck and banged into goal from the five-meter line to ground the score. Bateman's additional deuce was good, and we were locked up 14-14, with 20 minutes left in the match. LCA were pinged for a not straight lineout, and East elected to take a scrum at the LCA 10-meter line. The Leopards crashed with the centers and Papa Matelau was there for support. He grabbed the ball and took it 40 meters right down the center of the field untouched, with 12 minutes left in the match. The boys from East took the lead for the first time as Bateman’s +2 was successful: East 21 – LCA 14.
However, the show wasn’t over. On the following kick off it was East on the front foot. After the first phase, the pass went to senior lock Junior Kaufusi, who broke the line and ran for 50 meters. The ball got loose but LCA was called for a knock on. East scrummed down and Papa Matelau snagged the 8man pick and offloaded to East senior flyhalf, Michael “Nunu” Fonua, who transferred to senior center Naisa Puletau, who would make the final pass to Akeli Naea who crossed LCA paint to touch down the score. The conversion missed: East 26 – LCA 14 with 8 minutes remaining. 26 unanswered points from the Leopards in the second half. LCA won the scrum and turned the ball over at breakdown. East kicked the ball downfield and Aleki Naea gathered the pill and returned upfield only to be brought to ground at the LCA 5-meter line. East was penalized for not releasing the ball; LCA ball. There was an injured LCA player on the ground who was being attended to so there was a short break. During the break, with 6 minutes left, there was a scuffle in the stands among parents and fans. Players were not involved. At this point, the stadium event staff called the match. This was a disappointing way for the match to end. The final result, East 26 – LCA 14, and the East High School Rugby Boys were crowned the 2024 State Champions!!!
Unfortunately, our season is over. We get asked often, “What about Nationals?” Nationals is an interesting topic. We have applied for the tournament the last 2 years, but our application has
not been accepted either time, even though we have the resume to go compete with what is advertised as the top high school rugby teams in the country If you want to be the best, you must beat the best. That’s what makes this year so special. Both Herriman and LCA had applications accepted to nationals back in February, before our regular season had even started. We beat both teams on our quest for a State Title. The victory is sweet! Congrats once more to the East Rugby players, coaches, parents, families, team photographers, training staff, gear vendors, school administration, sponsors, and fans that have been with us all year long. We will remember this one for a long long long time. Go Leopards!!!! State Champs!!! For more information on what is happening around the league feel free to check out www.utahyouthrugby.org Thank you.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND EAST RUGBY
· Facebook Page
· Boys High School - East High Rugby Club
· Girls High School - East Girls Rugby or Girls East High Rugby
· East Youth Rugby - East Youth Rugby or East Leopards Jr Rugby
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Boys High School - @eastrugby
Girls High School - Girls High School or @easthighgirlsrugby801
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Twitter - @EastRugbyClubSL
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