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Kent Back in Wash?

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Kent Back in Wash?

Well it’s been one weekend in the Rugby Washington boys HS league and already it’s a confusion.

Defending champions Seattle lost 24-22 to Kent, while Eastside, who started the season with solid aspirations, found themselves on the losing end against the always-athletic Liberty.

And the third game in the boys top league had Chuckanut beating Budd Bay 26-25 on the final play of the game.

So it seems that top to bottom, this league is once again as competitive as any in the country. Of the six teams listed, only Eastside has not won a state title this century. For Kent, though, it has been a long time. At one point considered one of the top teams in the country (they lost at nationals to Highland by two points one year), the Crusaders played in the 2nd division last season. They won it, and are back in the top division.

Kyle Capperauld was named player of the game against Seattle, with Aiden Gray getting honorable mention, while the Vikings tapped Tristan Ingold as their best Kent player. In addition, Kent is led by Brandon Burn, Kyle Saalfeld, and Hayden Warneke were outstanding.

Warneke, said Kent Coach Jeremy Torres, “played near flawless rugby.”

About 80% of the Kent team are in their first season, and Torres said he thinks the team is “solid, with a chance to become great. I'm not sure how we will stack up to the rest of the division, the season will have to play out in order find that out, but I'm confident that our boys will play their best and improve with each passing moment they are on a rugby pitch.”

Still, could this result be a harbinger of Kent’s return to the upper echelon of HS rugby in Washington? Torres isn’t concerned with that.

“My goal isn't to win each and every game, or really to win the state championship,” he sad. “It’s to show my players the honor and integrity that rugby has inherently, and let their skills, abilities and knowledge of the game take the team to the peak that they can. I know our boys are itching at proving that Kent is one of the best in the state, but we are taking it one step at a time. We are working on creating that brotherhood atmosphere that is so unique to rugby and if the wins come on top of the personal growth and brotherhood, well that's just the cherry on top.”