One of the top Rugby Pennsylvania teams will be facing a stent test at one of the top Virginia HS teams as West Shore United travels to West End.

For West Shore it will be an even sterner fast as they won’t have several starters - some of whom are off playing with Atlantis in Las Vegas, and others finishing up winter sports.

Their starting midfield of Alex Schlager and Jayden Demmy are in Vegas, and that, said Coach Sean Robinson, is just an “opportunity to test out some of our new players against a really good West End team.”

West Shore graduated 23 players from last year’s team, but they expect to reload and push on.

“We have some solid young guys coming up from our junior side that should help and we have had some good crossover athletes come out this season, that have a lot of potential,” said Robinson. “Our backline should be strong, especially in the centers with Schlager and Demmy leading the way. We graduated a really good 9 and 10 combination last season in Marvis Barrientos and Owen Skoneck (who is playing for Clemson), and a strong fullback in Hunter Kruger (Mt. Saint Mary’s). We’re hoping that Gunner Marsh, Cameron Welsh and Griffin Baublitz can fill those shoes. If they do, we should be right back in the thick of things.”

Up front, all-State lock Eugene Rodgers returns and leads a pack that includes four sophomores and a freshman. Junior No. 8 Sergio Acala has the potential to be a breakout player this season after making the 9th/10th grade All-State side the previous two seasons.

West End, meanwhile, had a run-out against Gonzaga, which they lost, and then a game against Doylestown which was perhaps something of an upset, a 42-35 win.

That game leads many to believe this could be a good year for the Virginians.

“As with all our early-season games, it's about playing tough competition to shake off the rust, build confidence, and prepare for our league season and playoff run,” said West End Coach Jeff Rupp. “We have lots of returning players, so we start clicking that much sooner, and with all our new guys it's also an opportunity to build some depth.”