Hough, Marvin On to NC Single-School Final
Hough, Marvin On to NC Single-School Final
Hough Rugby and Marvin Ridge will face off in the final in North Carolina's single-school next week after both won semifinals this weekend.
Hough exploded for a convincing 45-5 victory over Laney HS. Under Head Coach Bruce Colson, who handles the set piece and forwards, and Coach Mathieu Lesgourgues, who has added some French flair to their attack, Hough found their rhythm.
The Hough forwards handled themselves well against a much larger Laney pack but using their speed, fitness, and tackling technique to win the contact point. All of that combined to execute in the scrums and lineouts, and as a result the Hough backs were able to attack constantly.
Laney needed to dominate physically but they couldn't quite get there.
Freshman JJ Ah Hoy was active through in the Hough forwards. Another freshman, D. Kai Campbell, made plenty of ground with ball in hand and was a powerful presence in the tackle.
And that created space for the backline to set up Dominic Cutri and Milo Portilla on the wing.
Marvin Ridge defeated South Meck in a game that was a thriller and certainly back-and-forth.
It was a good moment for the relatively new, and young, Marvin side. Marvin also won the Middle School and Junior Varsity state titles this weekend.
"We are really hoping our high school boys can do the same," said Head Coach Alan Mitchell.
The first half was characterized by ferocious tackling, rucking, and counter rucking. At five minutes, South Meck executed a lineout nicely and a strong carry by Sailor Whitehead split the Marvin defense and good handling saw Jackson Wilson score in the opposite corner. Koen Webb was just wide on the tricky conversion attempt.
South Meck continued to put Marvin under territorial pressure but Marvin’s defense was well disciplined. A pivotal moment came in the 14th minute when experienced Marvin flanker Hayden Mullins intercepted a pass to race 35 meters and dot down under the posts. Cameron Mitchell added the conversion to take Marvin into a 7-5 lead.
Both teams kicked well and the lineout was a hotly contested area all game. South Meck mixed their options well with Quinn Miller disrupting Marvin ball and Marvin’s Nate Rawls making critical steals. In the loose, South Meck’s Jack & Nick Flemmings carried strongly but met a well organized Marvin defense led by Perez, Starr, and O'Connor.
Just prior to halftime came a perfectly-executed move by two Marvin freshmen. Flyhalf Mitchell placed an well-weighted kick over the rushing defense and that was collected by Aiden McLaughlin to canter in under the posts. Mitchell converted to take Marvin to 14-5 halftime lead.
“We were on defense for much of the first half so respect to our players for their work rate, cool heads, and good decision making to keep South Meck to only five points at the break,” said Marvin co-captain Easton Yancey.
The second half started well for South Meck but Marvin held them up over the line; after that they won a couple of key turnovers to push into South Meck’s 22. From a lineout, Blackmer took it up and quick hands from Mitchell and Schumacher brought fullback McLaughlin into the line and he sprinted to the corner for his second try. The conversion just drifted wide but Marvin was now up 19-5.
South Meck continued to pound, with Whitehead breaking the Marvin defense at 50 minutess after a lineout steal by Miller.. Jackson Wilson converted to take the game to 19-12.
Marvin’s defense and cool heads again prevailed. Captain Finlay Mitchell’s kicking was strong and his carrying, alongside fellow center Jake Schumacher and hooker Easton Yancey, turned the pressure back on South Meck.
Marvin’s defining score came in the final minute – Mitchell won turnover ball, carried strongly and then kicked deftly off the outside of his boot for Matty Aman on the wing. Aman dove on the ball in-goal for the try. Mitchell converted and Marvin had the win 26-12.
