Rugby Colorado’s league season may be getting off to a snowy start - when does it not? - but it’s a start with many implications, as the Littleton Eagle take on perennial state champs Colorado Springs.

“We’ve been doing a lot of shoveling,” joked Littleton Head Coach Charlie Riley about his team preparing for the always tough Grizzlies.

But the preparation has been more than just getting the snow off the field. Littleton played in the Boys Open HS 7s at the Las Vegas Invitational, and were impressive, bringing a size and power to the competition that saw them beat some impressive Canadian teams and win four in a row before they fell to Atlantis in the cup semis.

That was a strong indication that perhaps the Eagles have something going.

“We look pretty good,” said Riley. “A lot of our kids have come back. We’ve got some size and some kids with experience.”

Zach Morgan is an exciting player and is a key back for the Eagles, while Brian Dennis is a new recruit from football who has taken to the game well. Among the younger players, Jake Novak understands the flow of the game well.

“We’re in a good position for a team that’s only four years old,” said Riley. “We’ve got a great bunch of kids. They are athletic and coachable, and it’s important to identify the guys who are coachable. We focus a lot on technique. We know Colorado Springs will be a tough match for us to open again. They are big and fit and very well-coached. It’s going to be tough.”

"It's fun to see them figure it out," added Colorado Springs Head Coach Otis McGregor. "We've got some good athletes who've never seen a rugby ball before. We've had a few coaches scrimmages, but you never know what you've got until they have to react under pressure."

Captain Paddy Donovan, just signed with new varsity program Lindenwood-Belleville, leads a solid Springs team, but, as McGregor said, one that has a lot of questions to answer.  

Rugby Colorado has one game in the books so far as East HS beat Regis Jesuit 19-14 last week. The weather hasn’t helped.

Here’s this weekend’s league schedule (not included is the Regis Jesuit v St. Thomas Aquinas friendly):