The Nashville Rugby Club hosts two Nash Bash tournaments in March, with the first one being for High School teams.

This year it’s a good one with 26 programs entering 30 teams in an A and B division for HS Boys.

Most of the teams are from Tennessee, with Father Ryan and South Doyle heading the list of local squads, but there are some other teams from further afield. Sir John A MacDonald school from Waterloo, Not. is the sole foreign entry, but St. Louis University High (Mo.), Southern Pines (NC), The Chiefs (Ill.), Dallas Jesuit (Texas), Kansas City Jr. Blues (Mo.), and teams from Arkansas, New Jersey, and Kentucky round out this intriguing group.

Southern Pines enters the tournament 3-3 and still getting there.

“We have a lot of good athletes that we’re trying to turn into rugby players,” said Southern Pines Head Coach Robert Bortin. “This will be a good barometer of how far the guys have improved. We need to control possession better and stop giving the ball away in tackles too much. This will be a good tournament to see if we’ve learned that.”

Flanker Josh Hager has been playing well for Southern Pines, but they will miss try-scoring No. 8 Jehari Whitfield, who is not available for this trip.

Not available also will be a few starters for the Kansas City Jr. Blues. Fresh off a trip to the final of the Lindenwood HS tournament, the Blues get on the bus again for another road trip.

“We don’t have a lot of strong competition in the Kansas City area so every year we have to travel,” said Jr. Blues Head Coach Eddie Cummings. “This is a good tournament just to get the kids on the field and give them more games to play. The more competitive games they play the better they get.”

Flyhalf and captain Sam Chapman had a very strong tournament at Lindenwood, and is one of a key group of veteran players on the squad. But they are also starting several players new to the game.

“I’ve got to admit, at Lindenwood I didn’t expect us to be that good,” said Cummings. “We’ve got some good athletes who play soccer, wrestle, and play basketball, and we’re getting them out there on the field.”

South Doyle had last week’s league games called off due to weather, but Head Coach Matthew Lance likes what he has set up this week.

“We have a tremendous lineup of games,” said Lance, whose team just accepted an invitation to the Boys National Invitational Championship. 

Among the rivals to South Doyle in Tennessee is Father Ryan. Like other teams, Ryan hasn’t played because of bad weather, but they also saw 23 seniors graduate from last year’s state championship team.

“We are rebuilding,” said Head Coach Keith Burnett, adding that “all glory is fleeting.”

The Chiefs out of Illinois hope not, but the defending state champs, who will bring an A-side, B-side, U14, and U12 boys teams, plus a girls teams, have some rebuilding to do of their own.

“We graduated a lot of kids,” said Head Coach Pat Carmody. “But we also have a group of experienced players. We have some good athletes who don’t have much experience, and some young players coming up.”

Like many teams from the north, the Chiefs have not been outside at all. This weekend will be their players’ first experience on a rugby field - for some of them, ever.

“I know this will be a big eye-opener for a lot of our players,” said Carmody. “It should be fun, and that’s what we want - for them to have fun and get outside and play on a full-sized field.”

Among the players leading the way for the Chiefs are Nick Horn, who plays both No. 8 and prop forward, and big front-rower Ben Jackons, who, with Horn, will provide much of their go-forward. Will Packer can play almost anywhere on the field but will likely be flanker, while the little general for the Chiefs is Andrew Kallas, who moved to scrumhalf last year and just took wonderfully to the position. He was a revelation in the Illinois state final, and will be a key figure in keeping the Chiefs on task.

Here are the HS Boys games scheduled as of today. Snow has hit Nashville (as it has almost everywhere), and so the schedule is subject to change:

 

Nash Bash Boys HS Schedule

Saturday, March 7

9:30 St. Louis U HS v Delbarton

 

10:30 St. Louis U HS B v Chiefs B

Sir John MacDonald v Oakland

Brentwood v Noblesville

Southern Pines v Father Ryan

Perrysburg v Sumner

Harpeth v HSA Royals

 

11:30 Chiefs v KC Jr Blues

Germantown v Warren County

South Doyle v Dallas Jesuit

Harpeth B v HSA Royals B

Bearden v Tribe

 

12:30 Stewartsdale v Storm

Little Rock v Louisville

 

1:30 Father Ryan v Perrysburg

Southern Pines v Harpeth

St. Louis U HS v Oakland

 

2:30 Chiefs B v HSA Royals B

Sumner v Noblesville

Sir John MacDonald v KC Jr Blues

Delbarton v Dallas Jesuit

 

3:30 Brentwood v Storm

Harlequins B v Little Rock

Warren County v Tribe

 

4:30 South Doyle v Chiefs

Bearden v Stewartsdale

Louisville v St. Louis U HS B

Germantown v HSE Royals

 

Sunday, March 8

9:30 Southern Pines v Bearden

Brentwood v Perrysburg

Sir John MacDonald v South Doyle

Noblesville v Storm

Harpeth B v Chiefs U16s

 

10:30 KC Jr Blues v Oakland

Ravenwood v Belbarton

HSA Royals v St. Louis U HS

Tribe v Sumner

Harpeth v Germantown

 

11:30 St. Louis U HS B v Warren County

Chiefs v Dallas Jesuit

Little Rock v HSA Royals B

Stewartsdale v Louisville