The Florida Youth Rugby Boys HS season starts this weekend with the new-look Division 1 putting eight of its ten teams on the field.

Tampa Krewe faces Key Biscayne in an early matchup of some intrigue. Key Biscayne moved to high school competition last year with a group of young players coached since they were very young by a group of dads - many of whom played serious rugby in Argentina and Uruguay.

They are skilled and play well together.

Meanwhile, the Krewe, which struggled to win a single game last year, is expected to win a lot more this year. The Krewe played in the toughest pool in 2015, and Tampa was very competitive regardless.

“We have players in their third season giving us more players with a rugby IQ,” said Coach Chris DeAnnuntis. “The new boys have size and speed paired with mental toughness. I would have to say our chances are as good as any team in Florida.”

This game will tell a lot about the fortunes of those two teams.

Certainly, also, Naples hosting Orlando will do the same. These two teams usually have state title aspirations.

For the Bears of Naples, they have a lot of work to do to get to mid-season form. They are a young squad, with their core of experienced players being no older than juniors, but it’s going to be a tough ask in the first weekend.

“We will have them as ready as possible,” said Coach Paul Rokela.

As for Orlando, they’ve had a solid preseason and welcome some snappy players back to the squad - captain and prop Sam Voegele leads by example and enters his fourth year as a starter. Chad Sasiadek, Ieuan Nation, Levi Philips, Jack Smith, Justin Smith, and Zachary Dambaugh all return, while utility back Edgar Rodriguez is very versatile - he can play anywhere in the backline.

Among the new players, watch out for Cole Ponder, the younger brother of American International College center Jacob. 

“Just don't call him Jacob’s little brother,” warned Coach Chris Quigley of the 6-4, 240-pound younger Ponder. “I do not know if I have ever seen a 15-year-old of his size have that much body control, footwork, and hand-eye coordination.”

Watch out also for imposing flyhalf Harrison Barkham, a good kicker and passer. Jumping into a backline with Justin Smith could be all sorts of problems for defenses. Both will play for the Atlantis touring side in Las Vegas.

But, warned Quigley, “we have yet to gel. I have yet to see a complete product. We have a great opportunity in front of us.  It will take a lot of hard work and dedication by the boys and staff.”

The new format, which has all teams play each other, is a good one, said Quigley. the DI league in Florida is talented and will be very tough to dominate. 

Also on the slate is Riviera Beach Maritime Academy against Daytona Beach. Daytona produced some of the state’s more athletic all-stars, and while they finished 3-3 in the regular season, that was in the toughest pool, the North, with the Cape Pirates(also 3-3 last year), Tampa (a competitive 1-5), and eventual state champs Orlando. Daytona won the Bowl in 2015, while RBMA pushed Orlando in the cup semis.

New to the league are the Okapi Wanderers, who are in a similar situation to the 2015 Key Biscayne team - a program built from the ground up with youth, that is now moving into the high school league. They have several players who were JV all-stars last year. They are idle this weekend, as are the West Pines Wolfhounds, formed out of Weston, state runners up, and West Pines, to ensure depth through JV. 

The Pirates look to build on a solid season last year but they lost some dynamic players to graduation - although those players seem to have left younger brothers behind to carry the torch. Captain Brennen George is back, and that’s key. They take on a Jupiter Sharks team that was 4-2 in the South 2 Pool in 2015 and could be a dark horse.

“From top to bottom it is going to be a real tough season,” said Orlando’s Quigley. “All of the teams seem to be getting better every year.”

(See all Florida Youth Rugby news here)