Cougars Conquer California

The Cougar’s varsity rugby team, ranked 14th in the nation, traveled across the country to San Diego, California to play in a highly anticipated match against the Cathedral Catholic Dons on January 17th.

In the first half, two teams’ scores remained close as both sides made crucial defensive stands in front of their try-zone area. Key plays for the Cougars came from junior Luke Zhemke. Luke not only had a try and two extra points in the first half, but he also helped the defense by booting the ball downfield to prevent the Dons from scoring. Andrew Kuhn also had an important try. As time expired in the first half, Charlotte Catholic led 14-12.

Charlotte Catholic was even more dominant in the second half. Cathedral Catholic’s offensive attack was plagued with errors, and the Cougars seized the opportunity to capitalize on these mistakes. The team consistently pushed back the Dons, keeping them in their half of the field. The score was 34-19 when time expired. With the win, the Cougars soared to the sixth-best high school rugby team in the country.

To celebrate the victory, a lot of the boys went down to the beach to hangout for the night. The Pacific Ocean during this time of the year was too cold to swim in, but Jack M cFee said, “We still had fun on the beach listening to music and playing games.” He said that all the boys were ecstatic after the match, and the feeling he had while hanging out with his friends after such a memorable win was unlike anything he had felt before.

The trip to San Diego was more than just a rugby game for many of the team members. On the Thursday before the game, some kids left school early or even skipped the day entirely to have more time to tour San Diego. Junior Will Dominguez and Senior Ben Hart both left early to make the most of their time in California. 

They decided to visit the University of San Diego. The campus is known for its stunning scenery and close access to the beach. Will said, “It was one of the most beautiful campuses I had ever been to.” However, he does not plan on attending a university in California because of its distance from his home.

After the team returned from California, they won a hard-fought game against the Hough Huskies. They came out victorious despite missing key players due to injuries, sickness, and a red card in the Cathedral Catholic game which prohibits a player from playing for the next two weeks.

Now, the team prepares for their first playoff game against South Charlotte with one goal in mind for the rest of the season: a state championship.

Charlotte Catholic Rugby Team (Credit: Charlotte Catholic High School)