Temperatures soared and so did the level of play at the 2016 Rocky Mountain Rugby Challenge June 18 and 19.
The 16th annual event bringing together elite prep rugby teams from across the country provided yet another quality showing at the Aurora Sports Park despite conditions that threatened triple digits.
When two non-stop days of hard-nosed play in the boys varsity and junior varsity, girls varsity and junior varsity and middle school divisions finished, visitors ruled the championships.
Southern Cal grabbed the boys varsity title by blanking Utah 29-0, Indiana took the junior varsity crown with a 19-3 win over Southern Cal and the Utah varsity girls (which outscored its opponents 162-15) rolled to a title with 41-10 win over Minnesota. Rugby Colorado — a mix of players from all across the state — won its only championship in the girls junior varsity division.
The Rugby Colorado varsity team featured a select number of players from Aurora’s two club teams — the Aurora Saracens and Regis Jesuit — and finished fourth, falling 36-0 to Southern Cal in the semifinals before it dropped a 19-12 decision against Texas in the third-place match. The Colorado varsity girls finished third.
Representing Aurora on the varsity all-tournament team was Rangeview grad Will Fifita, the only Rugby Colorado player selected to the 21-player squad. The junior varsity all-tournament team included a pair of Regis Jesuit players from Rugby Colorado in John Dowling and Jack Peppercorn.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel
