By Will Cornelius
The Surveyor

Rucks, mauls and scrums! It might sound like a foreign language to some, but for a handful of Berthoud boys it is just another sport. Berthoud High School (BHS) student-athletes compete in sports far and wide, and not just for their own school these days.

For the past few years, a handful of BHS boys have played on the Weld Rugby high school team. The Weld Rugby team draws on high school players from across Larimer and Weld County.

Rugby was originally an offshoot of soccer. The legend goes that in the nineteenth century, an enterprising Briton named William Webb Ellis decided that it made more sense to pick up the ball and run with it than repeatedly kick it. Thus, Rugby was born. Football also devolved from Rugby this way when American ingenuity created the forward pass in the early twentieth century. Best described as a combination of football and soccer, rugby is one of the fastest-growing sports in the United States.

That growth was on display on March 30 when Weld Rugby hosted Regis Jesuit High School in Greeley for a nighttime match at the University of Northern Colorado. Regis’s rugby team is one of the premier teams — not just in the state — but in the entire country. According to Goff Rugby Report, Regis is the 25th-best team in the country. Regis also had the advantage of a larger team, which allowed them to make more substitutions to keep players fresh for the entire 60-minute game. “We knew coming into this match, for all intents and purposes they are the number one team in the state,” explained Weld Rugby head coach Chris Woodward.

The game began with each team trying to advance the ball into the other’s halves. A key difference between rugby and football is that any player can kick the ball — at any time. This allows for fast changes in ball and field possession. Weld Rugby was the first to score after they drove close to Regis’ endzone before punching it in. A score in rugby is called a try and is worth five points. Tries are scored by touching the ball down to the grass in the opponent’s endzone.

Next was the conversion kick. Like a point-after attempt in football after a touchdown, a conversion kick gives the scoring team a chance to score another two points. Unfortunately, Weld Rugby missed the kick and the score remained 5-0 for the home team. Regis responded quickly with their own try but also missed the conversion kick to equalize the score at 5-5.
A breakaway run from one of Weld Rugby’s wingers resulted in another try, this time with a successful conversion to make the game 12-5. But again, Regis responded with another try and conversion to even the score at 12-12 before halftime.

Regis then started the second half strong with a try and a conversion to take their first lead of the game 19-12. Weld Rugby struggled to respond and was caught on the back foot for much of the second half. But with 10 minutes left, the home team scored another try and converted the kick to even the score for a third time at 19-19.

A tense game went back and forth before Weld Rugby conceded a penalty near their goal line. Penalties in rugby give the other team the chance to run the ball or kick for the uprights. If they choose to kick and make it through the uprights, it counts for three points. Regis took their chances on kicking and were rewarded with three points as the ball sailed through the uprights to give them a 22-19 lead.

Playing to win and with nothing to lose against the nationally ranked side, Weld Rugby strung together a great attacking drive. Pushing near their opponent’s goal line, Regis conceded a penalty to Weld Rugby. Weld Rugby could go for the game-tying kick or try to win it with a try. Playing to win, the home team went down swinging as Weld Rugby came up five yards short of their opponent’s goal-line before the game ended. The final score was 22-19 for Regis.

“We all played with heart, I feel like that’s the most important part. Give it everything you got,” said Alex Larson after the game. “We definitely should have won. We need to fix some mistakes, but I think we’re the best team in the state,” he added.

“I think they did a fantastic job. So, I’m telling them ‘hold their heads high,’ because I think we’re going to get a second shot at these guys,” Woodward said after the game about the team. “I think if these kids keep playing this way we can expect to be in the playoffs,” he added.

Woodward also praised the Berthoud boys on his team. “The Larsons, all three brothers have been — mega — contributors. Just absolute warriors on the field, you saw the match, they dig down, they’re aggressive. You’d never know that if you talked to them, they are such mild-mannered young men. But I’m glad they play for us!” he said. Woodward also spoke highly of his other BHS players, Aiden McGrath and Kyle Garman.

Weld Rugby’s next game is this Friday against Valor High School in Denver. Their next home game is April 21 against Monarch High School in Greeley.