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Friday, May 18, 2012
Covering Dallas, Monmouth, Independence, Falls City and surrounding areas since 1868
Central senior Anthony Gonzalez, right, passes the ball out of the scrum during practice for the Polk County Rugby Lost Boys, a team comprised of high school boys from area schools.
February 22, 2012
POLK COUNTY LOST BOYS RUGBY
What: Rugby Oregon-sponsored team comprised of area high school boys from Dallas, Central, West Salem, North Salem and Sprague high schools.
Coach: Joe Boyd (third season).
2011 record: 10-2, third place in Division III.
Area players:Dallas -- Randall McCoin, sr.; Cody Moore, sr.; Anthony Sanchez, sr.; Robert Eason, sr.; Nick Job, sr.; Jordan Catto, sr. Central -- Mathias Feltmann, fr.; Anthony Garthe, soph.; Nathanial Grant, sr.; Caleb Holtrop, sr.; Michael Jones, sr.; Majel Leon, sr.; Isaiah Reed, soph.; Noah Stepp, jr.; JD Thomas, fr.; Cristian Urena, sr.
For more information: www.rugbyoregon.org.
MONMOUTH -- Trailing the scrum in a practice drill last week, Dallas senior Anthony Sanchez leaned his shoulder behind the ball carrier, then barked out instructions as he waited for the ball to make its way back to him.
He then turned and fired the ball out to the wing with a perfect underhand spiral -- all the while, completely covered in mud.
This rugby stuff's no joke.
"It's fun -- I like contact sports, and I didn't really get a chance to play football in high school and I like it because there's no pads," a grinning Sanchez, in his third year with the squad, said shortly after the Polk County Lost Boys -- which derives its name from Peter Pan's entourage -- wrapped up its fifth practice of the season at Western Oregon University's intramural field Feb. 15.
You may not have heard of them, but the squad -- made up of high school boys from Dallas, Central, West Salem, North Salem and Sprague high schools -- isn't just a bunch of rookies trying to learn the game.
Now in its third season under coach Joe Boyd, the squad finished third in the state the last two seasons in Rugby Oregon's Division III.
Joe Boyd
Boyd, a player himself -- a former member of WOU's club squad - started the team three years ago, when he was just a junior at WOU.
"I was playing for the university side, and we saw a need for rugby in the community and we wanted to give back," Boyd said. "It was kind of an idea that we'd been throwing around for a few years, and we just decided to do it."
Now, he's got kids from all over trying out a sport that has some of the physical traits of football -- tackling, blocking, running -- and combines it with the kicking skills of soccer -- all with no helmets or pads.
"It's really fast, there's not a lot of standing around, it's high-tempo, and it's rough," Dallas senior Jordan Catto said. "It's like football, except it's more aggressive. It's faster and more fun."
Jordan Catto
Catto, who played three years of football before choosing to play men's club rugby last fall, said there's another element that's unlike any other.
"You compare our team to a football team, and we're a lot tighter, we're more comfortable with each other," he said. "We jump down each other's throats sometimes, but everybody knows it's for the greater good."
The bond goes farther than just among teammates, too.
After each league contest, the teams have a postgame "social," where they join their opposition in celebration, no matter the outcome.
"One thing I really like is the socials after our games, where the boys actually meet the other team," Boyd said. "In rugby, it's a really big culture thing -- you don't hate the opposition.
"It's sort of like a respect thing once you're off the field."
Catto, in his second year, and Sanchez are two veterans on the squad, joined by Anthony's brother, Robert Eason, and Cody Moore, who was selected to play for the U-17 national squad last season before breaking his leg in a car accident.
Moore's scheduled to be cleared before the team's first competition, this weekend's PrezFest Tournament at Portland Community College in Rock Creek. Other than this weekend's tournament, the team will compete in seven regular season league contests. Home games will be played Saturdays at its home field at WOU. Admission is always free.
With players like Catto and Sanchez teaching the new players the ropes, the team -- still waiting on some turnouts from area basketball and wrestling teams -- hopes to be competitive once league season rolls around.
"I think it's too early to tell right now," Catto said of his squad. "But in the next week or two, we're really going to get a feel for how far our team's going to go."
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