Black and Blue back on top
By JOSEPH TERRY
The Daily Inter Lake
The Flathead Black and Blue rugby team dominated the high school boys state championship game, completing a home sweep of the titles at the Montana Youth Rugby Championships on Saturday at Glacier High School.
Things looked close early on as North Idaho tallied the game’s first try and held the Black and Blue scoreless for the first few minutes.
Then Flathead kicked into gear, and left the Highlanders in the dust.
The team bulled its way down the field to the North Idaho 5-meter line, dropping a pass off for Hunter Wellcome, who touched down the team’s first try. A successful conversion from Tucker Nadeau gave the Black and Blue a 7-5 lead.
They doubled that advantage a few minutes later when Sam Mann ran around the Idaho defense to touch down another try.
Jacques Eve scored a try shortly after that and just a few minutes later Daniel Long ran through a series of defenders up the sidelines and offloaded to Hunter Rauthe for a try. Mann scored another to give Flathead a 33-5 lead 24 minutes into the game.
North Idaho scored on the last play of the half, but it was all the team could muster to keep the game close.
Rauthe scored early in the second half, Wellcome scored two more tries and Paxton Boyce ended the rout with a late try for a 57-10 victory for the Black and Blue.
It is the second straight state championship for Flathead. Bitterroot beat Spokane 22-10 to finish in third place.
“We were prepared for a tough game,” Black and Blue senior captain Matt Gash-Gilder said. “I think we played well. I thought we brought it to them.”
The girls high school team and the boys middle school team also won the state titles to sweep the championships.
The girls, who are all first-year players, edged past a tough Bitterroot team 10-5 in the championship game, on tries from Sheena St. Onge and Payge Boyce.
“It was hard, they’re a really tough team, three-time state champions,” Boyce said. “We showed them who’s (the) boss.
“It was everyone’s first year. We started out with a sevens tournament, never knowing what to do. We learned how to play in the game. Now we know the game and love the game.”
The girls shut down top-seeded Missoula 19-0 in its opener, blanking the Iron Vixens with tries from Megan Rieke, Clara Vandenbosch and Boyce.
The middle school boys beat Helena 33-0 in their championship game, with Brayden Boyle picking up three tries in the win.
Montana Youth Rugby Championships
Saturday
Glacier High School
High School Boys
Cup Championship
Flathead 7, North Idaho 10
Plate Championship (Third Place)
Bitterroot 22, Spokane 10
High School Girls
Championship
Flathead 10, Bitterroot 5
Middle School Boys
Championship
Flathead 29, Helena 0