The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Tag: HSU rugby

  • Cal Poly Humboldt rugby team makes history with national championship win

    Cal Poly Humboldt rugby team makes history with national championship win

    The Cal Poly Humboldt men’s rugby team brought home the Small College National Championship for the first time in their history at AVEVA Stadium in Houston, Texas on Sunday, Dec. 11, 2022. 

    The Lumberjacks defeated the Wayne State College Wildcats, from Wayne, Nebraska, with a 20-15 final score. 

    Humboldt was considered the underdog team going into the final, but their relentless pressure led them to a 15-0 halftime lead. The lead would eventually become 20-3, and despite an attempted Wildcat comeback, the Lumberjacks would experience victory at the sound of the final whistle. 

    “We had a good group of guys and we had the talent that we needed to win the championship, but when I kicked the ball out to end the game, it was just such a crazy feeling,” said fly-half Dante Cappellano. “I just ran around, basically hugging everybody.”

    Cappellano had a huge role in the team’s success this season, calling the plays and kicking the ball to teammates or out of bounds.

    The ability to kick the ball out as far down the field as possible is a very useful tactic in rugby, one that Humboldt used to their advantage this season. 

    “That’s how we defeated teams, especially in the postseason,” said Cappellano. “We definitely used that a lot.”

    The Lumberjacks finished the season undefeated, and only got scored on by one team during the regular season, in a game where they defeated Oregon State 24-9. Humboldt’s best margin of victory was their 102-0 win over Cal State Monterey Bay to close out the regular season. This gave them a lot of momentum going into the playoffs.

    “We were trying not to score towards the end of the game and it still just happened,” said Cappellano. 

    Their playoff run would end with what they envisioned as a dream at the beginning of the season: a national championship.

    “It is definitely fulfilling for myself and the coaching staff, but more importantly, for these athletes to see how their commitment and hard work has paid off,” said head coach Greg Pargee. 

    According to many involved, this team was more than just some guys playing rugby. It was a brotherhood.

    “All the guys get on so well with each other,” said flanker Cooper Alan. “You’d go down to breakfast and it didn’t matter who it was, you were sitting with your brothers on the rugby team, everyone was welcome and no one was ever alone.”

    Alan grew up playing rugby in Australia and joined the team late into the season, but was still welcomed with open arms.

    “I came out to watch their night game in the redwood bowl and there was just a feeling in the air,” said Alan.

    The positive energy on the team was another huge factor in their successful season. Everyone getting along off the field led to on-the-field chemistry. All season, the team break before heading onto the field was ‘family.’

    “That helped us just solidify that family aspect,” said Cappellano. “I loved every single one of those guys out there.”

    This is a young team that is going to have a lot of returners next year, which gives them hopes and potential for a repeat. For now though, they get to enjoy the pride that their hard work earned them.

    “I just want to thank the coaches and everybody else who helped us out there,” said Cappellano. 

  • Rugby is the closest sport to football HSU has left

    Rugby is the closest sport to football HSU has left

    With Humboldt’s Lumberjack football gone rugby can take the spotlight.

    Rugby will never be able to replace the gap left by Humboldt State University’s football departure. If youth athletes within the Humboldt community want youth to play a contact sport and watch anything that resembles football, it’s rugby. Not only are they going to be able to watch a contact sport, but they are also going to watch a top level team.

    HSU’s rugby team has been a part of the campus since 1973. The team was Division 1 and battled with the likes of Cal Berkeley and Chico State until 1998, when they became a Division 2 team.

    As a Division 2 team they had their most success in 2005, when they made it to the National Championship but came up short to Colorado State.

    Since then, HSU Rugby has been a part of the National Collegiate Rugby league. The team had great success over the last four years, ranking seventh in the nation without the chance to play the national championship due to COVID-19.

    Much of the team’s success is thanks to ex-football players at HSU and the recruiting of local and Division1 club rugby. Latufeao Kolopeaua, a junior at HSU and former football player, was recruited to join the rugby team after the football team was disbanded in July of 2018.

    “If it weren’t for rugby here at Humboldt I would have transferred over to Montana Tech to play football,” Kolopeaua said. “Even though I sometimes dislike the decisions by this university, I’m very happy I was able to stay here and play rugby because the university is cheap, close to my home of LA, compared to Montana, and I really like it here.”

    HSU Rugby is a great opportunity for local high school athletes, like myself who went to McKinleyville High and played rugby for Chico Rugby club, to still play a contact sport while also staying local. Tali Fonoti, an incoming freshman for the rugby team, was a running back for St. Bernard’s Academy’s team, who won the Division 3 state championship.

    “I wouldn’t be staying here if it weren’t for rugby,” Fonoti said. “If Humboldt offered football then I would be playing for them. I’m happy to be able to stay here and play a sport and to be honest, the rugby team is the only reason I’m staying up here. It is my first time playing rugby, but it is something I’ve watched a little bit growing up. There is just no youth rugby in Humboldt which is the only reason I didn’t play.”

    Picking up rugby came easy to Fonoti. He believes rugby could be the sport to fill the gap of HSU football for local high school athletes.

    “I don’t think it is that hard to transition from football to rugby,” Fonoti said. “I was always in a sport so I am confident in my ability to pick one up easily. The fundamentals of tackling and running the ball are almost the same. If any high school kids wanted to stay up here and play a contact sport I would be for sure talking them up to play rugby because it’s not that hard to learn.”

    Logan McDaniel, a freshman from Belmont, never would have heard of HSU if it weren’t for rugby.

    “I would be playing rugby or football at another school,” McDaniel said. “Humboldt wouldn’t have even been on my radar. I’m happy I was recruited and they have some sort of contact sport at Humboldt because I love it up here.”

    Although HSU football is disbanded and can never be fully replaced by any sport, rugby could be the one that comes closest to filling the gap for the community. Local athletes will be able to stay home, save money and play for a nationally ranked collegiate team.

  • Seniors stunt in final home game

    Seniors stunt in final home game

    Kayla Maulson is a senior child development major at Humboldt State who has been affiliated with the rugby team for more than five years. Maulson took a year off, because she gave birth about a year ago. She felt incredible scoring in her last game as a Lumberjack.

    “If you’re not first, you’re last,” Maulson said.

    The Jacks women’s rugby team crushed the University of California, Berkeley in their matchup on March 3 at College Creek Field. Maulson was the first of seven Jacks to score in this matchup.

    It was a bittersweet moment for the Jacks, as it was their last home game of the season. Each senior who played for the Jacks was a key component in the game.

    The Jacks started off strong thanks to the help of head coach Meredith Conrad-Forrest. Before the game even started, Conrad-Forrest recognized that the defensive line needed to be shifted around.

    “The energy we had going into this weekend seemed really positive, because we beat Berkeley before,” Conrad-Forrest said. “It was beautiful for them to have their last game end that way.”

    At halftime, the score was 26-17. Even though the rain picked up, nothing was able to stop the Jacks from keeping their momentum alive.

    Out of the four seniors on the rugby team, each would cross the goal line, contributing to the 51 total points that were scored.

    Lila Bell, a senior child development major at HSU, was an important piece in this new formation. Typically, she plays the 13 position, which focuses on maintaining the outside lanes. She lined up at the 10 position, which is similar to a quarterback in the sense that you call out the shots and dictate where people will line up.

    The Jacks were in between the halfway point and goal when Libby Treu executed a play that Bell called out.

    “We picked a play that would allow me to run right through their defense,” Bell said. “We took them by surprise!”

    All together, the Jacks have won two and lost five games. Even though they have lost a total of five games, they still have a chance at making the playoffs, because of their total points scored throughout the season.

    The Jacks walked away in their final game with a 51-22 point victory over the Cal Golden Bears.

    The Women’s College Division 1 Elite Playoffs of rugby begins on April 20. The championship round of 16 takes place over a three-day period and will conclude with a championship bout on May 5.

  • Jacks men’s rugby dominates the turf

    Jacks men’s rugby dominates the turf

    Adonnis Johnson is a junior majoring in art, and he has been playing for Humboldt State’s rugby team since his freshman year of college.

    Johnson is kicking the doors down this rugby season, as he has already scored eight times in just four games. He is a versatile athlete that plays the mid-center, wing and fly-half positions.

    “I try to get that open space and make room for my teammates so I can either take it and run, or I can dump it off to the next open man,” Johnson said.

    HSU was able to out-hustle the University of San Francisco Dons on Feb. 17 as the Lumberjacks beat the Dons 31-17 at College Creek Field.

    Humboldt State scrums with the University of San Francisco on Feb. 17 at College Creek Field. Photo by Garrett Goodnight.

    The Dons started out strong as they lead 12-7 at the end of the first period.

    As a nearby power outage was restored, the scoreboard was turned on at the beginning of the second period. It felt as if that new source of energy somehow sparked the Lumberjacks into hyperdrive.

    “The guys have learned to trust the system of rugby they are practicing,” HSU head coach Greg Pargee said. “They are trusting the system and good things are happening.”

    The Lumberjacks kept their momentum alive, as they took the lead by scoring four times.

    One of the key pieces in every scoring drive was HSU’s kicker, Chris Armstrong. Armstrong was able to knock in four out of the six extra points with his foot. On top of Armstrong’s ability to kick, he also plays the wing position.

    Chris Armstrong (right) runs for the try zone as he helps the Jacks win the game 31-17 on Feb. 17 against the University of San Francisco. Photo by Garrett Goodnight.

    Early on when the game was all tied up at 12 a piece, Armstrong was lateraled the ball. He took off for the outside lane with relentless energy and momentum.

    “I just saw an open field and I went straight for the end zone,” Armstrong said. “Nobody followed me as I got into the end zone so I tried to get a straight shot to make it easier for the kicker.”

    Wherever the ball touches the ground in the end zone, the kicker is forced to laterally line up with that location to attempt their kick. Armstrong wanted to get as close as possible to the pylons to make it easier on himself.

    The Dons were able to score one late attempt to make the game 31-17. That was not enough as the Lumberjacks walked away with the victory.

    The next home game is on Feb. 24 at College Creek Field against University of the Pacific at 1 p.m.

  • Jacks rugby team still on the hunt for first win

    Jacks rugby team still on the hunt for first win

    On a wet and windy Feb. 11, the Lumberjacks women’s rugby team fell to the Stanford Cardinals 36-27 in a hard-fought battle to the end at College Creek Field.

    The team has yet to find a win, but there are five games left and they are finally starting to play well together. Head coach Meredith Conrad-Forrest was proud of her team’s effort.

    “The score board was a little underwhelming,” Conrad-Forrest said, “but they put it together. The forwards and the backs, as a team, really played together. They showed true [Humboldt Pride] heart.”

    The game was back and forth as each team kept taking the lead with hard-hitting scrums and outside runs. The kicking game was a problem for Humboldt State as they missed three goal conversions.

    The size and strength of the Jacks seemed to play into their scheme, because of the downpour. But they were not able to take advantage of the smaller, faster Cardinal team.

    The Jacks were up with five minutes remaining, but Stanford was able to put back-to-back tries in the end zone to put the Cardinals up for good.

    Jacks forward Libby Treu remains optimistic about where her team stands currently.

    “This is one of the best games we’ve played all season,” Treu said. “We played as a team and everyone was there to support each other.”

    The Jacks next home game is on March 3 against Cal Berkeley at College Creek Field at 11 a.m.

  • Jacks women’s rugby falls short against UC Davis

    Jacks women’s rugby falls short against UC Davis

    It was a nail-biter in the women’s rugby home opener against the University of California, Davis Mustangs on Feb. 3.

    Humboldt State University found their fuel a little too late, as the Mustangs took home the victory 49-31.

    The Mustangs scored the first three tries of the match. It was not until HSU switched their lineup that allowed them to answer back by scoring their first try.

    “We had really good subs come in, and they had the fire in them, just from watching and seeing what was happening,” head coach Meredith Conrad-Forrest said. “They were able to respond to that and bring the rest of the team up.”

    Thanks to the help of Libby Treu’s performance, the Jacks were able to bring the score within three tries just before the half, 27-12.

    To keep their hopes high, they were looking to build off of their newfound momentum and carry into the second half. The Jacks were hoping not to repeat what happened in last week’s season opener, which was a last-minute loss to Stanford University.

    “If that energy dies just a little bit, then everybody gets unmotivated and lazy,” said Celeste Valencia. “We really need that one person to keep everybody hyped up. That’s how you get the game going.”

    Just as the second half began, the Jacks were able to score two more unanswered tries, bringing the score within three points, 27-24.

    “It’s important to keep that energy up,” said Tiana Barron. “My priority now is getting it to my team, to make sure we score.”

    Barron is trying out a new role this season: the fly-half position.

    As the game progressed, the Mustangs were able to flip the momentum around and outrun the Lumberjacks, scoring four more tries.

    Unfortunately, it was too late for a last-minute comeback, although the Lumberjacks were able to score one more try before the time expired.

    The Lumberjacks are looking to earn their first victory in this weekend’s match-ups at College Creek Field on Feb. 10 and Feb. 11.

    They face California State University, Chico and Stanford. Kick-offs are at 11:00 a.m.