By BILL MASTRODICASA, Contributor
Four Points Rugby was one of 14 statewide rugby teams invited to compete in the state championship tournament held in Austin in May.
The team — under the direction of head coach Eric Reed and assistant coaches Mike Gaub, Dimitri Gilchrist and Stuart Pringle — entered the tournament as the top seeded Division II team.
It quickly went to work in the semi-final game against Plano Rugby. With a stout defense and multiple scores from several veteran players, it didn’t take long for the game to get well out of reach for Plano.
Four Points won the semi-final game 48-7 and moved on to face the Woodlands Wolfpack (another top seed) in the championship round.
As expected, the Woodlands game didn’t disappoint. Right from the start it had the feel of a heavyweight prize fight with both team’s intent on leaving the tournament as undisputed champions. Four Points struck first with a try and two-point conversion kick three minutes into the game. The Wolfpack came back to score with 10 seconds remaining in the first half but missed the two-point conversion making the score 7-5 at the end of the half. The second half started as a defensive struggle, but Four Points took command of the game with two back-to-back scores at the midpoint of the half and never lost control after that. The Woodlands attempted a comeback rally with a late score, but it was quickly countered with another Four Points try in the waning minutes of the game. Four Points won the game and the state championship with a final score of 26-12.
Coach Reed knew he had a special group of players this year when, in the early part of the 2021 season, Four Points beat the nationally ranked (6th overall) Strake-Jesuit Rugby team in Houston during a pre-season matchup.
“I think we can go head-to-head with just about any Division 1 team in the country,” Reed said at the championship tournament.
Six years ago, he and assistant coach Gaub introduced the game of Rugby to Four Points youth. The program has grown significantly since those early days with athletes from Vandegrift, Leander, Cedar Park, Liberty Hill, and other Central Texas regions represented on the state champion team.
2021 Rugby roster
| Lucas Botbol Agusti | 9 |
| Killian Carey | 10 |
| Michael Mastrodicasa | 12 |
| Andres Lasala | 11 |
| Hunter Antonio Ross | 12 |
| Ian Reed | 10 |
| Justin Orlando | 12 |
| Caleb Gonzalez-Mahone | 9 |
| Josh Martinez | 11 |
| Zachary Allamon | 9 |
| Jack Swent | 10 |
| Vishal Sagi | 12 |
| Ryan Jeffries | 10 |
| Roderick Ryan Pringle | 9 |
| Jordan kempema | 12 |
| Landon Kempema | 9 |
| Anthony munoz | 12 |
| Jackson Parks | 12 |
| Aidan Culloty | 9 |
| Drake Ryan Torno | 11 |
| Graham Faulkner | 9 |
| omas Collyer | 10 |
| Josh Ellenberger | 11 |
| Logan Weinheimer | 10 |
| Jack Gross | 11 |
| Vincent Tallieu | 11 |
| Cecil Kershaw | 9 |
| Ben Scott | 12 |
| Enzo Caldas | 12 |
| Bridge Walker | 9 |
| Jack Modisett | 10 |
| Elijah De la riva | 12 |
| Ojas Mohan | 12 |
| Mayson White | 11 |