The Brave News

by Marcelles Williams

This is the first time the Braves threw on their rugby jerseys since Winter of 2019, in which they made their State Championship run. The squad is eager for their return, as they are no stranger to success on the rugby pitch.

A majority of the Rugby team were a part of this year’s 2022 Football’s National Championship team. Some of these players included sophomore Puka Moe, sophomore Epi Sitanilei and senior Gabriel Burch. This winning mindset has transfered over to the rugby field. Puka thinks that this winning attitude will be a big reason for the success of the team this year.

“Winning is winning, and I expect to do it at everything I do, including rugby and football,” said Puka.

The Braves are a part of the SoCal Interlastic Rugby Federation (SCRIF) league. The competition is fierce, as it includes Servite High School, Warren High School, Mira Costa High School and many more.

The Braves kicked off their season on January 12th at Bosco against the Servite Friars. It was a hard fought game but the Braves were not able to pull off a victory against their Trinity League foe, falling in a 19-12 loss. Even with the Braves coming up short, the team understood that this inaugural game was an indicator to the restart of a great program.

They are currently 2-2 and they believe that by the time the playoffs come, they will be ready to excel at the highest level. As one of the first squads following the pandemic, it is evident to see that the squad is still raw and will need to continue to use its upcoming regular season games to come into form.

Puka, who is one of the top players on the team, believes they will make the playoffs and have a chance to compete for a championship.

“We all believe we are talented and can really do something with rugby, but we do need a little more time because this was the first Bosco Rugby team in a few years.”

The Braves most impressive win took place at Bosco last Thursday. They played the Warren Bears and won in a game where Bosco scored a whopping 52 points against the bears and more than doubling their opponent in points, as Warren scored 21.

One of the senior leaders of the rugby team, Gabriel Burch, is really excited to finally be back on the field for the rugby team this year.

“I’m really excited for this year and can’t wait to see what this season has in store for us,” said Gabriel Burch. “I think people may be a bit surprised by us this year.”

Gabriel is passionate about this team and really embraces the Bosco Brotherhood. He is also super excited to have the program back for his last year at Bosco.

“These guys on the team are my brothers. I’ll do anything for these guys and I think they’ll do the same for me.”

The Rugby’s team’s latest match-up was the Cathedral Catholic Dons of San Diego. The back-to-back SCRIF league champions are top in the state. The Braves put up a fight but fell to the Dons with the final score 26-12 loss.

The Braves next match-up will be this Saturday at Fallbrook High School, as they look to get back into the winning column.