By Connor Glover
La Cueva U19 won the state championship 21-19 against Rio Rancho last Saturaday on May 13.
During the last regular season games of the year the Bears played three round-robin games – against St. Pius, Rio Rancho and Los Alamos at Vista del Norte Park in Albuquerque – and won all three.
Since the establishment of the LCHS rugby team in 2012, they have won eight state championships. The team will also be training for the Rocky Mountain regional tournament in Boulder, Colo., on June 17 and the North American Invitational Tournament in Salt Lake City, Utah, on July 21-22. Teams from South Africa and many other countries will be attending the tournament in Utah, making it a true test for the La Cueva team.
Weakside wing Turner Liotta has enjoyed the season so far and said, “Making good memories with this team has been really fun.” Liotta is one of two wing positions on the field, the other being the strong side wing. The weakside wing is often on the opposite side of where the plays are taking place and they are critical for scoring chances and defending the fullback located in the back of the field.
In February, the Bears traveled to Phoenix, Arizona to play the nationally ranked Bobcats Academy. They were able to win 22-10 against this highly eminent team. Captain Carter Chapman has helped lead this team to success this season playing the scrum half position. “We have had a lot of fun and we are winning a lot which is always good,” Chapman said.
The scrum half position played by Chapman is responsible for passing the ball, being agile, and having quick-thinking. It is crucial to the game because it also directs the flow of play.
During the pandemic, rugby was negatively impacted in New Mexico. There were 16 high school teams prior to the pandemic but now there are four. However, rugby is slowly starting to come back with signs of more teams joining. U16 boys and U19 girls are still building a full team and are hoping to be ready by the 2024 season.