J-Hawk Rugby

Running out of time to sign up for the YMCA Co-Ed Youth Rugby Camp!

We need at least 15 kids registered to make this camp happen — don’t wait! Camp starts June 3rd, so sign up TODAY!

This is a great opportunity for boys and girls to try one of the fastest-growing sports around in a fun and welcoming environment. Rugby teaches teamwork, toughness, fitness, leadership, and confidence.

Even better — Cedar Rapids has THREE local high school rugby programs:
🟠 Cedar Rapids Prairie
🔵 Cedar Rapids Washington
🔴 Cedar Rapids Jefferson

Both boys and girls can continue playing in high school and even into college! Many former Cedar Rapids area players are currently competing in college rugby programs across the country.

More and more students are joining rugby every year, and this camp is the perfect way to get introduced to the sport before high school.

Come give rugby a try and be part of the growing rugby community in Cedar Rapids!

Our next Senior Salute is to Ayden Kasak. Ayden was a new addition this year and was a crucial addition. A missing teammate in Week 4 led to a start in which Ayden really thrived. Unfortunately he was ill in the final week of the season, otherwise he could have made a difference. We wish we could have had him another year because his progress in the early season was massive, and he jumps into new challenges without ever a complaint. Ayden’s favorite memory was scoring a try in his first ever match. He is going into the HVAC program at Kirkwood next year. Thank you, Ayden Kasak, for being a key member of J-Hawk Rugby this year!

Our next Senior Salute is to Brayden Gaines. Brayden might have been our most physical and consistent player on defense, with a knack for goal line situations on both sides of the ball. On field highlights included goal line scores against West Des Moines Valley and Ankeny as well as some of the best defensive plays we’ve seen in the club’s short history, including try saving tackles that forced knock-ons against Ankeny and Des Moines Roosevelt this year (the latter a crucial stop to help win the match), and a chase down and diving tackle at last year’s state tournament against Ankeny. Brayden is as easy going off the field as he is fearsome on it, and always showed dedication while maintaining a sense of humor. His favorite rugby memory is being competitive against the very top teams in the state, and he plans on attending college at Kirkwood next year. Thanks for helping take J-Hawk Rugby to new heights, Brayden Gaines!

We begin the first of our Senior Salutes with our wing man, Frank Bilori. On field highlights include Frank’s end-to-end try against Cedar Falls, and his support run with Evariste that led to a phenomenal try Frank put down versus Iowa City West. Frank says his favorite memory of high school rugby was meeting all the guys that would become his teammates and playing with them. Frank’s plan is to attend college and start his own clothing business. He says he would go back and play it all again if he could. Don’t think he has played his last rugby game. Thank you J-Hawk Senior, Frank Bilori!

Big weekend: Tomorrow and Sunday, Iowa City hosts the College Rugby National 7s Championship Tournament at the Iowa City Soccer Complex. The host Hawkeyes’ made the National Championship Final last year and here is their group schedule…

As was the case all season, some couldn’t travel due to illness or family commitments, some could travel but not play, and some were just returning from health issues, but they showed up and NEVER turned on each other or let their heads hang in any game. The last game of the night saw them nearly knock off the #3 team in the state with three beautiful tries and three perfect conversions. A few people we want to thank as we transition to CR 15s play for three weeks (we are bound to forget some but here are a few)…

-Jacquelline Davis for running concessions, hooking up the entire team with customized shirts, and coming up clutch on transportation time and again (and many more little things, like taking this photo).

-Ms. Deegan for being Staff Team Mom and supplying the boys with fruit, snacks, and Gatorades every match week!

-Ryan and Amy Gaines for also putting in many miles of travel transporting and supporting the boys in many different ways.

-All players’ parents for entrusting us with your boys. You should be proud of the character of the young men you are raising. We’ve seen that growth even during just the course of this season.

-Our Seniors. Time constraints and PA problems at our home matches gave us no chance to honor each, but look for Senior Salute posts all next week! These are core guys that were key to taking us to new heights and our first ever state appearance last season.

-Every person or business that sponsored the team to ensure everyone who wanted to could play. Support Titan Disc Golf, Worth Investments, and Your Dream Salon, and thank them all for supporting multiple Jefferson activities!

#4 Fort Dodge 17, CR Jefferson 5

#3 Ankeny 27,
CR Jefferson 21

Info on our games at Walston-Hoover Stadium tomorrow night…

J-Hawk Rugby apparel and gear orders are in ! Message us for pick-up info…

Play this clip!: Evariste Makabu with an incredible run and off-load to Frank Bilori running hard in support for one of the tries of the year, and the start of a comeback. Listen to the excellent Mr. Gray and co. of the B-Side Bois Rugby Podcast highlight a stat that shows the level of grit and conditioning these guys have:

https://www.youtubetrimmer.com/view/?v=y_wMB4X3avo&start=10967&end=11053&loop=0

YouTube