Four Points Rugby wins Division II State Championship

Team Captain Justin Orlando with the final Try of the game

Jack Gross, Senior Anthony Munoz & Senior Jackson Parks celebrate the win Photos by Jeanna Reed

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. 

Senior Michael Mastrodicasa scores first Try of the game

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
Killian Carey10 
Michael Mastrodicasa12 
Andres Lasala11 
Hunter Antonio Ross12 
Ian Reed10 
Justin Orlando12 
Caleb Gonzalez-Mahone
Josh Martinez11 
Zachary Allamon
Jack Swent10 
Vishal Sagi12 
Ryan Jeffries10 
Roderick Ryan Pringle
Jordan kempema12 
Landon Kempema
Anthony munoz12 
Jackson Parks12 
Aidan Culloty
Drake Ryan Torno11 
Graham Faulkner
omas Collyer10 
Josh Ellenberger11 
Logan Weinheimer10 
Jack Gross11 
Vincent Tallieu11 
Cecil Kershaw
Ben Scott12 
Enzo Caldas12 
Bridge Walker
Jack Modisett10 
Elijah De la riva12 
Ojas Mohan12 
Mayson White11