Seattle Vikings win Washington State High School Rugby championship

Seattle Vikings win state championship

The Seattle Vikings, ranked #12 nationally by Rugby Magazine, battled perennial Washington high school powerhouse and 13th-ranked Liberty Patriots to win a tough 17-9 victory Sunday for the Rugby Washington Division I HS Boys Championship Sunday in Ferndale, Wash.

The victory was the first-ever 15s state championship for the Vikings and marked only the second time Seattle has beaten Liberty in U19 league play – both this season.

Matt Brennan in a 2013 game

Seattle was led by USA High School All-American 7s player Matt Brennan (Shorecrest High School), who scored a crucial go-ahead try midway through the second half on a crash from center off of a five-meter Seattle scrum.  Brennan was also awarded man of the match.

The game was a very evenly-matched struggle for much of the first half, with both teams trading phases of possession but unable to cross the tryline.  Liberty managed to use a combination of kiwi flyhalf Michael Thompson’s foot and line breaks to camp inside Seattle’s 22-meter line, resulting in two Thompson penalties in the first quarter to make the score 6-0.  Near the end of the half, sustained pressure by Seattle’s forwards and flyhalf Will Brennan’s tactical kicking resulted in hooker Philip Hartsell slipping across the goal line after a lineout drive from five meters out, 6-5.

Liberty opened up the scoring in the second half, with Thompson hitting his third penalty kick, making the score 9-5.  Seattle’s forwards, however, began to take control and although Liberty was able to garner some serious chances at scoring, it was all Seattle in the final 20 minutes.

Matt Brennan knifed across the line after a long period inside Liberty’s 22, including a try by Will Brennan that was called back as referee Tony Maphosa gave a Liberty yellow card.  That gave Seattle the lead, 10-9.

With 10 minutes remaining, Seattle fullback Michael Doquilo finished the scoring with a well worked 50-meter try from wide ball movement that gave him space down the sideline.  Will Brennan kicked a crucial conversion to extend the margin to eight points, 17-9.

Liberty furiously attempted to close the gap, but was repelled from the tryline multiple times.

“This was really an amazing game and a very special season for this team,” said coach Steve Brennan. “ The core of this team went to school together and have played rugby together for more than four years and to finish their senior year with a state championship is the best script one could write. And to win over Liberty, with such tremendous talent and outstanding coaching, is really impressive. Liberty played very hard and very well; this game could have gone either way.”

Seattle made it to the final by defeating the Eastside Lions, 29-17, in one semi-final, while Liberty easily defeated Chuckanut in the other semfinal, 48-10.