High school rugby may be one of the best kept secrets in the Salt Lake Valley, since it operates under club status and is not funded or administered by the UHSAA.
The Highland High Rams, though, are trying to get the secret out and are likely to succeed, since they're the best high school rugby team in the nation.Since 1985, when a national playoff system was established for high school rugby, Highland has been the only team to compete in the championship game all seven years, carrying away the title five times (1986, 1988-91). The team leaves for Philadelphia today to seek its fifth consecutive national crown. In the 17 years of Highland rugby, the Rams have compiled a record of 198-31-6, with about half of their games being played against collegiate and adult rugby clubs, according to coach Larry Gelwix.
Gelwix has been the coach of the Highland rugby club for all 17 years of its existence. He had wrestled and played football in high school, and played rugby for BYU, and got involved in coaching wrestling and football after he took a full-time seminary teaching position at Highland.
"I thought that what every young man needs in his life is to play rugby . . . and I had so much fun playing rugby I thought, `Well, why not?"' Gelwix said. "At our first practice back in March of 1976, I had six boys turn out. Now, we have 80 to 90 boys turn out every year."
Despite the growth of the Highland rugby program, the sport as a whole has caught on slowly here in Utah. There are only eight high school programs in Utah, whereas there are some 25 such teams in the Denver area and, according to Gelwix, rugby is a letter sport in many high schools on either coast. Gelwix said the sport is "really growing by leaps and bounds" nationally.
One thing Gelwix feels that holds back the sport he describes as "kind of a cross between soccer and American football" is the lack of familiarity with the game among the general public. "It looks like organized mayhem, but it really is a very structured, disciplined game. You know, to someone who isn't familiar with football, it looks like chaos out there, but if you're familiar with the sport, you can see what's happening. It's the same thing with rugby...once you become familiar with the rules, you can see what's going on."
However, Gelwix is optimistic about the future of the sport in Utah, despite the fact that, as he said, prospective coaches and players are "hesitant to try something new. I foresee a lot of growth, though I don't think it will ever be as popular as soccer . . . but it's a fun game . . . There are no timeouts in rugby, and the play is continuous. (The game) has a lot of action." Gelwix added, "We get more and more boys wanting to play, and that's the purpose of sports. It's for the boys, not for the coaches . . . once a lot of the boys play, they fall in love with (rugby). A lot of them say it's the most tremendous thing they've ever done."
In fact, Gelwix credits his players as being the secret of Highland's prolonged success. "They've made a commitment to win. They've developed a winning attitude, and there's that commitment on the part of the boys to do their best. They're so dedicated . . . I think the discipline that the boys have brought to the game and into their lives is what has really made the difference."
"You have to be mentally tough to play this game. (Because) the play is continuous, the players have to make all the decisions on the field. Once the players take the field, the coaching is over. The ability to think critically and analytically, the ability to make those split-second decisions, the ability to work as (part of) a team . . . that's the ideal rugby player."
So Highland now carries its mental toughness, dedication, and discipline to Philadelphia, seeking to continue their dominance. Also at play in Highland's favor is an unexpected factor - a Highland "mystique."
"I was talking to one of the tournament directors, trying to get a scouting report on (first round opponent) Northern Pennsylvania. And he says, `Oh, you won't have trouble with them; the intimidation factor alone is worth 10 points to you. You guys have a reputation; no one wants to play you."'
The eight-team field begins single elimination play on Friday, with semifinal matches and the championship game taking place on Saturday.