Loudoun Rugby Dominates at Tournament in Fauquier
Players from across the county, including Leesburg, participated on the winning teams.
Teams from Loudoun Rugby put on an impressive show at the 2013 Summer Youth & High School Championship tournament in Fauquier County recently, with two teams taking the state cup for their divisions, including the U7 touch team.
The touch rugby program began just over a year ago in Loudoun, but the players look like old pros, thanks to the influence of Ken Fraine, the former head coach for the nationally ranked Gonzaga High School rugby team. Fraine, of Leesburg, now has a young son who he wished had the opportunity to play on a rugby team.
“I always told myself that if there was not a touch rugby program in Loudoun when Tyler was old enough to play, then I would create one,” Fraine said.
At the same time, Steve Lough was trying to expand the existing rugby program in the county. So in June 2012, the touch rugby program began.
And already touch team has already proven a dominant addition to the league. During the recent tournament at Northern Fauquier Community Park in Marshall, VA, the U7 Coed Touch team won state cup with a 40-5 victory over Springfield. The win followed stunning performances against Great Falls (30-15) and Alexandria (40-5).
Tournament U7 MVP Christopher “Big 3” Scheuerman led the Loudoun team along with Taylor Downer and Tyler Fraine, all of Leesburg. Chris Scheuerman, Ken Fraine, and David Downer coached the team. The U7 team had finished its regular season undefeated, making it a perfect season.
“I’m so proud of our kids,” Coach Scheuerman said. “We set this goal as a team at the beginning of the season and the kids practice hard, listened to their coaches, and played well as a team.”
The U13 Boys Tackle program also fared well, taking the top prize after Chantilly (38-7) and Alexandria (48-7) on the way to a victory in the championship over Springfield (52-7). Like the U7 team, the U13 boys were undefeated during the regular season.
Travis Preston, 13, of Ashburn, led the Dragons and was voted U13 MVP. Coach Mike Windle called the team’s accomplishment a “tremendous team effort.”
TOURNAMENT RESULTS:
- U7 Coed Touch – Cup Champion (State Champions)
- U13 Boys Tackle – Cup Champion (State Champions)
- U15 Boys Tackle – Bowl Champion (5th in State, combined with Great Falls)
Tournament MVPs:
- U7 – Christopher Scheuerman
- U13 – Travis Preston
Loudoun Rugby has opportunities for both boys and girls to play touch rugby for players ages 5 to 12 and tackle rugby ages 11 to 18. Anyone with a son or daughter interested in playing rugby should contact Steve Lough, slough@loudounyouthrugby.org, or visit the league’s website, www.loudounyouthrugby.org, or Facebook page, www.facebook.com/LoudounYouthRugby.
Caption 1: Back row, left to right: Chris Scheuerman (Coach), Steve Lough (Director), Ken Fraine (Coach, Director), Dave Downer (Coach). 2nd row, left to right (standing): Cameron Krein, Christopher Scheuerman (U7 MVP), Blake Carawan, Robert Converse. Front row, left to right (sitting): Orion Marshall, Tyler Fraine, Taylor Downer
Caption 2: Back row, left to right (standing): Jorge Arias (Coach), Travis Preston (U13 MVP), Jonathan Fuentes, Aamon Nemelka, Brandon Wing, Malcolm Hettrick, Fernando Anduaga (Coach), Mike Windle (Coach). 2nd row, left to right (standing): Jonathan Windle, Josue Lovos, Fernando Anduaga, Brian Wingard. Front row, left to right (kneeling): Zach Wingard, Schuylar Lake, Dylan Pfeffer, Jason Lovos, Axel Arias, Patricio Anduaga
