Skill development bolsters Kiski Valley boys rugby roster

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, March 28, 2018 | 10:18 PM

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When Kiski Valley boys rugby won the 2016 state championship, coach Seth Erwin said the team relied more on athletic ability than rugby knowledge.

The players on the 2016 team started their rugby careers at the varsity level. To sustain the program's success, Erwin knew he needed to establish a junior program for future players to develop a feel for the game to accompany their athleticism.

Creating a pipeline to the varsity program allowed this year's group to play in two junior state title games before making the leap to varsity last year. With 11 starters back from a playoff team, the hope is to make a run for the program's second state title.

“Everyone we have this year is a very skilled rugby player,” Erwin said. “In the past, we had monster athletes that kind of carried us. The guys we have now are still really good athletes but have been around rugby a lot longer, so they have a better rugby IQ than we've had in the past.”

The Titans are off to a 1-1 start, winning 29-7 over Central Catholic and losing 29-22 to Moon. Both matches were nonsection.

Having elite athletes like Tyler Worthing and Ty Travaglia helped offset a lack of experience for Kiski Valley in its 2016 state championship run. Kiski Valley started four first-year players in 2016, and the majority of the team had played rugby for only a couple years.

There are some notable athletes from other sports on this year's team, such as Valley football and wrestling standout David Schuffert and Highlands middle linebacker Cam Taylor, but most of the players are entering their fourth year with the program.

Kiski Valley lost 31-25 to Kutztown in a back-and-forth first-round playoff match last year. The loss was eerily similar to Kiski Valley's 2015 first-round exit when it lost a late lead to West Chester before winning the state championship the next season.

In the Kutztown match, Kiski Valley started 11 freshmen or sophomores out of the 15 in the lineup, and Erwin has seen them take defeat and use it as motivation.

“That (playoff) loss is the elephant in the room,” Erwin said. “We had a really good year, but it reminds them that it ended pretty quickly. They all strived to get better this year. We had really good gym sessions in the winter.

“They know how close they were, and they know what it takes, so our motto this year is to not come up short.”

Kiski Valley, which is in its sixth year as a club, has 22 players. Kiski Area, Valley, Knoch, Freeport, Burrell and Highlands are represented on the team.

Luke Larko, the brother of former Titans standout JP Larko, is the captain. Matt Ashbaugh and Andrew Bigler are alternate captains. Bigler had a pair of tries against Moon. Hayden Wright and Will McClarnon are key returnees who recently played in the prestigious Las Vegas Sevens Rugby Tournament for Atlantis. Wright was named captain for Atlantis.

Schuffert, who was the WPIAL Class AA wrestling runner-up at heavyweight and placed seventh at the PIAA tournament, has three tries in the Titans' first two games. He's known for his brute strength on the mat and on the field, but he also has been a case study in the team's overall ability to improve technically.

“(Schuffert) is the guy on the pitch that everybody looks at and says ‘My God. I have to tackle this guy?' ” Erwin said. “He knows he can drag four guys 5 or so meters, but he's getting to the point where he knows when to get the ball out of his hands.

“When he has four or five guys jumping on his back, he knows he can make a pass that will set up a long run. He did that against Central Catholic. He stole the ball on our try line, and when guys started jumping on him, he made a little pop pass to one of our other guys, who ran 70 meters down the field.”

North Pitt United, Hollidaysburg and a newly formed Indiana team are in Kiski Valley's division. Three division winners and an at-large bid recipient qualify for the state semifinals in May. The Titans travel to Burrell for the sixth annual “Battle of the Valley” on April 26. Burrell won last year's match 21-19 and holds a 3-2 edge in the series.

Jerin Steele is a freelance writer.

Tags: Burrell, Freeport, Highlands, Kiski School, Knoch, Valley