Episode 302: Herriman High Rugby Team Tackles Way to National Competition

Logan Youngblood:
People describe rugby as a hooligans' game played by gentlemen. It's really demanding on the body.

Jeff Wilson:
When I started this program, I heard from those Georgia people, "You can't win national championships and compete at this level at a single school, public school." I take great pleasure in proving people wrong.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. They are a fiercely talented team and a force to be reckoned with.

On this episode of the Supercast, meet the Herriman High School Boys Rugby Club Team and find out how they have risen to become one of the premier programs in the country. In fact, this year they were competing at the highest level, falling just short of a national championship.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're at Herriman High School today talking with three members of the Herriman Rugby Team who just took second in nationals. Introduce yourself and tell us how many years you've been playing rugby.

Logan Youngblood:
I am Logan Youngblood and I've been playing rugby for about nine years.

Ryker Seidel:
I'm Ryker Seidel and this was my seventh year of playing rugby.

Lucky Fishiipeau:
And I'm Lucky Fishiipeau and I've been playing rugby for 12 years.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about the journey to taking second in the nation. When does your season start and how many region and state games did you have to play to qualify?

Ryker Seidel:
So our season starts about the end of February, kind of the beginning of March. We have our first tournament down in St. George. That's more preseason stuff so it's not super effective on our real in-season schedule. But right as we get back from that we start our season and then each Saturday we play a game against other single school teams in Utah. And we pretty much have like I'd say eight weeks of games and then the week following that we go into the playoffs. And then you play two playoff games and then to make it into the finals. But this season we actually lost the first round in playoffs so we just use that as motivation throughout practice before we went to nationals just to really work hard and better ourselves for the national tournament in Oak Heart, Indiana.

Anthony Godfrey:
How many games did you play at the national level? How does that work?

Ryker Seidel:
So we played three games. It's kind of like a single-round elimination. It's pretty much you play your first game and then you advance to the next day. It's a game each day in three days. But yeah, I know it's hard. I've never been so beat up from a tournament before. Games alone actually. But yeah, you just got to keep winning, fight to live another day.

Anthony Godfrey:
You talked about single school teams. Are there some teams that come from multiple schools just so that they can get an adequate number of players to compete?

Logan Youngblood:
Yeah, so actually a lot of the teams in our league this year they were not single schools. They were a bunch of club schools so we have Lane Christian Academy, American Fork and those are like teams full.  All together, I think there's eight teams between those two teams. So there is a Nationals for the club division and that is multi-school.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now rugby is a club sport here but there are other pockets in the nation where you're going to see a lot more rugby. So I would assume it's a little bit intimidating to go to the national level and a really big deal to place the way that you did.

Lucky Fishiipeau:
Yeah, it's exactly as you said. It is a really big deal just to go to Nationals. It's the top eight teams in the nation based on rankings from a couple of sources and one is Goff Rugby. And it's a hard thing to do, to rank that high in the nation especially as a single school because you only have so many kids to choose from. Whereas multi-school, you have plenty of kids from different schools. I know a couple examples of where there are teams that go out and recruit players from different schools to play for them and they don't actually have to go to that school to play for them.

Anthony Godfrey:
So it's kind of stacked and it's difficult to go up against that but you guys have been very successful. Why do you think you've been so successful this year as a team? What is it about this year?

Ryker Seidel:
I would say it's the bonding we’ve had and our coaches. A lot of us have been playing with each other since our sixth grade year so we're all best friends. At the beginning of the year, we didn't really start as best friends but towards the end of the year we really built together and we really built up the connection that we have with each other. So I feel like that's a big part of how we play and why we play so good together.

Logan Youngblood:
Just to add on that, I think part of the motivation on the field is just having such a good bond with your brothers that it's like you know you're going to battle with each other. And when you love your brothers enough it really just, you'll put your body on the line for each other and it makes you play harder for one another.

Lucky Fishiipeau:
And even to add on to that, Ryker mentioned us all being brothers. That's one thing that's special about Herriman Rugby is we all consider each other a brother and all of us would go to war for each other on the rugby pitch.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me, what have you learned from your coach this year and through the years that you've worked with him?

Ryker Seidel:
Honestly, just to trust one another. He puts his trust in us through these years. He puts the trust in us to start the games and go to battle because we don't have a coach on the field telling us what plays to do, how to do things. We have a practice Monday or Tuesday through Friday and then Saturday it's on us to perform what they've taught us.

Logan Youngblood:
Yeah, I'd say the biggest thing I've learned from these coaches throughout the years is just how to keep going through and persevering when times really get hard because I mean rugby is hard alone but life is also probably harder.

Anthony Godfrey:
If you don’t know, you'll find out probably. I don't know how hard rugby is.

Lucky Fishiipeau:
Building off of what both of them said, we're given the tools but we have to use them ourselves and then they've really taught us how to be men in life and just champions.

Anthony Godfrey:
That doesn't happen automatically. Just because you're in the same place at the same time doesn't mean that you suddenly become brothers and you rely on each other and you look out for each other. That's coaching and that's the heart that you bring to the game, so that's really exciting to see that that's happened. You talked about sacrificing your body for each other. Rugby just seems, to someone who's never played it, I've watched it a couple of times, it seems absolutely chaotic and very primal. There's no protective equipment, you just get in there and do whatever you have to do. Am I correct about that? Tell me a little bit about what it's like to play.

Logan Youngblood:
People describe rugby as a hooligans' game played by gentlemen. It's really demanding on the body. It's a really rough sport but just the respect that comes out of it, after one of our games at Nationals, we actually had a meal with the opposing team that we just beat up on, which just goes to show that it's bigger than just a sport. It's like a way to bring people together and just have fun and just be boys.

Anthony Godfrey:
What made each of you, what drew each of you to rugby initially with all the sports that are available out there, why rugby in particular? You like the shape of the ball, you thought. This is different from the shape of others, I'm going to go with this one.

Ryker Seidel:
It's actually funny because before I started rugby I was so set on playing football but I actually have an older brother who played rugby and I just remember watching him play and it just looked so fun to me. Being at that age you're not fully developed but I felt like I really had developed a love for this sport. Just throughout the years my love grew and grew for this sport and I've never been able to drop it.

Logan Youngblood:
It's actually funny because I used to live in these apartments and there were these two dudes, named is Gabe and Mafi. They're just tossing a really funny ball in the air and I was like, "What is this?" Little me went up to them and was like, "What is this?" They're like, "Rugby, you should come play. We played for Herriman." Ever since then my older brother and I, we've been playing since we were little kids.

Lucky Fishiipeau:
I really have to thank all my success throughout rugby to my older brother. He started playing I think when he was in eighth grade. I'd always been a kid who played soccer so I was far from rugby but he really kept pushing me but first couple of years I always denied it and then finally I just gave it a try and then fell in love with the sport.

Anthony Godfrey:
You're all seniors, what's next? Rugby wise or otherwise?

Logan Youngblood:
Honestly, either going to school or trade, not sure if rugby is in the future but maybe if I go to BYU that's where I'll play.

Ryker Seidel:
Yeah, pretty much same as Logan, I think rugby as of now is kind of unrealistic but I would love to see it in my future.

Lucky Fishiipeau:
Just like them, I'd love to see rugby in my future but right after high school I'll be serving a mission and then hopefully college.

Anthony Godfrey:
To a rugby friendly country, I hope?

Lucky Fishiipeau:
Hopefully in New Zealand.

Anthony Godfrey:
Up next we'll talk with the coach of the Herriman High School Boys Rugby Club Team.

Male Voice:
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Sandy Riesgraf:
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Anthony Godfrey:
Let's talk with your coach. Tell us a little bit about your time here, introduce yourself and your role at Herriman High.

Jeff Wilson:
My name is Jeff Wilson. I am an OG at Herriman High School. I was hired actually before the building was built. So I've been here from day one and was an assistant football coach, which I'm now back to being an assistant football coach again. And in my interview I asked Mr. Birch, actually Mr. Park, at the time I asked Mr. Park about starting a rugby team here and wanting to spearhead that. I had coached for 10 years previously with the old Highland program and had kind of decided it was, that next challenge was to start a program of my own and see what I could do with it. So I got that going year one and it's just grown ever since. So this will be, they all run together now. I think it's year 25 or 26 coaching.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're thrilled to have you. Herriman Rugby's had a great reputation from day one.

Jeff Wilson:
For whatever reason, our league decided this year that we as a single school team should play in a league with the club teams. Which it makes about as much sense as saying, well your high school soccer or volleyball team is going to play in a league with the club teams because we're tired of beating up on all the school teams. Which you know, so it's, you're playing against really what would have become all-star teams with the multi-school club teams. And we'll compete well with them and we'll win a lot of those games and so forth.  But it's certainly different with your kids winning from one school, right? But I think one advantage that that gives us is that I think it means a little bit more to them to represent their school and to feel like, and they play other sports together and they grow up together and that definitely helps strengthen that bond. And then when we get to Nationals, really every school there's a private school. Which means they have artsy status at their school. They're extremely well funded. All three of our opponents that we've played, Gonzaga, we beat the first round who's the seven time champion. And Xavier who's won some national championships and then St. Ignatius in the finals. All three of them have a very similar structure. They all have 20 plus paid coaches. Myself and all my coaches are volunteers. They all have these massive budgets, not only for operating their team, but for travel. They all three went and toured Europe during the season with just, again, their private school money. Which I mean, good for, I'm not, you know, criticizing, it's great for them.

Anthony Godfrey:
You didn't tour Europe?

Jeff Wilson:
We went to Montana.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, well, you know, Montana's prettier in some ways.

Jeff Wilson:
It is, it is. They're both beautiful. We don't use any of those things as excuses but we do use those as motivation and maybe have a little chip on our shoulder to want to prove ourselves a little bit and say, "Hey, we don't have all of these advantages and we're still competing with you and in a lot of cases beating you." So, because our starting point is a little bit different, it makes it that much more special to see what these kids have accomplished for sure.

Anthony Godfrey:
Having a chip on your shoulder as standard equipment isn't a bad thing that motivates you, that moves you forward.

Jeff Wilson:
Absolutely, absolutely. I, you know, I have a coaching chip on my shoulder because I grew up with a coach and my father is a very good coach who I learned a lot from but I do have a little bit of chip on my shoulder to try and prove myself as well to be me and not just somebody's son, right? So, that certainly drives me.

Anthony Godfrey:
I'm curious, what is it about this team that's so special?

Jeff Wilson:
Well, these, I think it starts with these three guys as captains and the leadership they provide and really that closeness, that brotherhood is something that we do preach and is a big part of our culture but that culture is only as good as the custodians of that which are our young men. So, really that brotherhood is intentional from them. Just a kind of a quick example of the impact they have. So, I have two sons in the program, one's a ninth grader, one's a tenth grader and they've grown up around these guys and they've hung out with them at practice and now they play on a team with them which is, it makes me feel old. But they will talk about all three of these young men in terms of, only how much they look up to them but in terms of they're the first guys to make them feel welcome and to make them feel like they are part of something and that they belong and it doesn't matter whether you're a superstar player, whether you're the last guy on the bench, anything in between, these three and their teammates as well go out of their way to make sure that this feels like a family. At some point, really for us to be successful, they have to take over, they have to be responsible for what the team culture is and there's a lot of that stuff that happens outside of practice as well, things like team dinners and team hikes, community service projects, all that kind of stuff and so really having guys like this lead the way is huge.

Anthony Godfrey:
It must be very rewarding to see these great captains, who they've become, and how that gets to impact your own family.

Jeff Wilson:
Absolutely, it is, you know, these three, I've literally watched them grow up in front of my eyes. Lucky, I've probably known since he was probably like six or seven. So over half his life, as he said, he had an older brother that played and his dad is also on our staff and he's an excellent coach as well. Riker's dad is also on our staff as an excellent coach as well as doing all our medical. He's a doctor. So these guys, as they mentioned, they all have older brothers that played and so I've known all these guys for a long time. I watched them play in Little League and I got to know them as they were growing up and to see the young men they've become, it's like being a proud papa, it's like watching your own kids grow up.

Anthony Godfrey:
Speaking of coaching for 25 years or so, you coached one of the teachers here at Herriman. Tell me about that.

Jeff Wilson:
I actually coached two of them. I coached Randy Cameraman in football at Murray High School and he was my TA for like five periods too, so we were pretty close.

Anthony Godfrey:
Murray's pretty easy going about that TA thing.

Jeff Wilson:
Oh yeah, sometimes those senior schedules, right? And then helped Randy get to college, get an opportunity to play football which actually started my love for helping with that process as well. One of the things I teach here is college athletic recruiting so I love helping kids find those opportunities. But Randy was really the first one that I was really, just because I cared about the young man, really tried to help him find a place and was able to do that.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well done on that front. He's a great teacher and a great asset here.

Jeff Wilson:
He is fantastic. And then Nic Redd, who actually coached before Randy. Nic, I coached my first year out of high school. I took a year between high school and college to try and get bigger to go play college football. So I ended up coaching Nic Redd, who was a sophomore at the time, coached him in football.

Anthony Godfrey:
These guys were really complimentary of just as a great teacher.

Jeff Wilson:
He is wonderful. And like Randy, he started off in the business world and came to teaching late but he was a captain in football and a captain in rugby. He was a rugby player as well. And a good pound for pound, Nic Redd is one of the toughest players I've ever coached in my life. He'd go at you. He is the nicest guy in the world but you get him on the field and watch out. But it's been wonderful to have those two guys around and just be able to see them more. Once a guy plays for you, they're always your player. You always have that relationship, that bond, so forth. In fact, I still have to watch myself or I still call “Nic's a great kid. Randy's a great kid.” Obviously they're not kids anymore but they'll always be your players.

Anthony Godfrey:
I love that. Well, obviously the lessons and the relationships continue for a long time. Congratulations on a great team, great captains, a great career and a fantastic season.

Jeff Wilson:
Appreciate it. Thank you very much.

Anthony Godfrey:
Thanks for joining us on another episode of the Supercast. Remember, “Education is the most important thing you will do today!” We'll see you out there.