Caity Healy | Editor-in-Chief

On the weekend of May 25-27, three Western Oregon Rugby All-Stars headed to Houston, Texas to battle it out and see which regional team would come out on top. A week prior to this game, the men were already aware that seniors Alex Treat and Joey Caver would be two of the All-Stars. However, another surprise arose just days before they were set to travel to Houston: senior Matt Cornish, who originally tried out, was invited to join.

Although he didn’t make the team initially, upon review, they decided he would be an asset to the team. So, he accepted. Cornish, Treat and Caver were ready for what was to come. But, they weren’t the only representation Western had. Their head coach, Sean Pomeroy, was invited to help coach for their Pacific Coast All-Star team. All four faces of Western headed out to Houston.

Streamed live, friends and families were able to watch the game from the comfort of their homes. Taking place at Aveva Stadium, which is the home of the Major League Rugby’s Houston SaberCats, fans were able to keep up with the action as the boys headed to the pitch.

The first match that the Pacific Coast Grizzlies played in saw the Grizzlies taking on South. At half, the game was tied 7-7. But ultimately, Pacific Coast came out on top, 29-7.

The second game that the Grizzlies played in had them matched up against Mid-South. Once again, the Pacific Coast team proved themselves winners, shutting out Mid-South completely, 36-0.

The temperature was heating up along with the competition as the Grizzlies took on the North East Rhinos next. The Rhinos couldn’t hold their own against the Grizzlies, and in the end, Pacific Coast came out victorious, 39-7.

Up next, the Grizzlies had to face the Lonestar team — whoever came out on top here would be sent to the Championship. The game was close; at half, the score was all tied up at 0-0. But, the Grizzlies pulled through, shutting out another team, 17-0. This meant that they’d be a finalist in the Championship, where they’d be paired against the Rhinos once again.

Last year, the All-Star Championship saw the Grizzlies versus the Rhinos. For the second year in a row, the two teams took the pitch. From the start, the game was neck and neck. At half, the Rhinos had the upperhand, sitting at 10-7. However, the Grizzlies weren’t ready to give up. They managed to hold the Rhinos to that same score until the end, bringing the final score to 40-10 — the Grizzlies were victorious.

The Pacific Coast All-Stars are the 2019 NSCRO National All-Star Tournament Champions; Treat, Caver and Cornish, along with Coach Sean, were able to come back to Monmouth knowing they made their hometown proud.

Contact the author at howleditor@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Malina Foley