J-Hawk Rugby

Wonderful tribute to a fantastic young man and future J-Hawk we tragically lost to a sudden illness before he could ever grace our halls. Everyone who met Shawn was better for it. His excellence and joy while playing both soccer and football, along with his exemplary leadership as a teammate, would have made him a natural rugby player. Thinking of his devoted friends and his wonderful family tonight. Shawn Nupolu, forever a J-Hawk. Let’s go, Jefferson J-Hawk Football!

Had a great time talking to our incoming 9th graders at the Freshmen Activities Fair. Reconnected with some student athletes who we met at the middle school clinic and signed them up for the 2027 season! School photographers caught some of the visitors at our table…

Looking forward to this afternoon!…

We can FINALLY announce: Rugby Club End-of-Year Celebration is this Sunday at 4:30 PM - CRBC Bowling Alley

Our next Senior Salute is to Ayden Kasak. Ayden was a new addition this year and was a crucial addition. A missing teammate in Week 4 led to a start in which Ayden really thrived. Unfortunately he was ill in the final week of the season, otherwise he could have made a difference. We wish we could have had him another year because his progress in the early season was massive, and he jumps into new challenges without ever a complaint. Ayden’s favorite memory was scoring a try in his first ever match. He is going into the HVAC program at Kirkwood next year. Thank you, Ayden Kasak, for being a key member of J-Hawk Rugby this year!

Our next Senior Salute is to Brayden Gaines. Brayden might have been our most physical and consistent player on defense, with a knack for goal line situations on both sides of the ball. On field highlights included goal line scores against West Des Moines Valley and Ankeny as well as some of the best defensive plays we’ve seen in the club’s short history, including try saving tackles that forced knock-ons against Ankeny and Des Moines Roosevelt this year (the latter a crucial stop to help win the match), and a chase down and diving tackle at last year’s state tournament against Ankeny. Brayden is as easy going off the field as he is fearsome on it, and always showed dedication while maintaining a sense of humor. His favorite rugby memory is being competitive against the very top teams in the state, and he plans on attending college at Kirkwood next year. Thanks for helping take J-Hawk Rugby to new heights, Brayden Gaines!

We begin the first of our Senior Salutes with our wing man, Frank Bilori. On field highlights include Frank’s end-to-end try against Cedar Falls, and his support run with Evariste that led to a phenomenal try Frank put down versus Iowa City West. Frank says his favorite memory of high school rugby was meeting all the guys that would become his teammates and playing with them. Frank’s plan is to attend college and start his own clothing business. He says he would go back and play it all again if he could. Don’t think he has played his last rugby game. Thank you J-Hawk Senior, Frank Bilori!

Big weekend: Tomorrow and Sunday, Iowa City hosts the College Rugby National 7s Championship Tournament at the Iowa City Soccer Complex. The host Hawkeyes’ made the National Championship Final last year and here is their group schedule…