Alexandria City High School Boys rugby is off to an impressive start. They have beaten The Heights and most notably, Gonzaga High School, who they’ve never defeated.  Currently, they have a 2-3 record, but they are riding the wave. 

Starting the year as strong as they have is not the norm for them.  Over the past couple of seasons the Titans have faced a lot of adversity and haven’t had many victories. After the 2021-22 season they finished with a record of 3-3 and in the 2022-23 season the team ended with a record of 2-2. Last year the Titans finished with a 1-7 record and are hoping to leave it in the past. 

“I think about all the games we lost last year and I use that to fuel me. Before every game I think about the record of the previous years and how I want to switch the result this time,” said senior Seamus White, who is entering his fourth and final year on the rugby team and his second year as a team captain.  

“I’ve been playing rugby my whole life so it was a no-brainer coming into high school that I wanted to join. I’ve stayed on the team because of the friends I’ve made and the brotherhood rugby gives me,” said White. 

White is one of many players on the team who have been playing since their freshman year and has been on the Varsity team the entire time. 

The seniors who are graduating this year joined the team the year after school reopened from the Covid virtual year. When we returned to school from being virtual and hybrid, our numbers were very low. Several of them have been starting since they were freshmen, and it’s been great to see them grow and improve,” said Head Coach Nicholas Hildebidle who is entering his 5th year coaching. . 

As the seniors graduate the team will be looking for more players next year to come on board and learn the game. However, some people have some stereotypes regarding the sport that holds them back from playing. 

“Rugby is a contact sport, but people often have the perception that it’s only about the contact and physicality. I often talk to athletes who tell me that they’re “too small to play rugby.” The fact is that rugby is a game that has a place for athletes of all shapes, sizes, and experience levels. We need big players, but also fast players, skillful players, and players who can read the field and make decisions well,” said Coach Hildebidle. 

The biggest moment of the season was being able to take down Gonzaga High School. When the Titans have matched up against Gonzaga in the past 3 years they have lost by a large margin, yet this year it was different. The Titans were able to come out on top and prove to others that they are a force to be reckoned with. 

“Beating Gonzaga in our second league game is one of my proudest coaching moments. Not just because we beat a tough opponent, but also the tenacity that the team showed to achieve their victory. There were several lead changes, and a number of moments where we could have given up, but didn’t,” said Coach Hildebidle. 

One thing this team feels is a sense of being overlooked. They are the only public school in the conference and believe they get heavily underestimated because of that. Yet that isn’t stopping them from putting the others on notice. 

“Our team has always been competitive every year, really pushing every team we play to the end. But, as the only public school in our conference the other teams do always underestimate us. We use this to our advantage, really surprising our opponents every time we take the field,” said White. 

“We play in one of the most competitive high school rugby leagues in the country. Gonzaga are multi-time National Champions, and several of the other programs that we play against have strong athletic programs that invest in rugby as well.” said Coach Hildebidle. 

As the season continues the Titans refuse to slow down and are looking to take down everyone in their path and play for their first ever Metro Area Varsity Rugby Conference title.

We have a team motto of ‘Not Satisfied’ that we tell ourselves before every game to prepare to go out there and show everyone what we can do,’’ said White. 

The Titans will have Senior Night on Friday April 25, 2025.