WARSAW –  The Warsaw Area Rugby Football Club was started in the Fall of 2002, and for the first time in team history, both the boys’ and girls’ teams are heading into the State Championship match.

The girls’ team has been to the finals before, winning the State title in 2005, while the boys are making their first trip to the finals.  The games will be played at the Moose Rugby Grounds in Elkhart this Saturday. (www.mooserugby.com)

“I coached the girls’ team when we won State, and I am really excited to see our boys have a chance to win a title,” said boys coach Mark Caruso.  “This is a great group of gentlemen. I have athletes who have become rugby players in just a few months, and rugby players who have become leaders on the pitch.  If both our boys and girls teams win a State Championship, it would be great for the kids, the school, and our program.”

The boys team is comprised of players from WCHS, Whitko and Plymouth high school. The club is led by 2013 Select side players Jason and Austin Taylor, Brandon Bergman and 2014 Select side nominee Kyle Heckaman, among its nine returning players. This year’s boys’ team completed their league season undefeated, losing one non-league game, and went 3-0 during the Midwest Rugby Tournament.

The Tigers defeated Leo 54-12 in the State quarter finals and Angola 44-0 in the semi final, played last weekend in Fishers, Indiana.

The boys’ team faces Pike High School out of Indianapolis, with kickoff scheduled for 11:00 a.m., while the girls kick off at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday.

The undefeated girls team, which is 8-0 on the season, is coached by Trevor Cracknell. The girls squad beat Penn 23-17 last weekend in the semifinals.

Both Warsaw teams are ranked No. 1 in the state.

The Moose Rugby Grounds in Elkhart is located on County Road 6, across the street from the Elkhart Municipal Airport.