Our Legacy
By the numbers
State Championships: 6
Regional Championships: 2
National Appearances: 3 (2 for Warriors, 1 for Wahines)
Boys College Offers 10+
Girls College Offers 10+
Our Legacy
2010 – Getting Started
The Wando Rugby Club is established by a small group of students
Wando Rugby Club chartered thru USA Rugby & Rugby South Carolina
Wando Players approach Outlaws Rugby Club for coaching needs
Chris Davis volunteers to be the first Head Coach
Dave Marshall volunteers as Assistant Coach and Treasurer
13 players hold scrimmages against School of the Arts
2011 – First Full Season
First full season in Rugby South Carolina statewide schedule
Tod Shepherd joins Coach Chris as co-Head Coaches
Total of 36 players
Team practices on a small field inside the I’On subdivision
Star players include Dana Corcoran, DJ Fuller, Tyler Griffin, Peter Huthwaite, Nick Morrison, Nicolae Toma
Regular season record: 3 wins vs. 6 losses
2 Wando players make State all-stars
No playoffs made
2012 – First Playoff Appearance
Steve Evangelista joins the coaching staff
11 teams now compete in Rugby South Carolina in one Division
10 game Rugby South Carolina schedule
Total of 39 players
All games away as Wando Rugby did not have a home pitch
4 Wando players make State All-stars
Wando wins two games, each by the score of 3-0, the lowest possible score in a rugby game
Regular season record: 5 wins vs. 4 losses and 1 cancellation
Made Rugby South Carolina playoffs
Placed 4th in State Rugby Championships
Nick Morrison wins MVP
2013 – State Runners-Up
Club grows to over 50 players
Former players Nick Morrison & Peter Huthwaite join the coaching staff
Wando Rugby now a school sponsored club
Mt. Pleasant Recreation provides a “pitch” at Cario fields Park West
Wando receives 4 scheduled home games
16 High School teams now compete in Rugby South Carolina, divided into Divisions I & II, with Wando in Division I
6 Wando players make State All-Stars
Regular season record: 7 wins vs. 2 losses
Defeated Greer in playoffs to advance to State Championship
Lost Rugby South Carolina State Championship to a powerhouse Chapin team
Invited to High School 7’s Championships in Philadelphia, PA
Ryan Springer wins MVP
2014 – State Champions
With 50 players, the club adds a “B Team” who competes in South Carolina Division II
Most of 2013 team returns for 2014 season (only graduated 4 seniors)
A Team goes undefeated 10-0, outscoring opposition 332-24
A Team defeats Chapin 45-0 in the state semi-finals, in the best game the team has played in their 5 year history
A Team wins first ever State Championship over Greenville High School by a score of 10-3
A Team ends the season ranked #19 in USA
B Team finishes regular season in 2nd place, losing the Division II State Championship to the Charleston Ravens’ A Team
Davis Strobel wins MVP
2015 – Lowcountry Champions
Club graduates 23 seniors from 2014 State Championship team
Guy Vorster & Jack Strobel join the coaching staff as team grows to 65 players
Rugby South Carolina adopts a regional structure, pitting A & B teams against each other
A Team has another undefeated regular season, outscoring the opposition 415-20, ranked as high as #9 in the country
B Team finishes regular season in 4th place
A Team defeats Aiken 65-0 and Chapin 28-0 in the playoffs
A Team dominates, but loses the State Championship in an overtime heart breaker in front of 1,000 home fans, played during Tropical Storm Ana. The game is remembered as the “one that got away”
A Team ends the season ranked #24 in USA
Club hosts Bracebridge High School, a touring side from Ontario, Canada
Club hosts Georgetown Prep High School, a touring side from Washington, DC
Micah Stewart wins MVP
2016 – State Champions
Club grows to 80 players and graduates 9 seniors from the 2015 team
Kerry Gholson joins the coaching staff, as co-Head Coach of the B Team with Coach Steve
League reverts to Divisional alignment, with A Team in Division 1 and B Team in Division 2
A Team loses their first regular season match in over 3 years, 26-20 against South Greenville, in which Wando led 20-0 at halftime
A Team finishes regular season at 6-1
B Team finishes regular season in 5th place and wins the Division 2 Plate Title
A Team defeats Greenville 33-10 in the playoffs
A Team wins State Championship by defeating South Greenville 25-24 on a converted try on the last play of the game
A Team ends the season ranked #23 in USA
A Team attends Ruggerfest in Charlotte, defeating Union County and Myers Park, but losing to power Charlotte Catholic
Club hosts Bracebridge High School, a touring side from Canada
Charlie van Vliet wins MVP
2017 – State Champions
Club grows to 90 players
Simon Read & Thomas Meredith join coaching staff
Club joins the inaugural MSIRL (Mid-South Independent Rugby League), a new league for elite high school programs
A Team finishes RSC regular season at 5-0, outscoring the opposition 156-21
B Team finishes RSC regular season at 4-2, while gaining playing time for the future C Team
A Team wins State Championship in Division I, defeating South Greenville 14-12
B Team wins State Championship in Division II, defeating Spring Hill by a score of 25-16
The MSIRL semi-finals are played on the same day as the finals, Memorial Day, in 95F heat in Charlotte, where the A Team defeats the Charlotte Tigers in the semis, and the “ice bath” tradition begins
A Team then wins the MSIRL Championship in a dominating performance against Union County from Charlotte by a score of 35-7
Charlie van Vliet wins MVP again
2018 – National Championships
Club starts an official C Team
John Wagner joins the coaching staff, as Head Coach of the C team
A Team dominates the RSC regular season undefeated with a record of 7-0-1, outscoring the opposition 384-47
A Team finished undefeated MSIRL, with a record of 6-0, outscoring the opposition 247-81
A Team loses the State Championship in a controversial game. The A team was ahead 9-7 after regulation, but South Greenville scored in the mysterious 14th minute of extra time
B Team finishes RSC regular season at 6-1, outscoring the opposition 177-34
B Team wins State Championship in Division II, defeating Bishop England
A Team invited to the National Championships in Kansas City, where they defeat the reigning Tier II champions, St. Thomas Aquinas by a score of 15-14
A Team wins the Sportsmanship Award at the National Championships, receiving a new Hooligan kit. Thanks Hooligan Rugby!
Arthur Doyle wins MVP
2019 – National Championships
Simon takes over as Head Coach from Tod Shepherd
The club forms an official 501c3 and also forms a Board of Directors led by parents
A Team invited to the National Championships in Utah
Coleman Herteau joins the coaching staff, leading the fitness program and the C team
The club starts the first ever Wando Girls team, called the Wahines, with 52 girls registered
The Wahines are lead by Head Coach Kim Perritt, Coach Kerry, Coach Ogle and Coach Anne
A Team wins Charleston Post & Courier’s “Club of the Year” award
A Team wins State Championship, defeating South Greenville 27-7
2019/20 – Carolina Ruggerfest and COVID-19
Donovan Craig joins the Warriors coaching staff and former player Robbie Inglett join the Wahines coaching staff
Wahines get a few rogue games in early in the 2019/20 season before anyone in the Lowcountry has even heard of Wuhan
Boys A/B/C and Wahines start the season at the Carolina Ruggerfest in March 2020 in Charlotte just before the season is secured for COVID-19 - yep, we have all heard of Wuhan now
2020/21 – Mama Anne and Wahines State Champions
Coach Mama Anne passes away on December 4, 2020 and the team mourns a gentle giant and forever icon of Wando Rugby
Amidst the backdrop of COVID-19 pandemic and dwindling teams in Rugby South Carolina, we salvage a season by venturing to Greer, SC many spring weekends in 2021
A team loses to South Greenville boys to finish 2nd in the State Championship
Wahines beat the South Greenville girls side to become Rugby South Carolina State Champions
2021/22 – Nationals Championships (Wahines)
Former Wando players from Oceanside form a rugby club at Oceanside Collegiate Academy
Coach Donovan takes over as Wando Head Coach from Simon Read
Former Wando player Connor Hogan joins the Warriors coaching staff
Bill Bell joins the Wahines coaching staff
Mike Flood and Greg Hildebrand join the Warriors coaching staff
Wando RFC stops being a Wando High School club - now welcoming all Lowcountry high schoolers to rugby
Wando enters 1 boys team and 2 girls teams into the NC Rugby Fall 7 tournament. Boys win 1st place in their division and girls A side finishes 2nd in their division.
Girls send a team to Girls High School Nationals in Euclid, OH where they make a solid first time appearance and finish 7th overall