Granite Bay Rugby are the current top club team in the nation

Six years after winning the National Championship, Granite Bay High's rugby team is making noise yet again as they have started the 2022 season 5-0 and are currently the top-ranked team in the United States. "I'm extremely proud of them and they're over the moon about it, but at the end of the day, our season is just beginning," coach Chris Miller said. The club began in 2008 and in 2013, both the junior varsity and varsity teams won the state title. It was the first time that a California club was state champions at both levels. Three years later, the varsity team accomplished even more by winning the national title. Rugby originated in England in the 19th-century and the game's object is to ground the ball behind the opponent's try line, essentially their goal area. A team earns five points for a try, two points for a conversion kick, three points for a penalty and three points for a drop kick. While many players get involved with the sport through football, it is nothing like it as rugby has strict rules on tackling below the collarbone and the ball must be thrown either to the side or backwards. There are 15 starters on the field with the forward players being the muscle and the backs and wingers being the speed of the team. Miller is in his second stint coaching with the club. Miller played the sport at Jesuit High School before playing at the University of California at Berkeley where he graduated in 2002. He coached at Sacramento State University from 2004 to 2009 before starting his first stint at Granite Bay High from 2012 to 2015. After taking a few years off from coaching, Miller took over the reins again in 2019. "I think our strong point is our kids being 100-percent dedicated and passionate about rugby," Miller said. "This group is one of the first groups I've been around that has a desire to get better from top to bottom. We are always talking about having a high rugby IQ. We need to improve a bit more on leadership and maturity and I think we will gain that as we go through the season." One player who has helped lead the way is senior captain Jeremy Harmer. Harmer has been playing rugby for seven years. "I just started out as a way to get into shape for football, but then I ended up loving it more than football and a big reason for that is the respect people have for both teams," Harmer said. "It's such a difficult sport and takes so much out of you. Being number one is a great feeling and we've been planning on this for a long time now. I'm excited to see the hard work paying off." There is a plethora of talent with most of the talent being younger as Granite Bay has only six seniors on the team. The Grizzlies have three starting sophomores and most of their back line consists of juniors. Granite Bay trains five days per week with Mondays consisting of fitness and film and Fridays being a captain's walkthrough where little coaching occurs and plans are made for games on Saturday. The Grizzlies are winning their games by an average of 36 points with their most recent victory coming last Saturday, 38-10, against Danville Oaks. Granite Bay will travel to Ireland for an Irish rugby tour from April 8 to April 18. Miller and the board wanted to play teams with high-level talent and experience and decided to make it happen. The team will play three matches, enjoy sightseeing and have professional training while overseas. "Every match that we play is going to be a challenge and I'd be surprised if we do win a game because the competition is extremely high but it's an opportunity for our guys to get immersed into another culture," Miller said. In previous years, there were more programs in the area such as Sierra Foothill, but many have folded over the last 15 years, leaving Granite Bay as the main program in the south Placer area. "I don't think those clubs shutting down made us stronger," Miller said. "Let's say there were five programs in Placer County, you're going to need at least 30 kids, which means over 150 at the varsity level. I don't see 150 kids on my varsity team, I see 40. I think it hurts rugby because we are missing a lot of talent that isn't being utilized or getting the experience that they should be." Granite Bay's next match is away on Saturday against Mother Lode, which includes Folsom, El Dorado Hills and Cameron Park before facing Jesuit next Friday.