BHSAAs on track for repeat sweep of Canadian opposition
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – The Boys High School All-Americans are back in Canada this week preparing for a two-match slate against BC Rugby’s under-18 team at University of British Columbia.
Head Coach Salty Thompson has assembled a squad of 25 young athletes, nearly half of whom have represented the BHSAAs in international competition in the past year. Gonzaga’s Ian Kilcullen returns to the 2017 western squad after helping the eastern squad defeat an under-19 team from Ontario Blues June 29 and July 1.
AIG Men’s Junior All-Americans forwards coach Chris Oosthuizen joins Thompson and assistant coach Brendan Keane on the staff, with Jane Kluempers returning as team trainer. Staying in the dormitories and training at University of British Columbia, the BHSAAs will face the BC Rugby team Thursday, July 13, and Saturday, July 15, in a repeat of a 2016 tour north of the border.
Prop David Ainuu out of Washington was a member of the 2016 team that swept its opposition by a combined score line of 102-3. That tour also followed an Ontario Tour that resulted in BHSAA victories, with the 2017 incarnation 160 minutes from replicating the feat.
Including Ainuu, 10 athletes in the western squad traveled to France earlier this year for the Rugby Europe Men’s Under 18 European Championships. Eleven states are represented, while several All-American debutants – including Chase Jones (California), Joe Kamara (Colorado), Siope Koloamatangi (Arizona), and Ivan Pula (Washington) – earned selections through their performances at the summer’s Regional Cup Tournaments.
There are no announced plans for the matches to be broadcast.
Boys High School All-Americans | British Columbia Tour
| Name | Position | Club |
|---|---|---|
| David Ainuu | Prop | Liberty (WA) |
| Connoer Bellinger | Lock | Jesuit (CA) |
| Jacob Burns | Hooker | Chuckanut (WA) |
| Asa Carter | Lock | Union (OK) |
| Xavier Doering | Prop | St. Thomas (KS) |
| Keoni Francis | Flanker | Cy-Fair (TX) |
| Sam Gasparovich | Fly half | St. Thomas (KS) |
| Chase Jones | Lock | Solano-Yolo (CA) |
| Joe Kamara | Flanker | Palmer Terrors (CO) |
| Ian Kilcullen | Center | Gonzaga (DC) |
| Siope Koloamatongi | Prop | Tempe (AZ) |
| Deven Lawhorne | Lock | Back Bay (CA) |
| Kaden Loversky | Wing | Mira Costa (CA) |
| Gabriel Mahuina | Hooker | Herriman (UT) |
| Ethan McVeigh | Scrum half | OMBAC (CA) |
| Michael Nettleton | Wing | Fishers (IN) |
| George Niethammer | Center | Jesuit (CA) |
| Chris Noggle | Flanker | Santa Barbara (CA) |
| Ivan Pula | No. 8 | Budd Bay (CA) |
| Carlos Ramirez | Scrum half | Jesuit (CA) |
| Alex Rayton | Lock | Woodlands (TX) |
| Ryan Santos | Center | Makati (Philippines) |
| Owen Sheehy | Fly half | Gonzaga (DC) |
| Kyle van Tunder | Full back | Rocky Mt. (ID) |
| John Wendling | Center | Chuckanut (WA) |
Boys High School All-Americans | Coaching Staff
Salty Thompson – Head Coach
Brendan Keane – Coach
Jane Kluempers – Trainer
Chris Oosthuizen – Coach
Boys High School All-Americans | British Columbia Tour
v. BC Rugby U18s – Thursday, July 13 @ 6 p.m. ET
v. BC Rugby U18s – Saturday, July 15 @ 3 p.m. ET
