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By Alex Goff
The Chicago Blaze are best known for their rugby facility in Lamont, Ill. which has been the site of many a playoff and all-star competition, but the club itself is doing just fine, thank you, and goes into this weekend hoping to improve to 5-0 in the Midwest DII Western Conference.
The success is a direct result of the drive of the players and the administrators, who have worked on a build it and they will come strategy.
They have an impressive home, but they have also built the club through grassroots development. Four area high school teams, as well as the Chicago North Shore women, play at the Blaze fields. That has led to some successful recruiting, with players such as Jake Backoff, Ruben Flores, Kevin Garbis, Jaime Lugo, Joe Malik and Brian Szwed all showing good form, and all from area youth programs.
“When we went to the sweet 16 three years ago, we had brought in players from overseas,” said Blaze director ofrugby Bill Weckstein. “Currently, we have done no recruiting. A few excellent players have fallen into our laps, but the core of this club has come from the youth/high school programs. I expect this to get better as many of these kids return from college.”
Among the players who have fallen into their laps, Craig Clark was an All American lock and No. 8 at BYU, and captain and scrumhalf Adam Scheidler, from Texas.
Clark, said Weckstein, “is a player that picks it up when the going gets tough and is a difference maker.” While Scheidler “is the toughest guy on the field.”
But the driving force of all the improvement on the field is undoubtedly head coach Lance Houia.
“Rugby is a brotherhood,” said Houia. “I wanted to set that tone form the start. I have been around rugby for so many years, and been in the States for 14, and good teams are truly family in many ways. The key to our improvement is the guys buying into that.”
Houia isn’t all touchy-feely about it. He says he runs the club like a business too – you don’t perform, and someone else does, that someone else should be playing. It’s a meritocracy, but one that promotes the social side of the game, too.
“We needed to get everyone involved in the team,” said Houia. “We get social players, and aspiring players and alumni. We talk about how it’s a family and we are all there for each other, but at the same time we wear our Number Ones after a game, we show respect for our training and the game, and the team is picked on merit.”
As a result Housia has been starting as many as four teenagers on the side. Garvis, a center, is one everyone seems to be high one. Houia says he’s an “amazing athlete” and Weckstein said Garvis has shown up some highly regarded opponents this year. And he’s got more to give.
Last week against Toledo the Blaze won 41-13 but it was a struggle. It was 8-6 at halftime and Houia said the Blaze players were fighting themselves and the ref too much.
“In all my time in rugby I have never seen a ref change his mind,” he said. “We had to change. The gate was being called really tight, so we needed to ruck better, simple as that. When I saw them go out in the second half and how they started to play, I knew we had ‘em.”
The big danger for any DII club doing well is that the players become somewhat deluded – they think they are world-beaters before they’ve played anyone outside their own league. Houia knows that can be a problem.
“I have played at just about every level in this country,” Houia said. “I know what Super League and DI is like. I’ve been able to impart to the guys that they don’t know how hard it will be later, and we have to keep playing better rugby. We just have to stay humble. That’s crucial. Stay humble and always have respect for the other team.”
The Midwest DII Conference playoffs are in Des Moines the last weekend in October. The last time the Blaze were in Des Moines was in 2004 when they could only take 13 players and were routed emphatically. Despite the heroic and fruitless efforts of the 13 who made the trip, it was, said Weckstein, a low point in the club’s history.
“I am pretty sure that we can get 15 players out there this time!” said Weckstein.
They certainly want to put in a better showing.
“The great thing is we’ve got everyone on board,” said Houia. “I’d love to bring this club up to DI and compete there, but not until we’re ready. Right now we’re taking our time, and working on respecting the game and playing together.”
As a brotherhood.
Midwest DII Games This Weekend
Western Conf.
Des Moines (1-4) at Bremer County Bucks (2-3)
Chicago Westside Condors (1-4) at Chicago Blaze (4-0)
Clinton Muddy River (4-1) at Eastside Banshees (4-1)
Milwaukee (3-2) at Lincoln Park (4-1)
Wisconsin (2-3) at Northwest Woodsmen (0-4)
Cross-Conference
South Side Irish (3-2) at Michiana (1-3)
Eastern Conf.
Detroit RFC (0-5) at Dayton (1-3)
Toledo Celts (3-1) at Grand Rapids Gazelles (2-3)
Scioto Valley (3-2) at Lexington (2-2)
Rochester Aardvarks (3-1) at Pittsburgh (4-0)
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