Throughout the 2019 season, "Climb the Mountain" has served as a slogan for a Jesuit Dallas rugby team which entered the season with expectations of greatness. This weekend, Jesuit will have the opportunity to reach the mountain's summit at the Rugby Texas Division I State Tournament at Burr Field in Austin Texas. Saturday's 9 a.m. state semifinal matchup against St. Pius X will start the Rangers' journey as the Blue and Gold look to cap a 12-1 regular season record with the third state championship in program history.
 
The Rangers are led by a 22-member senior class which has fostered 18 wins over the past two seasons and a Jesuit Dallas Rugby Showdown Championship this winter. Head coach Matthew Upton '02, entering his second year at the helm, testifies that the team has benefited greatly as a senior class which has seen three head coaches during their time at Jesuit.
 
"The growth this senior group has shown is phenomenal. When I came on, I was lucky that I had played under the system that they had come from, but I knew that when I got here a lot was going to change around the program. This group was faced with a pretty tough choice as their team and culture started changing all around them."
 
"Had they decided to be rigid and not want the program to change, we would have been in a pretty big hole, but these guys stuck it out and continued recruiting their friends to come and join this special team that they have created over the past two years. In that sense it isn't too far-fetched to say that this core group of seniors is very much responsible for the run we have been able to have."
 
That run has seen the Rangers outscore opponents, 524-155 this season while securing three shutouts, the most recent a 19-0 clean sheet against Cy Fair in the first round of the Rugby Texas Tournament. Jesuit's methodical offense has proved to be one the team's greatest asset as the patient Ranger front continuously marches the ball downfield and has allowed Jesuit the opportunity to dominate the game not only from the standpoint of the scoreboard, but also in time of possession.
 
"I have a general layout of the offense we run," added Upton. "It is very simple and is a general outline as to how we like to play the game. This makes it easy to keep the offense fluid and malleable to the strengths of each team as they come to the varsity level. Especially when the boys get to a varsity level Coach Phil Bolton and I believe in letting the guys get out there and bring their talents to the team, so we give them a general plan that will work and let them take it from there."
 
"Rugby is special in that we have little to do with what happens on the field when the game kicks off. It is all the boys." continued Upton. "Last year we would make great line breaks and long runs. This year we have been able to hold on to the ball and create our offense over the span of a 70-minute game."
 
The Rangers and Panthers will meet for the second time this season as Jesuit defeated St. Pius X, 33-14, in the championship game of the Jesuit Rugby Showdown on Mar. 10. St. Pius X upended Lake Travis, 24-5, in its quarterfinal matchup and finished the regular season with a 4-2 record.
 
"St. Pius has been grooming this team for this weekend for over three years," said Upton. "They were a bit unlucky and had a few guys out when it came to the final game of the Showdown. So, while I do think this will be a much bigger challenge, I think we have grown as a team since that weekend as well. Our boys know they have the talent and knowledge to beat this team, but when that whistle blows it is all about what team shows up on that day."
 
Saturday's game will begin at 9 a.m. and will be followed by the second semifinal between The Woodlands and Katy. The Rangers opened the season with a 34-33 win over The Woodlands, upending the reigning state champion in the opening bout of the year.
 
On Sunday, Apr. 29, the two advancing semifinalists will clash at 12 p.m. for the state title. Coach Upton and the Rangers will enter the weekend hoping to make the drive back North on Interstate-35 with a few pounds of hardware in tow, but also the rewards of a hard-fought season that has helped restore the Jesuit Dallas rugby program as an elite program in Texas.
 
"Our team has always been about the "family"," concluded Upton. "Our boys have seen it throughout the year, but they are at their best when they forget about themselves and start playing for the guy next to them. When we are willing to go to battle for our brother, we will go much further than even we thought we could. It's the mentality that Jesuit puts in all of the students and we express it on the field and make it a very valuable part of our game plan throughout the season. It truly is sewn into our fabric as a team and community."