Black High School Rugby Team wins championship in Chester

Some of the players from Perry Street Prep - The Pride - from Washington, D.C.

I’m always harping on getting our young men into sports other than basketball and football.

After attending the USA Rugby Sevens tournament last year, it was obvious to me that rugby would be sport that black boys could excel in. 

This weekend, I felt vindicated as I watched The Pride win the high school championship of Rugby Sevens here at PPL Park. 

Perry Street Prep Pubic Charter School (The Pride), from NE D.C. has developed quite the pedigree as the first all African American high school rugby team in the country. Since its inaugural winless season in 2000 (when they were competing as Hyde School), Pride has become one of the top contenders in the prestigious Potomac High School Rugby Conference in Washington, D.C.
Program founder Tal Bayer has created a consistently successful high school rugby team from one of the toughest areas in Washington, D.C. (and one that produced USA 7s player PJ Komognan). This is no small feat when you consider that most of Pride’s players come from some of the toughest neighborhoods in D.C. Pride’s mission is to develop character in young athletes and introduce them into the wealth of possibilities that the global fraternity of rugby can offer. All Pride Rugby’s graduates attend 4-year universities where almost all continue playing rugby.

Taken from the 2012 USA 7s CRC Program

A few of the outstanding black college rugby players I saw on Sunday were Michael Al-Jaboori from Oklahoma University, Trevor Tanifum of University of Maryland, and Kevin Clark of Dartmouth.

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