Berkeley Rhinos Ready to Ram Competition This Season
Although it is not officially affiliated with Berkeley High School (BHS), the Berkeley Rhinos club rugby team is made up almost entirely of Berkeley High students. After finishing last season with a record of 3–4, the Rhinos are hoping for an improvement. “We had a lot of bad attributes that contributed to our downfall,” explains junior Samson Higano. “We had talent, but we didn’t know how to use it.” The Rhinos are hoping to use last season’s disappointment to their advantage.
The Rhinos are led by senior Captain Chris Dempster, who has been on the team since he was a freshman. “I think we made a huge improvement from the previous year,” states Dempster. “But we definitely have room for improvement.” Over the four years Dempster has played, the team has never finished with a winning record. However, he has optimism for the future. “I expect us to pick up where we left off last year,” he says. “This year, I expect to have a winning record.”
In the Rhinos’ league, there are three divisions: the lowest is the bronze division, the middle is the silver division and the highest is the gold division. The team that wins each division advances into a higher league the following season, and the team with the worst record in each division is dropped to a lower division the next season. The Rhinos are currently in the silver division, and are hoping they will be able to win their division this year and reach the gold division next year. “It will be the greatest accomplishment I’ve ever achieved,” Higano explains.
In order to achieve the “gold” level, the team plans to work their tails off during their practices, which began December 2. The team’s regular season does not start until February, but that won’t stop Dempster from conditioning the Rhinos so that they are prepared for the grind of the season. “I’m helping people get better. We need to make sure our skills are up to par,” he adds. Higano also explains, “The key is to be more committed. We don’t want anybody slacking off.” He continues, “I want to improve our team’s devotion.” The team is planning on practicing harder than ever this year. “The key is teamwork — being fit and passionate.” According to sophomore Wilson Ribeiro, “The game is ten percent skill and ninety percent heart.”
The team lost many key players from last season including Alec Mutter, Lucas Coyle and Kelvin Williams. “We won’t be able to replace the experience they brought,” Dempster says, “but I do think we will be able to replace their positions.”
The Rhinos are also looking to prove how fun a sport rugby is, and to promote the game. Ribeiro notes, “It’s a really good sport; we want to inspire people to come join us and play rugby.” Even though rugby is one of the lesser–known sports around BHS, the team is one of the hardest–working groups on campus, and they seem primed for a successful season.
Comments
Post new comment