COLUMN: Quiet run of Black and Blue success

Jun. 25—Ahead of a Thursday flight out of Glacier Park Airport, Lance Heavirland took stock of the past high school rugby season and noted the seniors, together for six or seven years, had been really good.

"This last group, holy (cow) we had some studs," Heavirland said. "Timber Richberg, Nolan White, Fin Nadeau — well Fin's just a junior. But it's been fun watching those guys develop."

He'll still be watching the Black and Blue develop in future seasons, but when the boys won their fifth state championship the weekend of May 22-23, it was their fourth and final under Heavirland. They're getting new coaches.

Which is cool. When the club formed for the first time, in 2009, "I was just a fan dad, the barbecue guy," he said. Then Heavirland became head coach in 2016 and players really started getting noticed — not just daughter Nicole Heavirland — and that will remain Lance Heavirland's goal.

"Nolan White — he's the best rugby player in the state, in my opinion," he says. White isn't going to college (at MSU) for rugby, but Alec Thomas, who scored three tries as the Black and Blue won the state championship in May, is: Wheeling (W.Va) Jesuit College gave him a rugby scholarship.

"He got looked at by several colleges and he decided to go to Wheeling because the package they offered was too good to turn down," Heavirland said of Thomas.

The coaching side of things, well, maybe it was time. Heavirland and his coaching partner, Bob St. Onge, are stepping aside for excellent replacements.

"We had two coaches show up (John Fitch and Dave Bennetts) and they've forgotten more about rugby than we know," Heavirland said. "They have the energy and I recognized the fact that they're great coaches. I'm excited for the program; it's also honestly time for someone else to take over."

The timing seems especially good when you consider the Olympics, where Nicole Heavirland will compete with the Team USA women's rugby sevens (hence the Thursday flight; there's a jersey ceremony to get to in California).

The plan was to attend the Games in person with family and friends.

"We had our tickets," he said. "We had our B-and-B and it shared a wall with a karaoke bar. We were going to have a blast."

Alas, pandemic-weary Japan banned international travel aside from the national teams. Heavirland was also disappointed not to be able to see any of the wrestling in person, but there's plenty to do at home.

"We're trying to grow the club; we're trying to make rugby a lead sport," he said. "A sport that's the kid's first choice, not a second choice."

White, for example, balanced rugby with tennis. Richberg, who is also getting attention from college rugby teams, competed in track and field. Same with Thomas. There were steady players like Brayden Boyle, but there were also injuries (notably, Whitefish's Camren Ross played just one game) and sometimes the matches coincided with a track meet or tennis dual. So the Black and Blue managed to lose a couple times before finishing 6-2.

The jersey ceremony is a unique thing for rugby teams: You're officially selected when a teammate or captain or family member announces your name and gifts you your jersey. In the 15s game they call it a capping ceremony. It's a big deal, if a little subdued.

Lance Heavirland has said often he doesn't like seeing his name in the paper, but there it is.

He presided over a fist full of state championships, and turned out some great players on the pitch. His name should be announced.

Fritz Neighbor can be reached at 758-4463 or fneighbor@dailyinterlake.com