Meet the starting lineup of the Division II state champion Withrow rugby team

When Withrow head rugby coach and teacher Nathan Myers wears his Withrow gear to run errands, it's very common that he hears a familiar phrase.

"I'll run into somebody who says, 'once a Tiger, always a Tiger,'" Myers said.

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It's that school pride that Myers has taught his rugby team about and the chance to represent Withrow on the big stage is no small ordeal. His players answered the call last weekend at Fortress Obetz in Columbus, winning a Division II state championship. It's the first field or court team state title for Withrow since the Tigers' baseball team won a Class A state championship in 1950.

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"Since we launched the program, what we wanted to leave was a legacy of excellence," Myers said. "As we got closer to the playoffs, we reinforced to them how important this is and there's a ripple effect beyond themselves the way we represent our high school with excellence."

Here are the players who helped Withrow make history.

Meet the Division II state rugby champion Withrow Tigers

Prop: Andrew Palacios, senior

Hooker: Quinteze Jones, freshman

Prop: Bryan Foster, senior and vice-captain

Second row: Justyn Lyles, freshman

Second row: Yahmir Rone, sophomore

Flanker: Quinterrius Jemison, senior

Flanker: Tylan Thomas, sophomore

8-man: Jeremiah Thomas, junior (captain)

Scrum half: George Koko, senior

Fly half: Jamez Early, senior

Wing: Saimon Rivera, junior

Inside center: Khilee Willis, senior

Outside center: Jubilee Gordon, sophomore

Wing: Nicholas Dillon, senior

Fullback: James Middleton, sophomore

Substitutions: Milton White (freshman); DeAngelo Griffin (sophomore); Darrion Scales (junior); Camron Tegni (junior); Francois Kabumba (freshman); D'shawn Combs (senior − injury); Comenzo Fuller (junior − injury).

Jemison was the team's leading tackler this season while Early was its leading passer. Willis led the Tigers in tries.

Withrow rugby started in 2016

Myers was previously an assistant coach for Walnut Hills rugby, a club program offered at the school. Each season, he had two or three Withrow students come to play with the Eagles. He had the vision to start his own program.

"We wanted to run a five-day-a-week program with the same expectations any varsity program would have," Myers said.

In August 2016, Withrow rugby was officially formed with a small grant from the state. The school began recruiting kids to be a part of the inaugural season in spring 2017.

"Launching a program is very hard," Myers said. "Some obstacles that I didn't expect to have. It was the usual process of people who had never played the sport before and helping them understand what it means to be a student of the game."

Despite a roster of rugby beginners, Withrow earned the No. 1 seed in the tournament that year and the program was off and running.

Help from surrounding schools

Myers says the area's rugby scene is a "very tight-knit community" and one that helped Withrow's program in its early stages.

Walnut Hills is a friendly rival with Withrow and in the fall there is a multi-school club rugby team where Walnut Hills and Withrow players compete together.

Myers is also a certified rugby official, so he spends a lot of time as a referee for high school, college and men's and women's club contests in the area. That helped him build more relationships and connections with other high school programs.

"In year two, there were three guys associated with Moeller who came over to coach with us for a year," Myers said. "Since then, we've maintained a close relationship with them.

"Just a broader sense of family in rugby."

Controlling the nerves

Withrow was the No. 1 seed in the playoffs and earned a first-round bye. The Tigers then defeated Perrysburg in the state semifinals and faced Watkins Memorial in the state final.

Watkins Memorial had the experience Withrow lacked going into the match as the two-time defending DII state champions.

"That was one of my biggest concerns," Myers said. "There's no substitute for experience."

To help with that, Myers coached his team on mindful breathing exercises throughout the season, which came into play going into the biggest game of the year.

"I was encouraging the guys that ‒ when you feel that anxiety or you tighten up, get together, talk to each other, breathe a little bit and remind each other that we've done the work to get here," Myers said. "Let's finish this task."

A permanent smile

Withrow did finish the task, defeating Watkins Memorial, 36-34.

The ride back to Cincinnati was pure bliss.

"You couldn't wipe the smile off of people's faces."