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With the formation of the Tam Union RFC, high school rugby returned to southern Marin county following a six-year absence. The Redwood RFC was a Northern California power from its inception in 1980. They won the National High School Championship in 1981 and 1982. The Tam Union club was formed to provide an opportunity to play competitive rugby to high school athletes from all local schools, not just Redwood High School. Very early in the season a group of players watched the movie 'Braveheart' before an important match. At that point, the 'Highlanders' nickname was adopted for the club.
The first season was very successful, as the Highlanders were able to field two playing sides and win enough games to earn a spot in the Northern California playoffs. We advanced through two rounds of playoffs before losing to Piedmont in the NorCal semi-finals. Additonally, the boys were introduced to the tradition of a rugby tour, as they hosted high school teams from both Canada and Australia. Beating both of those teams was a high point of our first season. Darian Sharif, from Marin Catholic, was the team captain for that inaugural season. Jason Mosley-Crichfield, from Tam, was the Most Valuable Forward and Jon Berg, from Redwood, was the Most Valuable Back.
The 1999 season saw the continued development of the Tam Union club. A good portion of the team's time and energy was focused on a spring break tour to Ireland. The twelve-day tour was a success in all measures, except for the lack of wins on the field. We played matches in Cork, Tralee and Dublin while taking in many aspects of Irish culture and hospitality. A big highlight of the tour was the opportunity to watch top level rugby matches, an opportunity not readily available in the United States. The boys attended an England-Ireland under-19 international and a Six Nations match between Ireland and Italy. Everyone returned from the tour with an improved understanding of the game, as well as a greater appreciation for the social and cultural role the sport plays around the world.
We returned from our tour to the reality of playing several make-up league matches within a short time frame. We lost two important matches and the opportunity to compete in the Northern California playoffs. We also hosted and beat a Canadian touring side. The club captain for this season was Bryce Anderson, who also won the Most Valuable Forward award. Aziz Sawaff was the Most Valuable Back.
The 2000 season proved to be very successful on the field. The Highlanders tied with Lamorinda for first place in the Bay Conference. Although we lost to Lamo during the regular season, a convincing win against Piedmont in the final match secured the first place tie. We won our first round playoff match against Peninsula Green RFC, before losing to Del Campo from Sacramento. We also continued our commitment to top level rugby by hosting Highland High School from Utah, winner of ten National High School Championships. Aziz Sawaf was the club captain. He and Brett Walker shared the Most Valuable Back Award, while Brendan Delano was the Most Valuable Forward.
The 2001 season was one of our busiest and most successful. We finished second in the Bay Conference to our nemesis Lamorinda. We won our first playoff match against Silicon Valley RFC, before losing a close match to Lamorinda in the second round. We continued to play top flight competition, losing a close match to Jesuit, of Sacramento, and beating Xavier, of New York City. Both clubs were in the 2001 national playoffs, and both have won National Championships in their history. The club went on tour to Australia in June. Although we lost our matches there, the tour was a successful learning experience. The tour coincided with the British and Irish Lions tour to Australia. As a tour highlight, the team was hosted in a VIP box for a test match between Australia and the Lions. Travis Day was the club captain. Benji Kanner and Jerimiah Bornstein shared the Most Valuable Back award, while Luke Conley was the Most Valuable Forward. Travis was the club's first four-year player, while Benji and Jerimiah were both three-year players.
The 2002 season saw us change our league affiliation to the Redwood Empire Conference. While still a part of the Northern California Rugby Union, this competition allows us to play our league matches closer to home and still schedule the better teams from Sacramento and the East Bay. We finished the season in second place. We lost another hard-fought match to Lamorinda in the playoffs. During the season, we hosted Shawnigan Lake School, a top team from Victoria, Canada. We also travelled to Washington D.C. to compete in the prestigious Cherry Blossom Tournament. Our trip was highlighted by a tie against Doylestown RFC, from Pennsylvania, a perennial power in Eastern rugby and Coach Samet's old team. Ryan Altick was the club captain and Mac Madsen was the Most Valuable Player. Ben Mayer was the Most Valuable Forward, while Marvin Javier was the Most Valuable Back. This seasonsaw the graduation of a large and dedicated senior class, including fouryear players Ben Mayer and John Buich.
The 2003 season was a rebuilding year following the graduation of a large senior class. After starting the year with a series of tough losses, the team rebounded to win its final three league matches, finishing in a tie for second place in the Redwood Empire Conference. A big group of freshmen and sophomores began their careers this season, providing a strong base for future seasons. The Team finished the season with a week long tour to Vancouver. While in Canada, we played against the Miraloma RFC and participated in the Churchill Cup Seven-a-Side tournament. We also attended international matches featuring the USA v. Canada and the USA v. England. Chris Cadelago was the club captain. Ryan vanNood won the Most Valuable Player award. Shaun Durkan, our first player from Novato, was the Most Valuable Back and Will Peck was the Most Valuable Forward. Brimman Frazer won the Coaches' Award for Inspirational Play and Brandon Crawford was the Most Valuable Frosh-Soph Player.
