Two former high school football players took a similar road to a new passion in Syracuse Hammerheads club rugby.

Chris Jacques, now a senior forward for the Hammerheads (2-3) played as a center and tackle at St. John’s High School in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts before playing rugby for the first time in the fall of his junior year at SU. Senior Sam Abbanat was a linebacker at Cornwall Central High School in New Windsor, New York and started playing rugby as a college freshman.

Both are starters for the Hammerheads who, after leaving behind high school sports, chose rugby as a way to fill the void in their lives. And the skills that they developed from their past athletic experiences made it easier for them to adapt to their new game.

As a freshman at SU, Jacques tried out for the football team. He wasn’t fast enough at the time but was invited back for a second tryout later in the year that he chose not to attend so he could focus on school.

He found rugby through his sophomore-year roommate and current Hammerhead wing Garrett Braddock. As both an offensive lineman and a wrestler in high school, Jacques was able to carry over what he knew as he learned to play forward in rugby.

“When you’re a lineman or you’re wrestling, most of the time it’s a one-on-one matchup against you and another human being,” Jacques said. “… you have to be able to feel the other person and be able to know where their weak point is.”

On the offensive line, Jacques learned to use his opponents’ weight and momentum against them to gain an advantage and he said he uses the same tactics in the rucks and scrums of rugby.

John Andreoli, head football coach at St. John’s High School, remembers Jacques and his teammates, which included current Green Bay Packers rookie tight end Richard Rodgers, playing high-caliber football.

“Chris was always lining up against the biggest and fastest in the state in the level that we played,” Andreoli said.

Jacques won “Super Bowls” in 2009 and 2010 at the sectional level in Massachusetts with the St. John’s team.

Two years before Jacques’ start with the Hammerheads, Abbanat began his rugby career in October of 2011. He had always played a sport.

“It’s something I couldn’t really picture myself not doing in college,” said Abbanat. “So when I got here, (rugby) was the first thing that stuck out, having played football and stuff in high school.”

As a wing for the Hammerheads, Abbanat utilizes less of his linebacker skill set and more of the running ability that he used on his high school track team. He ran short-distance events for track, and he benefits from that experience when it comes to sprinting down the field for the Hammerheads.

Despite having never played the sport before coming to SU, his mother, Ginette Abbanat, was not surprised by his decision to play rugby in college.

“He loves football so much, from a very early age. He loves running, he loves chasing the guy with the ball,” Ginette said. “We didn’t have rugby in the school system here. If it had rugby, he probably would have considered it.”

Jacques’ and Abbanat’s senior seasons will be closing soon, but graduation may not mean the end of their rugby careers. Both said they can see themselves playing in the future.

“I guess I wouldn’t have really thought about (playing rugby),” said Jacques. “But once I stepped onto the field, it was just a match.”

Published on October 22, 2014 at 12:03 am

Contact Kevin: kjpacell@syr.edu