Walking onto the rugby pitch before a game gives a feeling like no other. Everyone is there for each other; the sport only works if the team is united. One critical part of this team’s unity is junior Cathie Merlis.

Merlis started playing varsity rugby during her freshman year. Over the past three years, she has grown to love rugby and is one of the team’s captains this year.

When Merlis was a freshman, she said she had no idea she’d fall in love with rugby. She mainly joined the team because her friends did.

“I didn’t have a spring sport to do originally, so I thought that if it’s going to be warm outside, then I may as well spend some time outside, so I decided to do rugby with a lot of my friends, “ Merlis said.

Merlis said she felt happier as the season progressed. She started doing rugby clinics outside of school despite the limited number of options close by.

“There’s camps for the Free Jacks, which is the major league rugby team for New England. So they run camps that can get you ready for your high school season and those are pretty fun,” Merlis said.

Head varsity coach Jarrod Dyke said Merlis’ toughness and determination have led to her current success.

“She’s been such an integral part of the success of the girls team since we started the actual full on thing,” Dyke said. “Every win we get, every successful moment we get, you know, going to states last year was a wonderful piece. And just for me, watching her grow is just a ton of fun.”

Merlis said she plans to use her experience to teach new players to persevere through fear or pain and continue playing to experience the rewarding aspects of rugby.

“I think that a lot of people in the beginning of the season, once we get into tackling at practice they kind of feel scared and they want to quit, but I just tell people you can’t quit until you play your first game because the feeling after is unmatched,” Merlis said.

Merlis said that when she encourages others to keep going, she draws from her own experience. She said she didn’t score a try, a rugby touchdown, until last year.

“I just remember I picked up the ball, we were so close to the try line, and my older teammate Jenna, who graduated, kind of pushed me over the line, and I scored my first try, and I just felt so happy and so excited and empowered,” Merlis said.

Dyke praised Merlis’ tackling as some of the best on the team, despite her small stature. Dyke said he knew, even when he first met Merlis, that she was going to be unique.

“I could tell you that she was one of those quiet but one of those players that you shouldn’t assume a whole lot about because I could tell she had a little bit of something about her. And it turns out she was a little tough one, considering that she was pretty small when she walked onto the field,” Dyke said. “But I had a lot of respect for her to just step onto the field with some of the bigger players that we play against, and she had no fear. It didn’t take long for me to have a ton of respect for Cathie.”

Now, as captain, she can take up a leadership role within the team. Junior Meredith Christ said it’s easy for new and returning teammates to tell Merlis’ position on the team.

“Everyone listens to her. And the freshmen who are new to the team, anyone new to the team, right away, without even knowing she’s captain, is looking up to her and can see that she knows what she’s doing,” Christ said.

Christ praised Merlis’ drive and strength, both physically and mentally, and said that she and Merlis learned everything they knew about rugby side by side.

“She works so hard,” Christ said. “In the offseason, she goes to the gym every day. She does all sorts of throwing. She’s very involved. On the field, she is also very good at communicating and helping people. And if someone’s confused or doesn’t understand, she’ll take them aside, help them, and ensure everyone’s on the same page.”

Christ said Merlis’ work ethic is something to admire. She said that it keeps everyone motivated on and off the field.

“I think she’s very deserving of the spot she got, and it’s not so common that you’ll have a junior captain,” Christ said. “So, she worked very hard to get there, and I think she very much deserves it, and she’s doing well with it.”