Cy-Fair Warriors' Francis looks to reprise founder role with Houston Strikers

The Cy-Fair Warriors would not exist without Keoni Francis. Head Coach Kenneth "Petey" Hepburn's rugby background was the foundation, but Francis was the catalyst. Francis was named an All-American as a senior, and with the Houston Strikers and Major League Rugby kicking off in 2018, the Cy-Fair graduate has an opportunity to move seamlessly from one startup to another. He, along with about 70 other rugby players, competed for a roster spot at the Strikers' second combine last week. less The Cy-Fair Warriors would not exist without Keoni Francis. Head Coach Kenneth "Petey" Hepburn's rugby background was the foundation, but Francis was the catalyst. Francis was named an All-American as a senior, ... more Photo: Tony Gaines / HCN Photo: Tony Gaines / HCN Image 1 of / 6 Caption Close Cy-Fair Warriors' Francis looks to reprise founder role with Houston Strikers 1 / 6 Back to Gallery

Only 35 days elapsed between the first and second Houston Strikers rugby combines, which made the differences all the more – pardon the pun – striking.

The first, in mid July, was a lively, competitive affair, but the Aug. 19 combine at the North (Stuebner Airline) Athlete Training & Health facility, ratcheted the intensity up even further.

With teams like the Cy-Fair Warriors from the North side of town coming out en masse, swelling the ranks of both the combiners and spectators – the uptick in non-participating attendees was significant, which in turn impacted the atmosphere and intensity – the second and final combine showed Strikers Head Coach Justin Fitzpatrick a clear demonstration of what he already felt he'd been noticing: momentum.

There was reason to believe momentum has been building since the July combine, but it's hard to be certain. The second event offered a neat, clean one-to-one comparison of where the team was versus where it is, and one measure of just how far the Strikers' brand had traveled in 35 days was the fact that international rugby players circled Aug. 19 on their calendars, bought plane tickets to Houston and showed up to compete for a spot.

"Over the combines, we've laid eyes on over a hundred athletes, which is great," Fitzpatrick said. "They've come from Houston, the rest of Texas, North America and further afield. We've had some overseas players come in for the combine, as well. We're very impressed with the level of athletes we have, and we're very excited about what we're seeing today."

For the Cy-Fair Warriors and faithful, the second combine represented both the end of an era and new beginnings, with the Warriors' All-American lock, captain and founder Keoni Francis taking the pitch to try to earn a spot on the hometown pro team.

Francis was not alone. Four other Warriors, Quinterlo Baker, James Luecke, Enrique Montano, Jr. and Lane Rouse, competed in the combine, and the crowd had a sizable pro-Warriors contingent

This is not unfamiliar territory for Francis. He's been first-in before, as a Warrior, and that worked out well for everyone concerned, said Kim Rouse. She spoke of Francis' impact on the Cypress rugby-playing community while intently observing the Warriors' combine performances (she seemed to keep an especially close eye on the Rouse kid) from her sprawling, sideline tent-cluster fortress, which was not just for Warriors in attendance but for any and all.

Her welcoming, open stance parallels Francis' own. He was not just star player and founder for the Warriors, but chief evangelism officer, too, and he performed admirably in all of his various roles, said Rouse, who serves as a de-facto general manager for the Warriors, organizing and coordinating virtually everything that doesn't directly involve a rugby play for the squad.

"When Keoni started [The Warriors], we had seven players," Rouse said. "Our roster of active players last year when we went to state was 48, which is phenomenal."

Francis is inseparable from the Northwest Houston rugby scene. He's part (living) patron saint, part totem, part spirit animal to the Cypress rugby scene; it is not an exaggeration to say that, without Francis, there would likely be no Cy-Fair Warriors.

"Coach Hepburn and Keoni Francis have done it all singlehandedly in four years, and it's exploding," Rouse said. "Coach Hepburn talked about his rugby days when he was a football coach at Arnold. One day, he came outside and Keoni was sitting on the curb, holding a rugby ball. Coach asked him, 'Hey, Key, what are you doing?' He said, 'I'm waiting for practice, Coach.' That's how this team started."

That's how that team started – and the story makes for a great origin sound bite – and Francis could potentially be part of how the Houston Strikers start, too. Fitzpatrick, when asked about Francis' combine efforts, said that he was well aware of Francis and that his individual successes reflected well on the team he helped to build.

"We're very impressed with a lot of the youth programs, and the Cy-Fair Warriors is one of the more impressive [programs]. Coach Hepburn's done a great job there, and they've got great athletes, high school All-Americans. It's great for them to come here and get a sense of what they're aiming for, and I think when we review the tape, we'll see some of them aren't [far]."

Fitzpatrick said that calls and messages would begin going out to prospective Strikers within days, and that the 'guts' of the team's roster would be set by September. That's roughly another 35 days to wait to find out whether Francis has a second shot at getting in on the ground floor of a prominent Houston rugby squad, and if momentum continues to build at the current rate, expect to hear about it.

The Cy-Fair Warriors are seeking sponsors for an Ireland trip and more young women for their girls' team. Visit https://www.facebook.com/CyFairWarriorsRugby/ for more information.