MARS — From no experience and no team to immediate starter and state champion.

The rugby road for Mars High School junior Kevin Ryan has been a fast one.

Ryan was a first-year member of the Kiski Valley Titan Rugby Club U-19 boys team this season, an independent high school team only in its fourth year of existence. His father, Brendan Ryan, was a longtime rugby player at New England College and with the Pittsburgh Harlequins.

“I saw him play all the time when I was little,” said Kevin, a tackle on the Mars varsity football team. “I was fascinated by the game. I’ve always wanted to play it.”

With no high school rugby program in the immediate area, Kevin had to find a team. With the help of his father, they discovered the Kiski Valley program.

“There were a couple of others down around Pittsburgh, but this looked to be the best program,” Brendan Ryan said. “It had come a long way in a short time.”

Kiski Valley’s debut season resulted in a 2-9 record. Only eight players showed up when the team was formed and the roster reached 15 for the season.

In its second year, Kiski Valley improved to 11-3 as the roster grew to 24 players. The Titans lost in the state semifinals. Last year, the team lost in the state quarterfinals.

“Now we have 23 players on our boys roster, another 16 on a junior varsity team and 15 on a girls team,” Titans head coach Seth Erwin said. “Interest has taken off, but 90 percent of our players are from the Kiski, Leechburg and Apollo areas.

“When Kevin contacted us, we welcomed him to try out. But we didn’t know anything about him.”

And Ryan didn’t know a thing about them.

“Man, I didn’t know anybody there at all. It was awkward at first,” Ryan said. “But once the guys saw how hard I worked at it, they showed me everything. They worked with me and taught me the game.

“It didn’t take long for me to feel like a part of the team. It’s a close-knit group.”

At 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, Ryan was one of the power runners on the team, helping to clear room for the smaller, swifter players.

Erwin said Ryan earned the team’s respect rather quickly.

“Rugby just grows on you. It’s like a lifestyle,” the coach said. “It’s not for everybody. Some kids will try it and leave after a week or two because they find it’s not for them.

“Kevin took to this sport right away. He already had knowledge about it and he’s got some natural skills for it. The other players may not have known him, but they respected his work ethic and determination to learn.”

Ryan became a starter on the second row and the Titans went 11-1 on the season, winning the PA Rugby State Tournament.

The team defeated a pair of seasoned opponents from the eastern side of the state. Kiski Valley topped Coventry RFC, 32-7, in the semifinals, then rallied from a 14-5 halftime deficit to defeat Media United, 25-14, in the state championship game.

“I didn’t expect to be in the lineup at all this year,” Ryan admitted. “I expected to ride the bench, watch and learn. The other guys were great, the way they brought me along.”

Ryan’s father became an assistant coach on the team and was able to share the state championship experience with his son.

“For me, it brought back that competitive feeling again,” Brendan Ryan said. “To see my son compete at that level in his first year of rugby and succeed like that ... I couldn’t be more proud of him.”

The Titans are losing 17 players to graduation this year, so the recruiting game is on for next season,

“I’ve been talking to a lot of my friends in Mars and Butler about trying it,” Ryan said. “It’s a 45-minute drive to practice for me, but it was well worth it.

“Our junior varsity team did well this year, too, so we have some good players coming up. But we’re always looking. Hopefully, more kids from around here will start playing.”