Central rugby coach Tony Pacheco never dreamed of developing two potential Olympians, but that’s exactly what he did. Throughout their time at Central, Tim Stanfill and Patrick Blair would contribute to one of the school’s best periods of collegiate sports success since 2007.

In 2011, Central and Pacheco set the collegiate rugby world ablaze by placing seventh in the U.S. overall, and fourth in the Collegiate Rugby Championships (CRC) in sevens. The men’s rugby program has since garnered national attention.

After their time at Central, both men would go on to play for the Eagles, the United States national rugby team. The Eagles are set to play in Rio in 2016 during the summer Olympics.

After graduating from Central in 2012, Stanfill went on to play wing position for the men’s national team (fifteens) the following fall.

He has also settled into playing regularly for the Seattle Saracens, and working as a personal trainer in Bellevue.

Stanfill fell in love with rugby at an early age and never looked back. A self-professed lover of the Seahawks “before the bandwagoners,” Stanfill appreciates other sports, but his heart lies with rugby.

“This is my tenth year playing rugby-since junior year of high school,” Stanfill said. “A buddy of mine was captain in rugby, he invited me to come out for a game and to watch. He told me to bring my cleats, I got thrown into my first game and the rest has been history.”

Wherever Stanfill plays, massive success follows. In his senior year at Central, the Wildcats not only placed fourth in the U.S., but among the Northwest Collegiate Rugby Conference (NCRC) sevens tournament, placed first overall.

“It’s incredible, I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for the Seattle and Central programs,” Stanfill said. “I think everything has helped along the way as far as the obstacles I’ve had to overcome, and the coaching along the way has been awesome.”

When Stanfill isn’t tackling people on the pitch, he can be found curled up in front of his television, playing Call of Duty.

“I’m a huge Xbox nerd,” Stanfill said. “I haven’t had a lot of time these past few years. When I do, I lock myself in a room and play video games for a few hours.”

Stanfill could have been representing the U.S. in Major League Gaming instead of rugby. In high school, he played Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six professionally.

For Pacheco, Stanfill’s success in rugby can be attributed to his overall talent and drive for success.

“He was for CWU, and is for the Eagles, a try-scoring machine,” Pacheco said. “He has a knack for it. He is incredibly opportunistic on the pitch and is shot out of a cannon when he gets the ball in his hand.”

The success of these individuals comes from a tradition at Central to play hard and commit every day, according to Pacheco. Recruiting talent only goes so far, and the ambition to win has to be there for the team to excel.

“You can have the greatest coach in the world and if he doesn’t have any talent, then there won’t be any success,” Pacheco said. “We’ve got some extremely talented athletes in our program, and I’m fortunate enough to get to work with them.”

Patrick Blair is the most recent success churned from the Central rugby machine. After graduating in 2013, Blair is now a member of the Seattle Saracens alongside Stanfill. Blair is also the hooker for the men’s national rugby sevens team.

Like Stanfill, Blair started young, in the middle of high school. After lying to his mother that he got cut from the baseball team, Blair decided to focus on rugby in the spring instead. His mom is still unaware of the truth to this day.

“I’ve been playing since I was fifteen, so nine or ten years now,” Blair said. “I was playing football my freshmen year of high school in California, and one of my friend’s coaches asked me to play.”

Blair chose Central because of the clout it had in the rugby world. Mix that with some convincing by Pacheco, and the deal was sealed.

“I had heard of the rugby program before I went there,” Blair said. “Turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made.”

Blair is humble and grateful for the opportunities awarded to him. He attributes a large part of his success to Pacheco and his coaching style, something that isn’t taught but learned.

“He’s basically given me the tools to get to where I am today,” Blair said. “He’s given me a chance to lead and show myself at a higher level.”

By playing for Central, Seattle and the U.S., Blair has found a love for the game that is unmatched in any other aspect of his life.

“I can’t live without it,” Blair said. “It would be boring without [rugby]. It’s almost like a musician to his guitar.”

For both Stanfill and Blair, playing for the U.S. men’s national team has been the apex of their life. In the rugby world, no other feat comes with higher esteem.

“Not in a million years did I think I would be in this position,” Blair said. “I just wanted to play rugby. I was given the opportunities, and Tony helped out with the talents I had. It’s like accomplishing the pinnacle of my career.”

Pacheco and the Central staff feel blessed to have worked with such talent. Techniques in coaching and development have remained consistent and Pacheco plans on keeping the same approach moving forward.

“Other countries’ basic skills are superior to ours at the moment, just because they were born with a rugby ball in their hand, similar to football here,” Pacheco said. “We try to emphasize those basic skills and be as good as we can. No deceptive game plan, no tricks, just execution.”

Luckily, the men’s rugby team has already started the year off strong, with a 16-2 record overall and a 13 game win streak. They’re currently undefeated in 15’s with only two losses in sevens.

Pacheco’s formula is working, and he hopes more Olympian prospects are in the works from the Central rugby program.

In the meantime, Stanfill and Blair are sure to represent crimson and black on the world’s biggest stage, the Olympics.