Rugby to football: A steep learning curve for Yoho

In fact, Yoho and his family’s fascination with rugby led to him spending his first two years of high school playing rugby in the place it all started — at Rugby School in Rugby, England.

“My dad’s good friend, who we call my uncle, introduced us to the sport,” said Yoho, who started playing at the age of 11.

His brother Niklas Yoho decided he wanted to play rugby in high school and started researching schools before coming across Rugby School. Once Niklas enrolled, Nate followed in his footsteps two years later.

After two years in England, Yoho returned stateside and enrolled at Woodside last season, quickly going out for the football team.

“When I came from rugby, the next sport I wanted to do was football,” Yoho said. “The way they teach tackling in rugby and the basics to wrap up and get low, just translated into playing football. I found it more natural.”

He quickly found out, however, there is a lot more to football than just tackling.

“Truthfully, he’s actually progressed really well,” said Woodside head coach Justin Andrews. “Football is a really tough sport to pick up late. It’s probably one of the more complicated sports.”

The biggest thing Yoho had going for him in making the transition was the fact he was used to contact. On the rugby pitch, he was a forward, charged with trying to slam his way through the opponent’s defensive line. It made a perfect segue to playing defensive end last season as a junior for the Wildcats.

Because he came out to the team late and with no football experience, Andrews put Yoho on defense and essentially told him to go tackle the football.

“Give him a couple keys and turn him loose and let him make tackles,” Andrews said of that first year. “When it comes down to it, everybody can run and tackle somebody.”

But Yoho had wanted to play offense and, after an entire offseason in the program, he was moved to running back this season. With that move came a whole new level of learning the game. Because while Yoho was used to running with the ball, the way one goes about it in rugby is totally different than in football.

The biggest learning curve for Yoho came in actually holding onto the ball. In football, the name of the game is ball security. In rugby, the first thought is to pass the ball.

“Ball handling is very different. In football, the focus is holding on to the ball. In rugby, you’re trying to get rid of it,” Yoho said. “When I (first) got the ball in football, I would run like I was in rugby. I got caught off guard several times in practice (with the ball being knocked out).”

The other big change for Yoho was learning how to read the blocks in front of him. Blocking is not allowed in rugby.

“He’s still trying to figure out how plays are designed. … Learning how to read the pulling linemen and how to cut off them. Those things aren’t instinctual (for him),” Andrews said. “There are times he sometimes outruns the block.”

Despite having missed two games because of a shoulder injury, Yoho is proving to be a capable back. He leads the team with 250 yards with a pair of touchdowns, averaging 4.4 yards a carry. He hopes to be back for the season finale this weekend against rival Menlo-Atherton and is even hoping to play football in college.

“I want to move forward in football,” Yoho said. “I didn’t watch any football prior to playing rugby. It was really rugby that put me on the track to football.”

Considering where Yoho was and how far he has come in the last two season, Andrews is impressed.

“I enjoyed coaching him. Watching [his] development has been one of the high points of the season for me,” Andrews said. “It’s been a pleasure watching him develop the last couple seasons, especially this season.”