The USA Rugby South team opened up the Rugby Americas North Men's U19 Championship with a 46-0 win over Jamaica in Mirimar, FL, on Saturday.

In a game marred by a series of injuries, including a rather worrying one for a member of the Jamaican team, the South handled several stoppages and some forced substitutions to score seven tries and shut out the Jamaicans.

Pressure and a penalty set up the first try, in which scrumhalf Diego Haro tapped and sent it wide before Arkansas State University center Calvin Genty powered over. Gentry almost scored the next one, but while his inside run didn't make the line, the South forwards took it from there.

Up 12-0, the Panthers against pushed the pace on a penalty. After winning a lineout and mauling ahead, the South got another penalty, and this time tapped quickly and sent it wide to fullback Nik Koumandarakis, allowing the Furman University back to sidestep his way over. Okapi No. 8 Jack Freixa bulled over after that to make it 29-0.

In the second half, the Panthers pressured again. They didn't get the try, but captain and flyhalf Shea O'Hanlon did add three with a penalty goal. Two more tries -- one from open play and one from a maul -- finished it off. Flanker Justin Johnson (Life University) enjoyed a big day, and while the backline underwent several changes due to injuries, the defense held strong.

That victory put the South in the semis against Bermuda, which also won on Saturday. Alex Doyling and Mikel Dill scored tries, and Jaymin Hodgkins added a conversion and a penalty in a 15-10 defeat of Cayman Islands. Those two play on Tuesday. The other two quarterfinals, Trinidad and Tobago vs. Turks and Caicos, and USA South 2 vs. Mexico, will be held Sunday.

USA Rugby South U19s Lineup To Face Jamaica U19s

1 Muhammad Abdullah; 2 Cameron Tibbetts; 3 Mark Spicer; 4 Campbell Robinson; 5 Maxwell Dacey; 6 Justin Johnson; 7 Logan Butler; 8 Jack Freixa; 9 Diego Haro; 10 Shea O'Hanlon (c); 11 Zach Rademacher; 12 Andrew Rappe; 13 Calvin Gentry; 14 Malcolm Easley; 15 Nikolas Koumandarakis

Reserves

16 Joshua Zamudio; 17 George Sharpe; 18 Gabriel Kettering; 19 Joshua Bryant; 20 Cameron Tompkins; 21 Jaycob Forrester; 22 Marcelo Gutierrez; 23 Oliver Kennett