Submitted photo – The Cal Poly Humboldt men celebrate their big win over Cal Maritime last season,

With their season opener just a month away, the Cal Poly Humboldt men’s rugby team has received some preseason recognition.

This week it was announced the Jacks are ranked No. 5 in the National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) Preseason Power 10 Rankings in the Small College Division.

The Cal Poly men are the lone Northern California Collegiate Conference representative selected in the preseason top 10.

The high ranking won’t surprise the coaches, who feel this year’s team could make some noise.

“The coaches are excited for this group of players and we have high expectations since we have added depth to our roster,” assistant coach Vince Celotto said. 

A veteran Jacks team includes Isaac Khelo, Logan McDaniel, Dante Cappellano, Adrian Magana and Jason Uipi, each of whom was selected as one of the NCR All-Stars last January.

Humboldt will open the new season at the University of Pacific on Oct. 1, before playing powerhouse and longtime rival Cal Maritime under the lights at the Redwood Bowl on Oct. 8.

The Jacks should carry plenty of confidence into their home opener after dominating Cal Maritime in a 31-0 road victory last season, their first win over the Keelhaulers since 2008.

“We haven’t beaten them on our home field in over 10 years and will definitely need support with the campus and locals,” Celotto said. “Preseason polls are great on paper, but our athletes need to focus on what we do good, make it better and take one game at a time.”