Transitioning from 15s to 7s is expected for the players with the Eagle Impact Rugby Academy 7s team set for the Victoria International 7s, but one of their number doesn’t have to worry about that.

Deion Mikesell was a star player in the Iowa HS league, which is 7s only. he 6-0, 215-lb senior from the state champion Southeast Polk team has only known 7s - although he knows a few other sports, too.

He played football and wrestled at SE Polk for four years. He ran track as a freshman and sophomore before concentrating on rugby for the last two years. 

“Football is more wild than rugby is in the contact area,” explained Mikesell. “I’d say I liked wrestling a lot more than football. Most of my skills come from wrestling - leverage-wise and finishing tackles.”

In track he ran a sub-11-second 100 meters and also was a high jumper. 

Playing rugby with the EIRA team, Mikesell showed himself in training to be a force. He is fast, knows how to be elusive when he has the ball, can tackle, and is smart. Playing for the EIRA team, said Mikesell, “is a lot more broken down; the game plan is a lot more broken down. The breakdown, and how we play is a lot more detailed than I’m used to. I’m working with a lot of great guys and I am enjoying it.”

The type of athletes he’s playing with are different, too.

“We’re a lot bigger in Iowa; we’re farm boys so there are a lot of big boys. But the guys we have here [on the EIRA team] have a lot of speed.”

Combined with Mikesell’s impressive pace is his conditioning. Training for what is close to a national team, he has no trouble.

“I would say that with wrestling conditioning, you can do anything,” he said. 

Set for Lindenwood University in the fall, Mikesell is ready to play 15s for the first time. Then it will be a transition, but don’t expect it to take long. By our observations, Mikesell is a special athlete, and one whose combination of work ethic, athleticism, and pride in his conditioning could make him a special rugby player.

Deion Mikesell is our Aircraft Charter Solutions Player of the Week.