Seven boys and men's brackets crowned winners at the NAI 7s in Salt Lake City over the weekend.
We looked in a little bit more detail about the U18 teams here: Rebel, Belmont Shore Lead Title Runs in NAI Sevens
Team Related, a group of mostly East HS players, overcame another local side in West Valley Warriors in the U18 Open.
"It's a good experience," said Related star Papa Matelau. "A lot of running though!"
The plan was to use their athletic ability to express themselves but also to be careful with the ball; you don't have to play a lot of defense if you don't give the other guys the ball. It worked.
Overall, the tournament was very competitive. With the multitude of brackets and tiers, the second day saw plenty of close games. Look at the scores in the bracket finals; only one was even close to a runaway.
Scores on Finals:
U23 Men: Mustangs 14 Belmont Shore 12
U18 Elite: Rebel Rugby Academy White 26 Next Phase Rugby 24
U18 Open: Team Related 33 West Valley Warriors 17
U16 Tier 1: San Mateo Wolverines 35 Atlantis Teal 7
U16 Tier 2: Sacramento Kaji 34 Layston Christian 24
U14 Tier 1: CenCal Forfeit Win over Utah Selects
U14 Tier 2: Toko Malosi 17 TOA 5
The San Mateo Wolverines backed up their HSNC 15s Tier II championship with a win in U16s, unleashing their impressive open-field running. Sacramento Kaji was another new team at NAI 7s and they defeated Layton Christian for the U16 Tier 2 final.
In the U23 bracket, the chemistry within the Mustangs, which was made up of former Herriman HS players and some current BYU players, was quite solid. The game hinged on an offload from Scholz Award winner Wyatt Parry, a chest pass to Tayson Hammer, who then sold a massive dummy, and charged up the middle. That was crucial because they got the conversion and that enabled them to edge a talented Belmont Shore 14-12.
Which was the most successful boys/men's program at the NAI 7s? It's not always about wins. Rock Rugby fielded two boys teams that struggled to get any wins, but they showed up, competed, and challenged themselves. Atlantis fielded seven boys teams plus a U23 side. Their two U14 sides did well, finishing third in each tier, and the U16s were second in Tier 1. No championships, but a lot of experience.
USA South Panthers fielded five teams and while they didn't get to the semis in any bracket, were competitive everywhere. Belmont Shore fielded five teams and finished 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. San Mateo Wolverines finished 7th un U23, 6th in U18 Elite, 23rd, in U18 Open, 1st in U16 Tier 1, and 6th in U14 Tier 1 ... not bad at all.
