All Around the Nation in Girls HS 7s

10.01.2024

Two are in charge in Iowa, no one leads in Indiana, two seem to lead in Ohio, while one team is in charge in Colorado, Pennsylvania, and the Heartland in Girls HS 7s this gall.

Iowa

Cedar Falls and SE Polk remain atop the Iowa league as both won their two games for the third round in a row. Both teams are 6-0.

Southeast Polk handled a very tough Norwalk side 26-5 and also beat Cedar Rapids 41-5, spreading the scoring around the squad. Cedar Falls, for their part, slammed Fort Dodge 59-0 with three tries from Emma Jacobs and two from Cinia Stover-Stevenson. They followed that up with a 50-0 shutout of Norwalk with Stover-Stevenson claiming a pair again.

Closes to these two teams are Waverly Shell Rock and Central Springs, both at 5-1. Waverly, led by the try-scoring threat Madison Englin, has lost just once, to Cedar Falls, while Central Springs, led by Payten Kruger and Zaila Dahlstrom, has lost also only to Central Springs. So can they catch up to the leaders? Central Spring faces SE Polk next week, and SE Polks also faces Cedar Falls in a very tough Monday for them.

Indiana

No one really seems to dominate in Indiana, After Carmel won handily over Penn, Chargers beat Carmel 28-0. But the Chargers also lost 30-5 to Westside. then Carmel beat Westside 14-5.

Similarly, Pendleton beat Noblesville and Mudsock, but lost to Westfield, who lost to Noblesville.

Ella Barker scored was the leading scorer for Pendleton.

The game of the day was probably Carmel A vs Chargers B, which Carmel won 29-26 thanks in part to a brak from Arielle Sorelle Noussa Fotso.

Ohio

Highland did well this weekend, bringing three sides to the weekend. They did lose to West Pitt but beat Hudson and Mentor. West Pitt, for their part, played well with a 31-0 shutout of a good Highland side, a 31-7 defeat of Brunswick, and a 24-5 win over Cincy. Their B side was 2-1. West Pitt's As are now 6-0. St. Joseph's Academy also brought multiple teams and their A side also found success.

Victories over Medina, John Marshall, and Perry—all shutouts—put Ohio teams on notice. Captain Madelyn Hubbell scored six tries in those three games while Teagan Baker's goalkicking was been a nice bonus.

Kansas/Missouri

St. Thomas Aquinas, in their second fall of competition, have started the way they finished last year, by winning. STA win their games 28-0, 25-0, and 33-5.

"Our defense has been really good," said STA Head Coach Tim Kluempers. "The girls are playing really hard and really getting stuck in; they've been buying into everything we’re teaching them."

Even playing against physically larger teams, STA players have embraced the tackle.

"They are getting off the line and putting pressure on people," Kluempers said. "And they're a tight group, working well together."

Caroline Doerfler has been outstanding and she partners well with Bailey Francis playing some solid rugby as well. Freshman Kalea Peterson has emerged as a breakout player.

This coming weekend STA will get a visit from Summit HS out of Colorado at the Liberty 7s. So what are they up to?

Colorado

The Summit 7s on September 7 features 20 sides across three divisions. Summit HS won Pool A with victory over Regis (45), Fort Collins (33-5), and Valor (38-0). United out of Utah beat Monarch, Tigers, and Lumberjackies to win Pool B. In the final, Summit beat United 24-7 and Fort Collins took 3rd.

A week later Monarch anf Eagle Valley showed well. On Swptember 19 Summit went to Utah and beat United two games to one, while their 2nd side, the Tigers, split with Regis Jesuit with a win 22-7, a loss 26-7, and a 17-17 tie. Summit was 1-2 in Utah, losing to United and Majestics while beating Bear River.

Back in Colorado Summit beat Monarch in three games and on September 28 Monarch swepth Plmaer in three games and followed that up with three wins over Eagle Valley.

Rugby PA

Doylestown beat Downingtown and Conestoga and followed that up with wins over new clubs West Chester and Berks County. Their ball handling is impressive and they dominate this competition now ... at least at present.