Both Armstrong (5-0) and North Suburban (4-1) were looking forward to yesterday’s game. The leaders in Minnesota's girls high school league were not only desperate for quality competition, but the game was also a Tundra showdown. Armstrong coach Jimmy Hanson and North Suburban coach Mikayla Miller are co-founders and coaches of the all-star program, and their respective players are teammates for nine months of the year while playing for the 7s and 15s Tundra teams. But ultimately, the five-time, reigning state champion, Armstrong, won 36-10 to remain undefeated.

North Suburban held onto a lot of possession in the first half. Armstrong met ballcarriers at or beyond the gainline, but was unable to turn over the ball in the breakdown. But North Suburban struggled to turn that possession into points, as some handling errors in the centers halted some momentum.

“We figured if we couldn't turn over their ball in the ruck, then we had to play high-pressure defense and force mistakes, and that strategy worked out for us,” Hanson said. “They have a couple of players who we know have some scoring potential, but we knew if we could isolate and attack them, too, we could force mistakes down-field as well.”

Armstrong took a 10-5 lead into the break, as wing Ruthie Norman finished off some quick hands for a try, and the forwards drove a series of pick-and-goes for the team’s second try.

The second half was a different story, as Armstrong started slipping through the defensive line more often. North Suburban fullback Cecilia Hammond and outside center Brooke Miller corralled several breakaways and forced a few ballcarriers into touch, but not everyone – and especially not Haylee Thull.

“Haylee’s usually our scrumhalf and came off the bench after 20 minutes,” Armstrong indicated. “She had spent the previous two weeks recovering from the Midwest Championship, came on at flanker, and scored three tries – including an interception in loose play that turned out to be the final play of the game.”

Kristin Tanner did an excellent job transitioning from center to flyhalf and ran the game effectively. She read the field very well and moved the ball to space when it opened up. Killeen Landis has also transitioned well, moving from hooker to outside center, and shut down North Suburban’s outside attack while driving Armstrong’s own. Landis paired nicely with inside center Jill Kearney, who scored a second-half try, and was also a forward last year.

“She is really starting to shine as a center and is our best strike runner,” Armstrong said of Kearney. “A lot of our attacking play develops off her striking.”

In the forwards, freshman hooker Sam Holmes played a very physical game on both sides of the ball, and junior flanker Amber Brevig exercised her power, winning many rucks on her own and punishing ballcarriers in the tackle. Chloe Thomas also connected on three of six conversions for the 36-10 win.

“North Suburban is really good, and I expect we'll see them again this season, especially given the fragile nature of our current schedule,” Hanson said of the forfeit-heavy league. “From here on out we'll be looking for as many opportunities as we can to play, whether it's 15s or 7s. I think we've figured out our identity a bit after Midwest, and we're ready to start growing with our crop of underclassmen.”

The state quarterfinals are set to begin on May 20; however, it doesn’t appear that the eight-team Tier 1 league can actually support it. During Armstrong’s six-game schedule, half were forfeits – stay tuned for more information on the state of the girls high school league generally.