Boys HS Sevens in Ohio, PA, Indiana, and NC

10.16.2024

Let's take a look at Boys HS 7s around the nation.

Ohio

St. Ignatius still leads well in Rugby Ohio’s boys 7s.

St. Xavier had a good weekend in the south, beating the Whamsters, Walnut Hills (in a really close one), and Dublin. Dayton Northern Force beat Moeller, Marysville (in a really close one), but dropped a 17-7 decision to Walnut Hills. Moeller went 3-0 but did not play St. Xavier’s A side.

Up north Westshore (what used to be Avon Lake) is a solid team and beat Perry 24-0, Mentor 17-12, and Hudson 38-0

Nathan Bruwer logged two tries and three conversions on the weekend, while Liam LaBianca scored three tries and Brady Holub one try and three conversions. Westshore is building nicely.

But everyone is following a St. Ignatius side which beat Perrysburg 38-5, St. Edward B 41-0, and Shaker 33-7. Those scored-against numbers are pretty standard for a team that has not lost yet. Tommy Passerallo was impressive as an elusive wing, while Rafe Grabrovsek was a powerful big man on the opposite wing.

Colin Spellacy, Connor Bender, and Mark French have been useful too, and even though they lost one player to injury, they didn’t seem to miss a beat.

Two more things about St. Ignatius: 1) They aren't winning on pure athleticism. They are athletic, to be sure, but it's mostly about being on the same page as a unit and skill execution; 2) Their B side beat St. Edward A and is looking very strong as well. This is not to denigrate anyone they beat. The SIHS program is quite deep and their B side is really almost as good as their A side.

(Note: GRR Editor Alex Goff is an assistant coach for the St. Ignatius freshmen.)

Indiana

Indiana's tournaments were not tracked vis-a-vis standings, and it culminated in a championship this weekend.

Chargers beat Mudsock in the final 24-5. Both teams had to work for it to get to the final, with the Chargers holding off a very good Westfield side 26-17 and Mudsock beating Zionsville 24-21. Chargers got through their two pool games without giving up a point.

Pennsylvania

Berks County had a huge weekend after a few shaky tournaments. They beat Doylestown 26-0, St. Joseph's 28-14, Cumberland Valley 19-7, Malvern Prep 26-0, and Conestoga 38-7.

Brothers Kaiden and Josiah Boyer were outstanding in this fourth week of action. Kaiden, who is a co-captain despite being a sophomore, scored five tries and added seven conversions for 39 total points. Josiah, a junior, is, at 6-2, 260, a massive unit that defenses struggled to stop. He scored five tries. Despite his size he is not only a tackle-breaker but someone who can outrun defenders even over long distances.

"Josiah constantly turned heads," said Berks Head Coach Greg Stelluti.

North Carolina

The first two weeks have seen Hough, Lake Wylie, and Marvin Ridge start strong, and it outlines, with Lake Wylie, how you can make the move toward single-school rugby using 7s, where you don't need to recruit so many players. Huskies are 6-0 and Marvin Ridge is also. After a 3-0 start Lake Wylie dropped two over the weekend, to Huskies and South Meck. Huskies beat Lake Wylie 43-0, Wando 68-0 (!), and South Meck 42-0. Marvin Ridge's games were closer, with a 21-14 decision over South Meck and a 26-12 win over the Redhawks, but they also defeated AK 44-5.

Maryland

It was a good weekend for the Maryland Exiles as they beat West Carroll 24-12 and Western Suburbs 37-7, but the team that has started on fire is DeMatha.