Fall 7s has started for some girls leagues around the nation and more will pick up soon.
Idaho
There are actually two competitions in Idaho with the statewide competition involving four girls teams and starting on September 17.
The West ADA league involved teams from schools within the West ADA School District in and around Boise's western suburban area. Six school teams are in this league and they will enter Round 3 of their competition tonight, September 14.
Eagle HS is 4-0 after beating Owyhee and Meridian in Round 1 and then beating Mountain View and Centennial in Round 2. Only one of these games, against Mountain View, was especially close, with Eagle coming away 17-12 victors.
Head Coach Kraig Smikel said he is blessed with a lot of depth and strength in depth.
Players such as Karlee Allington, Ali Blackburn, Jordynn LeBeau, Whitney Pilling, Olivia Woods, and Reece Woods are going into their third year together, so they are a nicely unified core. Add to that a group of talented young players who are improving fast and you've got the makings of a team with a lot of weapons.
"The best way I can put it is that I have a difficult time deciding on starters and finishers for matches," said Smikel. "I truly believe this team has the potential to accomplish what last year’s did, if not more. We have the intelligence, athleticism, and experience. These girls are, as Pat McAfee would say, 'dawgs' and extremely hardworking. We lost some great players to graduation, but this group has really stepped up to fill those shoes."
West ADA also has a JV league and Owyhee leads that at 3-0, with Rocky Mountain (Black) at 2-0 and Eagle at 2-1. Chasing after Eagle in the Varsity league are Mountain View at 3-1 and Rocky Mountain at 3-1. Rocky Mountain's lone loss was a 33-0 shutout to Mountain View, and they have a chance for some measure of revenge tonight. Eagle plays Meridian and Centennial.
CIRA
The Colorado Interscholastic Rugby Association is a league of varsity programs in (you guessed it) Colorado. That league is, for the girls, a 7s league and Monarch HS has started early, with a 34-0 defeat of Regis Jesuit and a 5-0 win over East HS last night. This weekend Summit HS will host a tournament and while there remain one-off games throughout a series of midweek fixtures, there will also be tournaments at Regis on October 1 and the state championship event at the US Air Force Academy on November 5.
