HS Boys 7s In the Fall: In Depth Around the Country
HS Boys 7s In the Fall: In Depth Around the Country
We're checking Boys HS 7s around the country and plenty of rugby got played despite some inclement weather.
The way different states run their HS 7s varies. Some, like New York and New Jersey, have tournaments that you win (or don't win) and accumulate points for the season. Others, such as Indiana and Ohio, sets a specific lineup of games (generally three a day). (Slight correction here: Ohio tracks the team's record all season; Indiana just schedules games for teams to play and then there's a championship tournament and also a festival at the end of the fall. In Pennsyvlania, they also play a set number of games (no pool play or knockouts) but track based on points.
As for the inclement weather, North Carolina had to push their opening weekend of 7s back a week, which is completely understandable given the devastation from Hurricane Helene that has hit that state.
But, while it rained fairly heavily in different places, they played.
New York
The Rugby New York competition kicked off much the same way as it ended, with a 7-5 game between the contending teams. Pelham edged Play Rugby by that margin and Pelham went on to take the first tournament of the fall. Flyhalf John Mullan was named player of the tournament. PlayRugby took 2nd and also 3rd, with Central Park All Stars, New York RFC, and New Rochelle following.
Indiana
After going 3-0 in their opening weekend Westfield was undone 5-0 in their second week, although they did edge Noblesville 14-12 and shut out Brownsburg 20-0.
For Westfield senior captain Preston Dirks has been extremely active and always seems to be in the middle of the action both on defense and on attack. Juniors Caleb Netral and Gabe Willis have both been outstanding in open play.
Zionsville got their lone try against Westfield from Graham Wilson and they followed that up with a 29-0 shutout of Brownsburg paced by Stone Christy's two tries. And then Isaac Keller's two tries led Zionsville in a 21-7 win over Mudsock. For their part Mudsock went 201 with a 17-0 win over Noblesville and a 32-0 shutout of Westfield B, with Caleb Jensvold and Jayvith Kissick once again heavy on the scoreboard.
Penn HS went 3-0 as well. They beat Bishop Dwenger 22-5 with Dane Stuck scoring two, shut out Westside 20-0, wth tries from Braxton Bontrager, Alessio Retzloff, Aiden Rogers, and Nolan Holden.
Chargers were offensive impressive, beating Westside 42-5 with two tries from Blayton Guy, beating Dwenger 54-0 with eight tries from eight different players, and then beat a 2-0 Penn HS 45-5 with Gage McCard scoring three and Jaydon Barrie scoring two. Guy got tries in every Chargers game as they outscored opponents 141-5.
Ohio
St. Ignatius is fielding six teams, including two freshman/sophomore sides. And overall they are doing well, going 16-0-1 on this past Sunday. Adam Bornhorst was a powerhouse and with Colin Spellacy linking the attack smartly and making breaks as well, the Ignatius A side went 3-0 and were unscored upon. They beat Hudson 41-0, St. Edward 41-0, and Westshore 37-0.
What drives Ignatius is that depth but their overall skill level. Every player can function in open field, and every player can make a one-on-one tackle, and every player works hard in support.
In the southern part of the state, Archibishop Moeller is fielding three teams and those teams went 8-1 on the weekend. Their A side beat St. Xavier 26-10, Northern Force 24-5, and Walnut Hills 31-0.
New Jersey
Greenwich remains on top of the standings after finishing 2nd in this weekend's tournament at Union County. Right behind them is St. Augustine, which took third on in the tournament and now sits seven points behind Greenwich.
And chasing them both is Christian Brothers, which won the very rainy event in Union Co. With the win CBA inched closer. Now Greenwich has 60 points (tournament winners get 22 points each time), St. Augustine is at 53, and CBA at 48.
This St. Augustine side graduated almost all of their starting 15 from last spring so this fall has been important to get some players some playing time. The Hermits started off slowly in their first tournament and tied Greenwich 2, but improved from there and ended up taking 2nd in the opening event. They were beaten by Play Rugby and CBA in the next two tournaments, finishing 2nd and then 3rd.
But, added St. Augustine Head Coach Michael Gunn, this basically shows that St. Augsutine is the team you have to beat if you want to win a tournament.
"St. Augustine has shown strength in their chemistry between all teams; with freshman students having a strong relationship with the seniors and vice-versa," said Gunn. "This is something that has made our team strong this year and has been a highlight of the parents' experience seeing the amazing bonds that have been created in the St Augustine Brotherhood. This is something we instill in our players because our aim is not only to build them as amazing rugby players, but also as gentlemen who can take this further into their career whether they decide to play rugby or not when they graduate."
TJ Burns has scored six tries in 11 games so far and is a good combination of size, power, and ball skills. Jacob Pinette has good breakaway speed and has scored four tries, while Sonny Scaffidi leads the entire Rugby NJ series with 12 tries.
"His decision-making is second to none," said Gunn. "He is always able to find the gaps that other players wouldn't."
With sophomore Marc Herzer providing good impact and good skills, and senior Peyton Miller out due to injuries but acting as an extra coach for younger players, St. Augustine is now eyeing a tournament win.
For CBA, winning the tournament was a big deal.
"The real driving force behind this team is the incredible teamwork and camaraderie," said CBA Head Coach Pat Moroney. "The lads are playing exceptionally well as a unit. We had a slightly shaky start in the first two tournaments as we implemented a new defensive system, but we've now hit our stride and the players have truly gelled."
Fionn Moroney, Cole Ryan, and Jordon Young all have scored 11 tries so far this season. Moroney scored five tries and converted 12 tries for 49 points in the latest tournament. Meanwhile coming off the bench Sebastian Pepe is scoring a try for every five minutes he plays.
On-field captain Keegan O'Connor has been leading by example.
"He's a prop known for his powerful carries, but he's truly stepped up his leadership role with some ferocious defense as well," said Coach Moroney. "We faced a challenge on Sunday when both our flyhalf, Dylan Ramsey, and center, Tommy Heyward, were injured in the semifinal. However, Leo Viganola and Austin Schibell stepped in and delivered outstanding performances. Leo even scored a brilliant intercept try for our second of the final. We're incredibly proud of the team's progress and excited to see what they can achieve in the rest of the season."
Pennsylvania
Cumberland Valley and Downingtown are atop the boys 7s standings but it was a rough weekend for both. CV went 3-2 on the weekend and Downingtown went 2-3 in Round 3. That put them both at 11-3. Advancing quickly is St. Joseph's, which logged a second-straight day going 4-1 to sit 8-2.
St. Joe's sits 4th, just slightly behind 7-1-2 LaSalle which, for the second straight week, logged a tie against Berks County. Berks is right behind LaSalle and St. Joe's at 6-1-2
