NA Lions Set to Return to Heidelberg Sevens

06.24.2024

The North American Lions 7s touring program will be returning to the Heidelberg 7s in Germany this coming weekend.

This team of players from around North America played in Heidelberg in 2023, with the girls U18 team winning their bracket and the boys U16 team coming third.

NA Lions Girls Win in Heidelberg; Boys Take 3rd

Former Canada national team player and current Upright Rugby and Toronto Provincial coach Dan Mathie will be coaching the boys team. Coaching the girls team will be Talia Carrasquillo, who has played in the WPL and currently players with the San Diego Surfers. She is also a coach with the All-Navy team and with Atlantis. Mike Cressler will manage both teams.

The Lions program is also paying for two American officials, Alexis DeFries and Josiah Dunn, to travel to the tournament and work as referees.

One player, Nila Lolesio-Pua, returns to the girls U18 team. She is accompanied by Sydney Rae Pua, and both were a huge part of the Belmont Shore team that won the Girls HS Club championship in May.

Explosive Scoring Surge Sees Belmont Shore Girls to National HS Club Title

The School Team National Champions, Eagle HS out of Idaho, sends Kanani Watts.

NA Lions Girls U18 team for Heidelberg 7s:
Nila Lolesio-Pua: Belmont Shore
Sydney Rae Pua: Belmont Shore
Haley Russer: Summit HS
Khalea Pahulu: Belmont Shore
Nakato Meyers: Raleigh
Aubrey Phillips: Owyhee HS
Kanani Watts: Eagle HS
Meg Thomason: Rocky HS
Paige Thomason: Rocky HS
Lauren Huang: Greenwich

The Boys U16 team is a completely new lineup compared to 2023. This squad includes Caden di Plessis, from the Oakville program in Canada which has been very successful at the Tropical 7s. This roster also returns to its more aggressively North American roots with three more players from Canada.

NA Lions Boys U16 team for Heidelberg 7s:
Hyrum Stafford: Orem Zombies
Jackson Reilly: Doylestown
Colton Green: Charlotte Cardinals
Alex Drury: Aspetuck Valley
David Rich: Brantford Harlequins
Sam Woodcock: Brantford Harlequins
Lucas Peddle: Missisauga Blues
Sebastian Meyers: Atlantis
Sacha Meunier: Atlantis
Trevor Vach: Rocky Mtn.
Kole Frogley: Owyhee
Caden du Plessis: Oakville Crusaders

The Heidelberg 7s kicks off Saturday, June 29 and finishes off June 30. The NA Lions aren't the only North American teams in Heidelberg. The San Diego Legion Academy is slated to take a team, while Canadian touring program MacDowell Rugby is sending a boys team and a girls team.

The Girls U18 bracket also includes Verdand Baden-Wurttenberg (Germany), Apollo Perelini (UAE), Miss Alsace (France), Pretentious Bastards (Netherlands), Les Gazelles (France), Dutch Delight (Nehterlands), Sweden 7s Development, and Winscombe Warriors (England).

The Boys U16 bracket includes Verband Baden-Wurttenberg, MacDowell, Verband Brandenberg (Germany), Czech Rugby, Verband Hassen (Germany), the Luxemburg national U16s, Rugby Academy Zuid (Netherlands), the Germany National U16s, and Mutzig Ovalie Molsheim (France).

NA Lions Set to Return to Heidelberg Sevens

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