The girls high school Midwest Championship occurs this weekend in Elkhart, Ind., and a great cast of teams comprise Division I. The field is led by Wisconsin’s Divine Savior Holy Angels and Catholic Memorial, both of whom will be challenged by a host of state champions.

Midwest Youth Girls V.P. John Waliszewski, who is also Catholic Memorial’s coach, predicted that some upsets were in store, and Illinois’ Plainfield is making a good case for itself. The Thundercats played both of the Wisconsin heavyweights last week, and performed well.

First up, perennial Midwest champion Divine Savior Holy Angels. Through 55 minutes of a 60-minute match, Plainfield held the Dashers to a 14-point lead.

“Divine Savior's excellent conditioning and ball-handling took over toward the end of the match, and they scored three tries within the last five minutes,” Plainfield assistant coach John Sullivan said of the 31-0 decision. “Plainfield had opportunities to cross the try line but had the ball held up once and an unfortunate botched pass within seven meters leave the Thundercats short. The score, in my belief, does not accurately display how well our girls played in order to hold one of the premier teams in the nation to 14 points for most of the match. It does, however, display how good of a team Divine Savior is.”

Sullivan confirmed that the Dashers are looking as crisp, explosive, and knowledgeable as ever, but was also very proud of the way his team embraced the challenging match.

Last Friday, Plainfield hosted Catholic Memorial, but the weekday match proved difficult travel-wise. After a long delay, a 40-minute match evolved, and Plainfield won 29-3. The Crusaders were missing some key starters, and certainly the stress of a hurried kickoff affected the result, but it cannot be fully written off.

“Plainfield jumped out to an early lead and never looked back,” Sullivan said. “Hard rucks, quick passing, and a relentless effort to advance the ball seemed to overpower the Crusaders at times. Catholic Memorial is another very good team and had its opportunities to score, but the Thundercats dug their claws into the ground and defended their home turf.”

Plainfield scrumhalf Alicia Gonzalez and fullback Alishia Jordan have been instrumental to the team’s success, and their stellar play leads the Illinois squad. Breakaways Abby Wood, Alyssa McDonnell, and Kylie Burkett are at the heart of the forward attack, as is lock Allison Patino.

“Of course this team would be nowhere without its head coach, Chris Milojevich,” Sullivan emphasized. “He has taken a bunch of undisciplined girls who have never played the game of rugby and turned them into the premier girls club in Illinois. The Thundercats are seeking their 4th consecutive state title, and Chris is the driving force behind the club. He deserves a lot of credit.”

This exciting pre-season is just what the Thundercats needed heading into a very competitive Midwest Championship, where state champions from the region will convene this weekend. Will the confidence boost be enough to produce some upsets? Stay tuned for more information on the event, as well as coverage during the weekend.