Seven champions were crowned in Boys and Men brackets at the recent NAI 7s, showcasing some pretty skilled rugby along the way.
Men U23
This bracket is an interesting one as it is not a common one in 7s tournaments and it's a bit of a one-off for many of the teams.
Tsunami Misfits are a little more dialed into this circuit but they ran into a very talented Mustangs side.
Mustangs won two shutouts in Pool Play and the San Mateo Wolverines were also unbeaten. Silicon Valley and Oregon Sharks ended up tied 2-1, but Silicon Valley won the head-to-head.
And Day One was most definitely an indicator of how Day Two would go, with San Mateo beating Salt Lake Valley and Mother Lode to make the final. Mustangs shut out Oregon and then held off Silicon Valley to make the championship game. Mustangs is a team made up of former Herriman HS players and they got right back on the bike to work together again. They didn't have blazing pace, but neither were they particularly slow; they moved the ball well, were powerful in contact allowing them to offload, and defended well.
The result was a 33-19 win in the final.
Final U23 Standings:
1st: Mustangs
2nd: San Mateo
3rd: Mother Lode
4th: Silicon Valley
5th: Salt Lake Valley
6th: East Rugby
7th: Oregon Sharks
8th: Tsunami Misfits
9th: Atlantis Teal
10th: SOC Raptors
11th: Antelope
Boys U18 Elite
We go into this in much detail in an earlier article.
NAI 7s U18 Elite Boys Lives Up to Expectations
Rebel Rugby Academy won in OT in the final over Next Phase Rugby.
Boys U18
The Open U18 continued the Year of Belmont Shore, with the Long Beach club, Rebel Rugby, SacPal Islanders, and Pioneer Selects all going 3-0 on Day One. Three teams in Pool 5 finished up 2-1 and while the KC Jr. Blues won the pool, it was clear the other teams, USA South and Titan were solid. Rebel showcased a stalwart defense, holding their pool opposition to just three tries.
Belmont Shore rolled through the playoffs. Led by Elijah Lolesio-Pua and Josiah Apisala and with talent throughout, Shore won convincingly over Elsie Allen, SacPal, and, in the final, Rebel.
Final U18 Standings:
1st: Belmont Shore
2nd: Rebel Rugby Academy
3rd: SacPal Islanders
4th: USA South Panthers
5th: Elsie Allen Lobos
6th: Pioneer Selects
7th: East HS
8th: KC Jr. Blues
9th: Titan Rugby
10th: Mother Lode Rugby
11th: Liberty
12th: Herriman
13th: New Mexico Desert Warriors
14th: Punaauia
15th: Rock Rugby
16th: WAR
17th: Riverton
18th: Hawkeyes
19th: Mountain Ridge
20th: WarFrogs
New Mexico's finish is another example of a growing program that keeps coming back to the NAI 7s and learns more and more each time. SacPal Islanders had an excellent weekend.
