The Medina Bees worked their way through a very difficult Rugby Ohio girls 7s championships to take the state title.
On a wet day that got wetter and muddier by the game, Medina was paced by the elusive Hannah Trsek and the powerful Libby Kelly and Rachel Coleman.
The tournament itself featured six teams in two pools of three. The top two from each pool went into the semis, while the other two teams played off for 5th.
In one pool St. Joseph’s Academy looked dominant. Sparked by the field vision and running of Megan Chura, with Maddie Hubbell, Nicole Gothier, and Ruby Kormos also working hard and playing good defense, the Jaguars shut out both Mentor and Highland to go 2-0. Highland also won via shutout over Mentor and had their moments, paced by the explosive Maya Weber and hard-running Ruth Musser.
In the other pool the games were much closer. Brunswick barely got by Walnut Hills, needing some late-game heroics from Sierra Baranyai, who burst through some tacklers to score a late try for a 10-5 win. Against Medina it was equally close, only this time Medina won 12-5. Medina also beat Walnut Hills 22-0.
So with the semifinals coming up the question was whether the tougher games would get teams ready for the playoffs, or whether SJA would keep rolling. Well the answer came when Brunswick’s powerful defense and decision to key on the Jaguars’ danger women saw the Valkyries through 17-7. Offensively Sarah King and Tayanna Watson worked hard to make breaks and work in support, along with Baranyai, to put the game away. Meanwhile, Medina also had to work for it, just beating Highland 17-12. Trsek was crucial in this game as she was able to navigate the glue-like mud and still slide out of trouble.
