Waverly-Shell Rock High School Girls upset the unbeaten Cedar Falls to win the Iowa YRA Girls 7s championship Sunday. 

W-SR entered this year’s State Tournament as the #2, chasing #1 Cedar Falls. Both teams easily advanced to the semifinals, with CF beating #8 Mason City 33-5 and W-SR rolling past #7 Cedar Rapids 46-0. W-SR showed a lot of strength with seven different players scoring eight tries. Junior Miley Armstrong led the team with two tries while senior standout Lilly Stough recorded a try and three conversions fighting a strong south wind. Stough recently returned from an invitation-only USA Eagles U18 7s camp in Chula Vista, Calif.

The semifinals Cedar Falls beat #4 Central Springs 50-0. Waverly-Shell Rock was matched with #3 Southeast Polk, and those two teams had battled just six days earlier, with W-SR beating SE Polk 38-5 to secure the #2 seed. Waverly-Shell Rock struck first with Stough’s pass to junior Madison Englin, who broke the line to score. W-SR’s teamwork shined throughout as five different players scored in their 40-10 win. Englin led the team with three tries and Stough slotted five conversions.

As expected, the final was a rematch between two-time defending state champs Cedar Falls and Waverly-Shell Rock. The first half was a tough back-and-forth battle. W-SR defense held strong, preventing Cedar Falls from scoring within meters of their goal line. A poached ball and quick transition to offense had W-SR charging down the field. A high tackle penalty against Cedar Falls inside their 22 followed by quick thinking from Stough allowed her to quick-tap and drive her way in for the first and only try of the first half.

Two second-half tries by Cedar Falls, but no conversions, had them leading 10-5. A quick scramble and lightning speed by Englin in the final minute of the game tied the score. Stough was successful on the conversion and that put Waverly-Shell Rock up 12-10 with 30 seconds left on the clock. In the final seconds, W-SR won a defensive scrum and Stough, a four-year starter, carried the ball into touch to secure Waverly-Shell Rock’s first State Championship.

W-SR had 5 of their 7 starters named as a part of the State’s top 21 players. Juniors Mya Behrends and Madison Englin receiving All State Team (Top 14) honors. Sophomore Ava Soesbe, Junior Miley Armstrong and Senior Lilly Stough received Elite Team (Top 7) honors.

Madison Englin was named the 2024 Tournament MVP. She scored in every game ending the day with 5 tries, 11 tackles and an assist.

Final standings:
1. Waverly-Shell Rock
2. Cedar Falls
3. Southeast Polk
4. Central Springs
5. Cedar Rapids
6. Mason City