We're taking a quick look around the Boys HS 7s scene this fall.
As fans know, different regions address 7s differently. Some play 7s somewhat recreationally, some have a very defined season with a championship at the end, and some don't play at all.
Here's a look at what we can tell you.
Rugby PA
LaSalle College HS went into the third week of competition unbeaten, but they found themselves facing a depleted but unfazed Berks County team and lost. Berks had shown up missing several regular starters, and opened the day with a 17-0 loss to St. Joseph's Prep. However, when their coaches just told the players to relax, enjoy the day, and play to their strengths, they started to win.
With Bryan Henry powering through tacklers and offload, and with some savvy youngsters working hard in support, they fronted up well against LaSalle.
Meanwhile, LaSalle is still strong. They have some serious talent, with Charlie Donahue making smart plays and Charlie Desmond typical of the tall, rangy athlete they're able to produce. LaSalle's strength and curse is their depth. Coaches said they have a large number of players good enough to play on their 1st side, but that also means the combinations haven't quite clicked.
Two teams came to Pennsylvania from out of the state to look for stronger competition. Delaware United did that and ran into some losses in the top tier, but dropped to the second tier this week and found their footing a bit. Meanwhile, Greenwich made the trek from Connecticut for the second week in a row.
The experience has been a good one for the Cardinals as they tested their players.
"Here's there's a lot of competition and one team can beat another ... it's all over the place," said Aidan Byrne.
One team can beat you with speed, one with power, and one with good teamwork. It was a strong showing for Greenwich this time around with a win over LaSalle, but then a somewhat surprising loss to Doylestown.
That was the way of it all day in PA, with no team coming out of a grueling five-game schedule undefeated. In the overall standings, LaSalle still leads with a 12-2 record. Behind them is Delaware County at 7-4-2, but Delaware County plays in the lower tier, so really when you're talking about Tier 1 along, it goes: LaSalle, Downingtown, Berks, Doylestown, and then St. Joe's Prep. Greenwich isn't counted in the standings, but they would likely be 2nd based on the last two weeks.
