Iowa Youth Rugby has launched its 7s season with 29 teams playing in three divisions.

The Boys 2A and Boys 1A competitions both have 10 teams involved, while the Girls 1A has nine teams duking it out. After week 1, we're already getting a sense of of who looks strong, with Ankeny (as usual), Fort Dodge, and CR Washington all going 2-0 in Boys 2A.

Bondurant-Farrar, Central Springs, and Waterloo remain unbeaten in in Boys 1A, and in the Girls bracket SE Polk, DM Roosevelt, and Dowling all started 2-0.

Iowa Central Prop Lane Pruisner Saves a Life

Boys 2A

"We had some dust to shake off for not being on the pitch since 2019," said Ankeny Head Coach Dennis Oliver. "But we are starting off on the right foot. We have some athletes with good potential and are developing their rugby IQ quite well."

Returning players are tough to find because the 2020 season wasn't even played, meaning any returners last played as sophomores or freshmen. Still, for Ankeny, Alex Heimer is a talented tweener who can perform well as a forward or a back. A multi-sport athlete who is accomplished in football and wrestling, Heimer is in his 4th year on Ankeny and he basically takes up whatever job is handed him and does it well.

Drew Dunn is a top wrestler in the state (and in Iowa, that's saying something), and he's become a really good scrumhalf who also relishes defense. He sparked Ankeny's first two wins with some well-timed runs. 

Nick Eaton is in his third year and he's a hard worker who keeps asking for more work, keeps attending major academy camps (Utah Lions, Eagle Impact Rugby Academy), and as a result he's developed as a prop/hooker who can also play flyhalf. At 208 lbs he's tough to bring down and he has, said Oliver, "a monster stiff-arm." Eaton scored three tries in the opening two games to tie for the league lead after the first weekend.

Having said all that, Ankeny can do better, and Oliver said they basically won their first two games (36-5 over Valley and 15-5 over Urbandale) on athleticism and the rugby IQ of their experienced players rather than a complete team performance.

CR Washington got some scoring from Zack Novak, Watts McBride, and Roman Young as they beat Southeast Polk 27-15 and DM Lincoln 15-10. All three players scored two tries, and those wins were worthy of notice because Polk and Lincoln have often done well in the Iowa league. They might be thanking the likes of Watts McBride, who led all 2A players with eight tackles.

Fort Dodge, perhaps sparked by the success of the town's championship college program, Iowa Central Community College, has emerged as a contender. Fort Dodge was 7-7 in 2019 but beat Des Moinse Roosevelt 12-10 and Cedar Falls 17-5 to start 2-0.

One more team to watch is Waverly Shell Rock, which kicked off 1-0-1 with a 15-15 tie against Urbandale and a 45-0 shutout of Valley. Waverly's McRae Hagerty is tied with Eaton for the league lead with three tries; Layne McDonald and Jack Kramer have two.

Boys 1A

Waterloo only played the one game, a 35-0 shutout of Mason City paced by Joey Dunlay's two tries, so the jury's still out on them. Iowa City, which hasn't played yet, remains a question.

Bonduran-Farrar surprised the always strong Van Meter 24-14 and held off Norwalk 19-10. Central Springs beat Crestwood 28-5 and won a defensive battle over Denver 12-0.

Denver's Cooper Isaacson led all players with 11 tackles.

Girls 1A

Keep an eye on Southeast Polk's Felicity Severs as she torched Cedar Falls and Norwalk for six tries all on her own. Polk was dominant in their opening games. Des Moines Roosevelt wasn't much less in charge, beating Ankeny 25-5 and Waverly Shell Rock 46-0. Liberty Cawthorn, Ivy Lawson, and Jocee Morris all scored three tries in the opening weekend. Lawson also led all players with 10 tackles.

Dowling, comparitively, had more trouble as they took care of Indianola and Adel by identical 22-5 scores.

Next Up

CR Washington takes on Waverly Shell Rock in Boys 2A in a clash of 2-0 vs 1-0-1, and Ankeny takes on Fort Dodge in a meeting of 2-0 teams. So the this coming Friday will end with no more than two teams boasting a perfect record.

It's the same story in 1A, where Central Springs and Bundurant-Farrar, both 2-0, meet. Central Springs also has a tough Van Meter team to play, so even with a win in their first game they won't be able to let off for the second.

 Friday's girls schedule ends with a massive clash as 2-0 Des Moines Roosevelt plays 2-0 Southeast Polk.