Girls Fall 7s Roundup: Eagle Flies High Early
Girls Fall 7s Roundup: Eagle Flies High Early
Fall 7s has started for some girls leagues around the nation and more will pick up soon.
Idaho
There are actually two competitions in Idaho with the statewide competition involving four girls teams and starting on September 17.
The West ADA league involved teams from schools within the West ADA School District in and around Boise's western suburban area. Six school teams are in this league and they will enter Round 3 of their competition tonight, September 14.
Eagle HS is 4-0 after beating Owyhee and Meridian in Round 1 and then beating Mountain View and Centennial in Round 2. Only one of these games, against Mountain View, was especially close, with Eagle coming away 17-12 victors.
Head Coach Kraig Smikel said he is blessed with a lot of depth and strength in depth.
Players such as Karlee Allington, Ali Blackburn, Jordynn LeBeau, Whitney Pilling, Olivia Woods, and Reece Woods are going into their third year together, so they are a nicely unified core. Add to that a group of talented young players who are improving fast and you've got the makings of a team with a lot of weapons.
"The best way I can put it is that I have a difficult time deciding on starters and finishers for matches," said Smikel. "I truly believe this team has the potential to accomplish what last year’s did, if not more. We have the intelligence, athleticism, and experience. These girls are, as Pat McAfee would say, 'dawgs' and extremely hardworking. We lost some great players to graduation, but this group has really stepped up to fill those shoes."
West ADA also has a JV league and Owyhee leads that at 3-0, with Rocky Mountain (Black) at 2-0 and Eagle at 2-1. Chasing after Eagle in the Varsity league are Mountain View at 3-1 and Rocky Mountain at 3-1. Rocky Mountain's lone loss was a 33-0 shutout to Mountain View, and they have a chance for some measure of revenge tonight. Eagle plays Meridian and Centennial.
CIRA
The Colorado Interscholastic Rugby Association is a league of varsity programs in (you guessed it) Colorado. That league is, for the girls, a 7s league and Monarch HS has started early, with a 34-0 defeat of Regis Jesuit and a 5-0 win over East HS last night. This weekend Summit HS will host a tournament and while there remain one-off games throughout a series of midweek fixtures, there will also be tournaments at Regis on October 1 and the state championship event at the US Air Force Academy on November 5.
Tennessee
Father Ryan swept through the Irish Ruggerfest hosted by their school in Nashville, running with confidence and being powerful in the tackle. They beat teams from ICRON, Riverdale, Tribe, Spring Hill, and AYR and went 2-1-2.
Here's one of their games.
“The Lady Irish played hard for every possession, had great ball movement and were strategic in creating gaps in their opponent’s defense for successful breakaways," said Head Coach Jess Knowles.
Amy Ernst led the Lady Irish in tries and she was backed up ably byGabby Grove, Sophie Vanden Noven, Amelia Thibeault, and Hannah Schorp.
"Despite this only being the second year having a female program at Father Ryan, the roster now boasts 16 talented young ladies," enthused Knowles. "We are so proud of their growth and commitment to sportsmanship.”
Elsewhere
Oregon will be kicking off their season soon. Indiana starts in four days, as does Idaho's non-West ADA league, Pennsylvania, and also Utah.
Ohio kicks off a week later and so does Iowa.
These are all quite detailed seasons, with Rugby PA running six tournaments before the season culminates in the state championships in Manheim, Pa. on November 6. Utah runs four tournaments and then has a girls-only Pink 7s that covers two days October 14-15.
