It was a wild day in the Boys HS Elite 7s at the Las Vegas Invitational, with only one team out of 12 finishing the day 3-0.

That team was the High School All Americans, who were strong in the rucks and smart in their decision-making, and overcame a tough Upright Rugby Rogues squad to finish atop their pool.

Photos by David Barpal. Click on image to enlarge.

The HSAA team opened up against the Raptors Academy out of Glendale, Colo., and shut them out 31-0. With Austin Taefu cutting through the line, and Brian Hannon making thumping tackles, and Brian Nault winning rucks, they looked clinical.

But the Raptors were not strong. They failed to score a point all day, prompting team director Mark Bullock to point out, quite rightly, that “we’re hear competing. We want to be in the elite level and compete here. How are these players going to develop if we don’t challenge them?” 

Certainly the Raptors would be challenged.

Meanwhile the HSAA team rolled on, beating an Ontario 2nd team with alacrity 26-0. Aaron Matthews, Jacob Freiheit, and Olan Moon White all got to run a little.

That set up a game between two 2-0 teams, as the HSAA team faced off with the Upright Rugby Rogues. The HSAA team scored first when Nault, normally one to play in tight, got the ball on the wing and outpaced the defense. The Upright players showed a little immature grouchiness after that try, and that was perhaps an indication they thought the result was preordained.

Matthews saw that Nault could turn the corner, so he busted up the middle, and while Upright pushed them, the HSAA team held on 22-12.

The other pools were not so clear-cut. BC won two of their games big, but fell behind 19-5 to an excellent Utah Lions team before storming back to tie it 19-19. Utah did not take care of the ball at crucial moments. But the Lions did well to storm over Toronto and Palos Verde to join BC at 2-0-1.

In Pool C, three teams finished 2-1. The Washington Loggers beat the HS All Americans 19-15 in their final game, and thanks to points difference, took the pool. The Loggers played a very smart game, using the boot more than any other team, and producing one of the tries of the day when Derise Fuga, a 15s prop who looks like a prop and runs like a prop, surged down the right flank for a winger’s try.

Ontario and Atlantis also finished 2-1 in a very competitive pool.

So the scores and standings are this:

This sets up the Cup Quarterfinals and we think this is how they shape up:

#1 HSAA I v Ontario II

#2 British Columbia v Atlantis

#3 Washington Loggers v Ontario I

#4 Utah Lions v #5 Upright Rugby

This is not officially confirmed but is how we see it. In Pool C three teams were at 2-1. Points difference put Atlantis at 3rd and left Washington and Ontario tied. Then Washington won thanks to the head-to-head tiebreaker.