The Girls High School Elite played out its version of the North American rugby rivalry in today’s LVI final. The Girls High School All Americans 1 (GHSAA) faced reigning champ British Columbia in the title bout, and after a tense few minutes, pulled away with the 27-5 win.

Both All American sides went 3-0 on day one, but GHSAA 2 lost 12-10 to Orem in the quarterfinals. The Utah side went on to upset Atlantis with a game-ending try (12-7 win) for third place (more on that game later). GHSAA 1, however, won two big games against the Washington Loggers and Atlantis, while BC beat Notre Dame (Canada) and Orem to advance to the final.

BC threatened early on, having a try held up and All American penalties keeping them in striking distance. But the defense of Leti Hingano, Apaau Mailau and Kat Ramage stifled BC’s attempts to gain ground through the middle, and they swallowed up ballcarriers whole. The three were so crucial to creating chaos in the breakdowns and they presented a lot of opportunities for their quick teammates.

The USA got back into BC’s end and recycled breakdowns quickly. Scrumhalf Queen Fina Foetuu peeled off the ruck and eyed the 2-on-1 with Ramage outside of her. Ramage, who is fast but not known for her finishing speed, smartly switched back inside and got to the try line. Michel Navarro – who has an awesome work rate on defense – picked from the ruck and snuck into the corner for the game-opening try, 5-0.

That’s where the half ended, and the All Americans were far from game-in-hand. But that soon changed. From the opening kickoff, Navarro picked up a dribbler, side-stepped her quickly approaching defender, and took off down the sideline. It looked like a try but a fantastic chase stopped the breakaway at the try line. The USA lost possession and after a few failed attempts of bowling over the big girls, the ball moved to the wing. Mailau knew exactly what she was going to do: an isolated tackle and she popped to her feet for the poach and easy lane to the try zone, 12-0.

It was Lilly Durbin’s try that put the Americans firmly out in front. Only 15 years old, Durbin displays the decision-making and confidence of a much older player. She is small, and that comes into play sometimes, but she is fast. No one is better than Durbin around the corner. After some excellent defense from Fallbrook teammate Navarro, Durbin scored the All Americans’ third try.

The USA had hit their stride and the fourth try was the culmination of such. A beautiful display that involved everyone on the pitch, the All Americans worked hands out to Tess Feury for the five points (22-0). Feury was eventually named MVP of the tournament, and for very good reason. She was the safety net that allowed her teammates to play outside themselves, and when an error occurred, Feury swooped in to save the day. She was particularly crucial on defense, when a speedy ballcarrier got the better of a teammate, and she cleaned it up. (Stayed tuned for Feury’s thoughts on the game.)

British Columbia prevented the shutout on the final play of the game, as their speedy wing got outside Diarr Lillie, 27-5.

The All Americans truly peaked in its final performance in Las Vegas, and they’ve achieved a well circulated goal: They set the bar high for all subsequent Girls High School All Americans, and won a title in the process.