A few things have happened since our last Girls High School Top 20 ranking. State titles have been awarded, and even more SBROs held fall 7s series. For those teams that contest their 15s season in the spring, preferential treatment was given to those who participated in a fall 7s league. There is still a large swath of conferences that have yet to contest a league match, but that will begin to change this weekend.

First, let’s revisit the fall 15s victors. Divine Savior Holy Angels beat Catholic Memorial in a tight 15-10 contest for the Wisconsin State Championship. That's how it's gone the last few years, so what's different about these teams? The Dashers have depth – 22 seniors to be exact – and leaned on that experience in the close title bout. The Crusaders have as many players as DSHA has seniors, but all-stars like Lizzy Jacobson (read more), Elizabeth Walicki, and standout freshman Allison Koenig are leading this tight-knit group. While we’re tempted to bump up Catholic Memorial in the rankings, light numbers make for some vulnerability, especially in tournament scenarios.

Summit bagged another Colorado State Championship, and did so with little resistance. The Tigers were very busy outside of the state, as well, traveling to Kansas City and sending players to all-star teams. During February’s Las Vegas Invitational, Summit had 14 players competing on five different teams. State championship MVP Morgan Courtney (who was one of two Tigers on the Girls High School All American teams in Las Vegas) has continued to keep Summit in the spotlight, signing with Lindenwood University for fall 2015.

Second, the fall 7s champions. Maryville won its third consecutive Tennessee State 7s title (read more) behind the expert leadership of senior All American McKenzie Hawkins, the MVP. Morris won the first-ever Rugby New Jersey 7s series and saw Junior Olympian Kat Ramage lead by example (read more). Doylestown took a young team to the top of the Pennsylvania State 7s podium, while Orem went 20-0 en route to the first-ever Utah State 7s championship (read more). All of these programs had representatives at the LVI, competing in the Elite girls High School division.

Oregon’s Grant fell somewhere in between in terms of participation. A combination team named Grackles won the Oregon State 7s title (read more), but several key members of Grant comprised the 7s side. Kent falls into an awkward category, too. There was no Washington fall 7s league; however, the Loggers launched a 7s program that competed at the LVI, and several Kent players competed on that side, among others (read more). As the 15s season kicks off (this Saturday against Budd Bay), we expect Kent to inch up the list.

California is a few weeks into its season, with four-time national champion Fallbrook getting out front early. The SoCal powerhouse saw three of its players on the All American 7s teams in Las Vegas, with Lilly Durbin and Michel Navarro making a huge impact (read more). Unfortunately for the Warriors, star flyhalf Richelle Stephens has suffered another knee injury, and while the program’s depth is good, the Junior Olympian is irreplaceable.

We’re also keeping an eye on SoCal’s ICEF. Nia Toliver (read more) scored eight tries against Fullerton, which has fallen off of the rankings, and hopes to propel her side through the post-season.

In Northern California, the Sacramento Amazons were intimidatingly good during the January Kickoff Tournament (read more), and we’re so excited to see Malieti Haungatau finally eligible for high school play. She’s been the leading try-scorer for the Amazons the previous three years, but now the freshman can do damage in the post-season.

The Zons’ only competition are Danville and Pleasanton, and the Cavaliers host Sacramento on Saturday. Pleasanton is currently 3-0 and has some notable playmakers in All American Emily Roskopf and general Teigan MacDonald at flyhalf. The Lady Oaks are also 3-0 and they bring a physicality akin to Sacramento's. All American sisters Leti and Mata Hingano are truly exciting to watch, and they headline a hard-running squad.

The rest of the list is waiting for the weather to clear so leagues can begin. There are a couple of kickoff tournaments we’ll be watching – one in the Midwest and Frostbite in Pennsylvania – that will lend good insight into those defrosting sides.