Michigan begins its girls high school post-season this weekend, and has an unconventional set-up that gets all of the teams involved. There are two pools of three, and each group will play a round robin on Sunday. The victors from each pool will play for the state championship the following weekend.

Grandville is the favorite from across field. The reigning champion went undefeated again this year, and accomplished the feat with bigger point differentials than 2014. The squad is dense with talent – a necessity since the roster is only 16 players deep at present. On more than one occasion, the Bulldogs could only field 14 players due to injuries.

“Our team is just that good this year,” said Grandville coach Terra Gunther, who's in her sixth season with the team. “We have a lot of potential, and we put it all out on the field.”

It’s put some pressure on the veteran leadership, which is rooted in senior captain and flyhalf Bayleigh Gable, who earned her All American stripes against the British Columbia U18s last summer; sophomore scrumhalf Matja Saarenheimo-VanderHorst, who started playing (non-competitively) in the sixth grade; junior Bethany Gable, Bayleigh’s sister and forward leader from No. 8; and outside center Erin Fitzpatrick, who has grown into a fantastic ballcarrier.

“Having all of that experience on the field, and getting them to bring along the new girls – it’s all coming together well,” Gunther said. “We’ve had quite a few new girls step up, too. Freshman Addy Ochoa has been phenomenal. She’s a flanker and has been picking up the game like no one I’ve ever seen before.”

Grandville prides itself on a fast-paced game and the versatility of its players. Members have played three or four positions, and are expected to ruck, pass, and carry well regardless of the number on their backs. And the system’s been working.

“It’s better because it keeps their confidence up and they play at their level and to their potential,” Gunther contrasted this season’s bigger wins with last year’s closer games. “When we weren’t where we are now, they played against themselves. Now we’re working as a cohesive unit, and the continuity is beautiful.”

Grandville will face Berkley and Livingston on Saturday, and should the day go as planned, will contest the championship against either Sparta, Traverse City, or Grand Haven on Nov. 7. A second state title will go a long way for the program, which was recently inducted into the Grandville High School's varsity club system. The distinction is short of a full varsity sport, and the team must fundraise for things like dues and equipment. But the school officially sponsors both boys and girls rugby, and participants must meet a minimum GPA, adhere to the school’s athletic code of conduct, and can earn a varsity letter and school awards.

As girls rugby grows in Michigan, Grandville will entertain the idea of full varsity status at the school, but Gunther intimated that that’s a longer-term goal. In the meantime, the team will fatten up its spring schedule, as talks of 7s and even single-school nationals have been discussed, and continue to send its players to age-grade camps. Stay tuned for playoff results.