MVP Megan Bird, three defenders away from a try against Fond du Lac
Cottage Grove’s Wisconsin Rugby Sports Complex hosted the second annual Wisconsin state 7s tournament two Sundays ago. Brookfield had been crowned the state’s first champion, but the 2016 trophy relocated to Oak Creek.
The tournament was missing 2015 finalist Catholic Memorial, which had sustained too many injuries through the Midwest and national single-school championships, and Divine Savior Holy Angels, which was competing in Chester, Pa. Nevertheless, a talented field battled toward the state title, and the action wasted no time in ramping up.
In the first game of the day, Oak Creek defeated Fond du Lac 12-10, and that two-point outcome ended up determining the titleholder. Both sides went on to defeat Brookfield, Knightmares and Vernon to finish 4-0 and 3-1, respectively.
“Every team in the varsity bracket was uniquely competitive,” Oak Creek coach Chris Kurth stated. “Fond du Lac has the best communication of any team we’ve played this season. They talk with each other constantly on attack and defense, and their players can anticipate where their support will be on every play. Beautiful ball movement, too, and it’s apparent when watching their attack that they’ve practiced their schemes a great deal.”
“I am so proud of my girls,” Fond du Lac coach and Catholic Memorial alumna Amanda Pohle added. “We have developed so much in such a short amount of time. I can’t wait to see what next season brings. With more experience, we are confident we will be competitive in our league. Congratulations to Oak Creek. It was a well fought match that could have gone either way. Special attention must be paid to Lexi Engelhardt for her never-give-up attitude, which almost saved the game-winning try.”
2015 champ Brookfield finished third on the day, struggling to recover when Abby Andler was knocked out of the tournament after two games. Coach Neil Grintjes counts Andler among the top five 7s players in the league, and in her absence players like Areliz Rivera, Sam Bartz-Kolp, Crystal Jahly and Raquel Galarza stepped up their respective games. Senior Madison Aprahamian, who has committed to DI Florida International next season, also served as a great leader.
The tournament also hosted a four-team Division II. Oak Creek and Brookfield entered JV teams, while Muskego and Appleton completed the bracket. The Bruisers took the DII crown with a final 10-5 victory over Appleton.
“It was good to get some of our younger players some solid minutes,” Grintjes added. “Sevens is a great sport to develop skills. It’s a great test of the players’ fitness and defensive abilities. We feel the decision-making learned in 7s will translate well to next fall’s 15s season.”
The event, which was organized by Wisconsin Girls U19 7s director Rick Bellis, selected DI and DII all-tournament teams (see below). Bellis is also instrumental in promoting the Wisconsin Select Sevens Invitational, which will take place at the Lakefront 7s on July 9. Iowa and Wisconsin are sending two all-star 7s teams apiece to the event, while additional teams from Wisconsin plan to attend.
Division I All-Tournament Team
Tehya Herbert (Junior) – Oak Creek
Olivia Culver (Sophomore) – Oak Creek
Megan Bird (Junior) – Oak Creek
Mauren Buchholz (Junior) – Oak Creek
Emma Conrad (Junior) – Fond du LacSavanna Roeder (Sophomore) – Fond du LacErica Powell (Sophomore) – Fond du Lac
Alaina Passarella (Sophomore) – Fond du Lac
Areliz Rivera (Sophomore) – Bruisers
Samantha Bartz-Kolp (Senior) – Bruisers
Monique Foster (Junior) – Vernon
Emily Becker (Junior) – Knightmares
Division 1 MVP: Megan Bird – Oak Creek
Division II All-Tournament Team
Kaitlyn Schoepel (Junior) – Appleton
Adry King (Senior) – Appleton
Johannah Smarzinski (Senior) – Appleton
Rayne Reinke (Senior) – Appleton
Bella Lubsey (Sophomore) – Brookfield JV
Camille Sem (Sophomore) – Brookfield JV
Cassidy Kratchovil (Sophomore) – Brookfield JV
Janaya Riley (Sophomore) – Brookfield JV
Bailey Rabidoux (Senior) – Muskego
Ally Rusch (Senior) – Muskego
McKenna Daams (Junior) – Muskego
Sam Wahner (Sophomore) – Oak Creek JV
Division II Co-MVPs: Kaitlyn Schoepel (Junior) – Appleton & Bella Lubsey (Sophomore) – Brookfield JV
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