1823 won its second Midwest club 7s qualifier in as many weeks, defeating a talented field at Madtown 7s in Madison, Wisc., Saturday. Teams contending for one of two regional berths to nationals must compete in at least three Midwest qualifiers, and standings points will determine seeds into the July 30 Midwest championship. [Lead photo: Amy Kiss]
1823 has a well established men’s 7s team, and Joel Bonnaud has spent the previous three years building a women’s program that can achieve similar heights.
“The first season we learned how tough it would be,” Bonnaud said of creating Columbus’ first competitive women’s 7s team. “Last season was better, but we started to receive players from all over, and there were some culture issues. We didn’t do as well as we were supposed to. In September, I [returned to] the Ohio State women’s team, and I used that opportunity to develop leadership skills and build the culture.”
Bonnaud’s 15s assistant coaches, Stephanie Bowers and Brittany Latham (photo), also serve as 1823’s captains. That cohesion is strengthened by current Ohio State captains Cynthia Campbell and Mckenna Cimperman, and they’ve cultivated an environment that welcomes valuable players like DeVonna Francis and Christa Banks.
Additionally, Ohio State is dedicated to spring 7s and used big tournaments like the Atlanta Festival and CRC 7s to build into the summer. So when the players switched to 1823 for the summer, there was no breaking of 15s habits or building 7s fitness. There is a core of players who are already familiar with each other in terms of 7s.
1823 won the Cin City 7s on June 11 and got a good look at the Cincinnati Wolfhounds, which is also vying for a Midwest seed. The pair squared up for their Madtown 7s opener, and 1823 squeaked by with a 24-22 victory. The Grand Rapids Gazelles then took a 15-12 decision in the second round of pool play, threatening knockout promotion.
“After we lost that game, we talked about it, and they rebounded right away,” Bonnaud said. “That would not have been the case last year. We wouldn’t have been able to go to the end – maybe we would have won one more game – but we had a lot of ups and downs last year.”
1823 needed to win its final pool play game against perennial nationals participant Chicago Lions, and did so with a healthy 31-5 victory.
“The Midwest is interesting this year,” Bonnaud explained. “Chicago has split into two teams. There are some Lions from last year who went to the Griffins. Both squads are lower level than the Lions last year – they’re good, they’re just not there yet. But I expect that they’ll be a lot better for the next qualifier.”
Chicago North Shore’s Lauren Trout, Brittany Klimek, Kadie Sanford and Brittany Biedenbender have all joined the first-year Chicago Griffins, while 15s teammates Charli Jacoby and Gabby Whittinghill, and well knowns Tanya Carlson and Sarah Kish remained with the Lions. At present, both squads have fewer than 15 players registered.
The Cup semifinals saw a rematch of 1823 vs. Grand Rapids, but this time, the Columbus, Ohio, squad was well prepared for the Gazelles.
“Grand Rapids has two or three players from Davenport who are their playmakers,” Bonnaud said of athletes like Danielle Ordway. “You have to pay attention to them, but the team lacks some depth.”
1823 triumphed 22-5 and prepared for the final against the Youngbloodz, another fixture at the national club championships. The Minnesota team is loaded with Women’s Premier League players and Eagles – Sylvia Braaten, Kaelene Lundstrum, Katana Howard, Rachel Lentsch and several more – and have reputation on its side.
“The Youngbloodz are steady,” the coach confirmed. “They’re the same from last year – very experienced and well structured. You know what to expect from them.”
But 1823 was in a good place mentally and had the second-half fitness to turn a two-point halftime lead into a 31-17 victory.
“I knew what to expect from individuals, and they didn’t disappoint. They went for it,” Bonnaud praised. “Even with the subs, the level was steady. There wasn’t a single drop in intensity or in what we were doing technically.
“The team as a whole unit surprised me,” the coached added. “I was really surprised at how mentally strong they were together and fought throughout. It could have gone the other way very quickly.”
Bonnaud is careful not to overemphasize results, as he wants his players to focus on the work ahead and keep building. The team is entering cycle two – a three-week break before the second Midwest East qualifier – and will concentrate on attack, which can be addressed now that the defensive structure has set. The coach did, however, indicate that the aim is the club 7s championships. Should the goal come to fruition, the trip would would mark 1823’s debut at the national level.
#1823