The Utah Vipers squad that won the Champagne Classic. /// Photo courtesy Utah Vipers
Black Ice used to be the only DI senior club in the Frontier Competitive Region (CR) competing toward nationals, but a three-team league finally formed for the 2016-17 season. The Utah Vipers and Glendale Raptors joined, and a home-and-away competition was born. The teams filled the gaps in their schedules with competitive friendlies, and with one more league game to go, it’s the Vipers that are leading the standings.
The Vipers used to field a girls’ high school team, but the focus shifted in 2013 when several graduates were looking to stay active and older players wanted a more competitive outlet. Coaches David Shelledy and Olive Ahotaeiloa (also a player) led the transition, and today they lead a team where 60-70% of players are under the age of 25.
There were many unknowns heading into the team’s first official season, including whether Division I was the right fit. But after a trip to Las Vegas in the fall, where the Vipers played two top DII teams and won by 50-60 points each, the Utah side felt better about being in DI. During the first half of the season, the Vipers lost to Black Ice 14-5, beat Glendale 37-7, and added in a 31-29 loss to DI Elite BYU and 86-12 win over the DII Boulder Babes.
The team regrouped in 2017 for the Las Vegas 7s and then Champagne Classic.
“We have some players who have USA experience,” Shelledy referenced former Women’s Junior All-American Etta Mailau and sister Apa’au of the Girls’ High School All-Americans and 2014 Youth Olympic 7s team. “But we have a lot of other girls who are very experienced. It’s what we wanted to do – playing at a higher level will get them seen more. That’s why we picked the Champagne Classic because of the higher-level teams that compete there.”
While there was a social element to the tournament, it did feature teams like DI’s San Diego, Belmont Shore, Black Ice and Berkeley. The Vipers took home the title with a narrow win over the All Blues in the final.
“The girls wanted to win really bad,” Shelledy said. “It helped us see where we’re at, even though we traveled light. We got an understanding of what level we were playing on and what needed work – like conditioning and communication on the field, basic skills.”
The team rode that momentum into its match against Glendale on April 8. The teams scored four tries apiece in the first half, but host Glendale hit all of its conversions, 28-24 to the Raptors.
“We felt that we were kind of playing down in the first half; just trying to feel them out and see what they were capable of doing on the field,” Shelledy recalled the halftime discussions. “In the second half our passing got better, defense a little better, offense picked up. That desire to win and motivation to fix what needed to be fixed came through in the second half.”
The Vipers surged ahead in the second 40, holding Glendale to one try, while scoring five for the 55-33 win. Shellady praised the work on the entire pack for its support runs and hard carries, especially prop Soloau Te’O, who scored three tries. Even with only two reserve players, the team was able to experiment with some positional moves without falling off in performance.
Flyhalf Christina Tela served as captain that day, and she directed a solid backline that put inside center Courtney Tela and wing Apa’au Mailau into the try zone. That role as captain rotates each game, and flanker/kicker Shannon Wooley assumed that leadership position last weekend during a 44-21 win over Black Ice in Utah. When the Vipers play Glendale on April 22 in Salt Lake City, scrumhalf Tamasailau Tavita will serve as skipper.
“They’ve come quite a ways. We’re gelling well and playing well together,” Shelledy said. “They’re pretty confident but I don’t want them to get too confident. They have to keep picking it up at practice – which they’ve been doing. … This isn’t a casual team; we’re not just going out there to have fun. Our goal is to go as far as we can [into playoffs.]”
Shelledy indicated that the top-two teams in the standings will meet in Colorado on May 6 to determine the CR’s representative to nationals. The victor will then travel to Tucson, Ariz., on May 20-21 for the western portion of the DI national quarterfinals and semifinals.
#UtahVipers