Rugby Colorado contested its second 7s-only season, and akin to 2016, Summit High School defeated Westside SWARM in the championship. The duo sets the standard in Colorado, but there was a lot of action that preceded the season finale, with veritable varsity, JV and developmental pools contesting games each round.
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“There were fewer blowouts this year. Summit and SWARM are still the strongest performers, but the midsection of the table – Fort Collins, Glendale, Legacy – they’re learning what’s important in 7s,” said Tim Scott, assistant coach at Westside SWARM and Rugby Colorado’s JV 15s team. “The struggle is maintaining a roster of players every year that’s big enough to survive. We struggled with that this year, but that’s provided opportunity for bigger programs, giving them a competitive advantage every weekend.”
Summit High School coach Karl Barth backed Scott’s sentiments, noting Fort Collins’ strong showing as well as East’s debut. For the state champion, however, this fall was less about numbers than it was personnel and settling into the 7s-only setup.
“For us, last year was a definite learning experience,” Barth explained. “Having the team split into two competing teams led to some friction and tested the core culture of the program, but lessons were learned and this year I think we managed that much better.”
Summit Black returned two players from its 2016 championship squad – Cassidy Bargell and Clara Copley. Losing Delani Bargell and Ana Gonzalez just before the season produced more questions about how the team would shape up.
“This team, however, far exceeded all expectations,” Barth praised. “They worked amazingly hard on and off the pitch, had amazing chemistry, and grew every week. They played really well at Pink 7s – losing only to United in the final – in October and built a great defense to complement their offense. [The team had] excellent ball skills, great patience and game understanding, and a great mix of finishers, playmakers and grinders.”
Captains Cassidy Bargell, Kassidy Pothier and Erin Scott-Williams guided Summit Black, while Izzy Keller, Abby Daugherty and Brissa Veleta comprised the leadership group for Summit White. As the season progressed, Copley grew into an all-around threat, and Cece Pennell (bound for New York 7s) became an on-field director with her strong play and kicking game to lead the junior class. In the sophomore class, PK Vincze was outstanding in defense, and Nicole Kimball was a true finisher.
“Daugherty emerged as the undisputed leader of the ‘White’ team and, along with fellow sophomore Logan Simson, caught the eye of Pete Steinberg at States,” Barth noted the attendance of the former USA Women’s 15s coach.
During the state championship, Summit Black and Westside SWARM progressed through the playoffs as anticipated. Swarm is the 2015 Colorado 7s champion and dropped a 10-5 decision to the Tigers in last year’s final. The Denver-area team was eager to retake the trophy in 2017 and put up the first seven points of the championship – also the first points scored against Summit Black all day long.
“They took an early lead, but the girls don’t panic easily and scored two tries to take the lead,” Barth recounted. “And then crucially under pressure deep in their half with no time left, SWARM decided to play instead kick the ball dead, and [Pothier’s] interception set up Kalina Macias’ try for a 10-point lead.”
Two quick tries early in the second half halted any momentum that SWARM had hoped to build.
“Our bench was the difference all year as we had depth no matter who started,” Barth pointed to difference-makers. “Eva Copley, the team’s second leading try-scorer, came off the bench to score a hat trick, and Vincze, Nicole Choma and Jordan Elam also made some big plays.”
Summit finished the day with a 50-7 victory and second-straight Colorado 7s state championship. The tournament played out to 12th place, and then Rugby Colorado honored its award winners and named the All-State team:
STATE CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS
Final: Summit 50-7 Westside SWARM
3rd: Fort Collins 24-15 Legacy
5th: Palmer 26-12 Summit White
7th: Glendale 20-5 Chaparral
9th: East 31-0 Monarch
11th: Regis 34-5 Lumberjackies
RUGBY COLORADO AWARDS
Shalanda Baker Shield (Player of the Year) – Cassidy Bargell, Summit
Coach of the Year – Keri Peacock, East
Referee of the Year – Randy Lewis
Team Sportsmanship – Summit HS and Monarch HS
ALL-STATE 1ST TEAM
Cassidy Bargell – Summit
Clara Copley – Summit
Moira Dillow – Fort Collins
Taylor Gonzales – Palmer
Maddie Hadden – SWARM
Tessa Hahn – SWARM
Maddie Lane – SWARM
Cece Pennell – Summit
Gemma Ryu – Glendale
Soneva Scott – SWARM
PK Vincze – Summit
Celeste Wilson – East
So concludes the Rugby Colorado season for girls’ high schools. While a handful of teams will resurface for the Las Vegas Invitational or align with select teams like the Rocky Mountain Rebels, there isn’t a Rugby Colorado-backed 7s program for the girls. The state does send 15s teams to the Regional Cup Tournament in the summer.
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