South Wins NSCRO 7s All-Stars

Photos: Nathan Kovacs, Eckerd College (Ralph.k333@gmail.com)

The South won the NSCRO Women’s All-Star 7s Championship, a first-time event that brought eight conferences to St. Petersburg, Fla., last weekend. The South defeated Prairie States 20-5 in the final and sent two representatives to the all-tournament team. Co-captain Ally Gallagher was named championship MVP.

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The South might have had home-field advantage, but the squad did cope with the same constraints – time together, 7s experience – as the rest of the field. The coaching staff of Mike Geibel, Kelsey Brachna, Chris Martin and Mary Warbel focused on the differences between 7s and 15s, hammering home the concepts of space, depth and spreading the ball.

Geibel was impressed with how well the entire team embraced the 7s game plan – especially Stephie Franz, who flew in from her study abroad at the UN Saturday morning, learned the system immediately, and became an excellent scoring threat out wide. The first two rounds produced a 31-7 win over Ohio Valley and 38-5 win over Allegheny. And then with a trip to the semifinals guaranteed, the South took on an also-undefeated Prairie States.

“Some of the teams we played were very good at just maintaining possession. They offloaded a lot and were very clinical in their attack, very structured and almost mechanical in the way they’d run their plays and work us back down the field,” Geibel said. “Same with defense – some teams were present all the time and shutting us down, so we had to work harder to get outside of that.”

That’s exactly what Prairie States brought to the pitch, and they shook the South in the first half. The team rebounded in the second half, but Prairie States got the 14-12 win.

“Overall, we just weren’t as focused as the first two games,” Geibel said of the loss. “We didn’t keep our depth on offense, and on defense we weren’t playing as a unit. … We had trouble with some teams that could offload well and keep the ball moving. It’s tough to stay solid on defense phase after phase in 7s, considering the space.”

The loss delivered important lessons about staying calm and trusting the system, and when day two rolled around, the team was loose and positive. The South defeated Upstate New York 22-7 in the semifinals, while Prairie States topped the Mid-Atlantic 17-10 for a rematch in the championship.

“That was something that we talked about right after we lost to them on Saturday,” Geibel said of a Prairie States rematch. “The team wanted another chance, because everyone knew we did not focus or play our game the first time around. They knew the only way to do that was to see them in the final. It’s what they wanted and they went out and executed in the semifinal.”

For the championship, the South knew it needed a big defensive performance to contend with Prairie States’ continuity game.

“Our two co-captains – Lauren Judkins and Ally Gallagher – led the way,” Geibel said of defensive standouts. “Ally in the forwards made a lot of tackles and her work rate was off the charts – but we knew that was going to happen. She’s always all over the place. Lauren stepped up as more of the organizing captain on the field, telling people where to be and how to shift – like a 15s fullback.”

The defense played with urgency, and the offense picked up where it left off in the semifinal and showcased its speed. Kat Scheerer scored two tries in the final, while Shae Ferguson and Franz scored one apiece in the 20-5 title victory.

“Kat was definitely very impressive. She had five tries on the weekend and made a lot of tackles and long breaks,” Geibel said of standouts. “Stephie was really important on the wing for her speed alone, but what really impressed me was how she stepped up on defense. She is not big but she made some big hits and took some girls into touch with her tackles. She was really fun to watch.”

Ferguson and championship MVP Gallagher were two of seven players named to the all-tournament team, and they’ll get a special look from NSCRO Women’s 7s Commissioner Bryn Chivers, who will pick an NSCRO Select 7s team for the Las Vegas Invitational. Geibel indicated that Scheerer and Judkins also drew attention and would be good candidates for additional next-level play.

Upstate New York finished third with a 24-0 win over the Mid-Atlantic. New England beat Ohio Valley 10-5 for fifth, and Allegheny topped LoneStar 25-17 for seventh.

For more information, visit www.nscro.org.

SOUTH ALL-STAR 7s TEAM

Shae Ferguson (Lee)

Allyson Frank (Lee)

Stephie Franz (Eckerd)

Ally Gallagher (Eckerd)

Lauren Judkins (Lee)

Kelsey Martin (Lee)

Kat Scheerer (Eckerd)

Hannah Scudder (Lee)

Macie Sherburne (Eckerd)

Heidi Small (Eckerd)

Hailey Thompson (Lee)

Emily Yanuskiewicz (Eckerd)

Coaching Staff: Mike Geibel, Kelsey Brachna, Chris Martin, Mary Warbel

NSCRO ALL-STAR 7s ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

Erin Buckland (Maine-Farmington) – New England Kelly DeGrood (St. Bonaventure) – Upstate NY Shae Ferguson (Lee) – SouthAllison Gallagher (Eckerd) – South, MVP

Breanna Harell (Wooster) – Ohio ValleyLeanna Rosberg (Wayne St) – Prairie States

Amanda Tondin (York) – Mid-Atlantic

USASouth South NSCRO