Saarenheimo-VanderHorst is representative of the mix of Rebels / Photo: Bobby Gable
The Rocky Mountains extend beyond the United States, and now so do its Rebels. The high school girls’ select side is rooted in Colorado, but this year’s Las Vegas Invitational squad includes players from Canada, Mexico and other U.S. states. The Rebels will compete in the Girls’ High School Elite 7s division from Thursday-Friday, March 1-2 at Heritage Park.
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Six of the 12 players hail from Colorado and represent Palmer, Westside Swarm, Legacy and Glendale. Five players have select-side experience, ranging from Flatirons 7s to the Regional Cup Tournament (RCT) all-state team. Watch for Glendale’s Gemma Ryu, who has committed to NIRA’s Brown University for fall 2018.
Also from the U.S., Emma Auld is traveling from SYC-West End in Virginia and brings with her some all-state RCT experience. Matja Saarenheimo-VanderHorst is a Girls’ High School All-American and stalwart of the Grandville (Mich.) Bulldogs. She, too, will join NIRA this fall as a member of three-time national champion Quinnipiac University.
There are three Canadians: Emma Schoeninger from Drayton Valley; Ivy Samu, who has represented Edmonton and Alberta on representative sides; and Canada U18 7s player Denise Roy, who featured in the 2017 Youth Commonwealth Games and has spent time at Canada’s centralized training facility in Langford, B.C.
And finally, there’s Vanessa Rodriguez Gasperin, who helped Mexico qualify for the 2018 World Cup Sevens. She was on the team that won the Rugby Americas North championship and will be traveling to the Hong Kong 7s (along with Notre Dame College’s Karmin Macedo) as well.
The coaching staff is equally decorated and the backgrounds of head coach Brad Dufek, assistant coaches Cam Wilton and Stephen Dodds, Rebel 7s director Ethan Pougnet, and co-head coach/director Amy Rusert are listed below.
The Rocky Mountain Rebels play the Utah Lions (9 a.m. PST), Atavus (11 a.m.) and BC Rugby (1:20 p.m.) on Thursday at Heritage Park field #2. The knockouts begin at 8 a.m. Friday, and the Girls’ High School Elite championship will kick off at 1 p.m. For more information, visit www.lvirugby.com.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN REBELS @ LVI
Michaela Adams – Palmer HS, Colo.Emma Auld – Springfield-West End, Va.Michaelanne Fetyko – Legacy HS, Colo.Vanessa Rodriguez Gasperin – Titanes RC, Veracruz, MexicoDenise Roy – Cowichan, B.C., CanadaGemma Ryu – Glendale, Colo.Matja Saarenheimo-VanderHorst – Grandville, Mich.Ivy Samu – University of Calgary, Alberta, CanadaEmma Schoeninger – Drayton Valley, Alberta, Canada
Leilani Vaimagalo – Legacy HS, Colo.Anna Van Dyk – Palmer HS, Colo.Aja Walker – Westside Swarm, Colo.STAFF
• Head Coach Brad Dufek – Assistant Coach, Quinnipiac University; Head Coach, Village Lions Women’s 7s; Assistant Coach, Yale University Men• Assistant Coach Cam Wilton – Head Coach/Technical Director, North American Barbarians 7s; various positions for Celtic Barbarians, Alberta Provincial Rugby, Strathcona Druids, Edmonton Gold• Assistant Coach Stephen Dodds – Head Coach, Drayton Valley HS Girls; Assistant Coach, Celtic Barbarians
• Rebels 7s Head Coach/Director Ethan Pougnet – Assistant Coach, 2017 Men’s Collegiate All-American 7s; Head Coach, 2017 DII Boys Colorado State Champs Arapahoe HS• Co-Head Coach/Director Amy Rusert – Head Coach, U.S. Air Force Academy Women; Head Coach, Palmer HS Girls; Assistant Coach, Palmer HS Boys
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