This past weekend was a big one for USA Youth & High School and USA Club Rugby. The following summarizes the girls’ high school and high school club national championships, as well as senior club 15s nationals. But stay tuned for individual features that will include more detail and the winners’ voices.
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Of the four titles awarded this past weekend, the Girls’ High School Club 15s National Tournament was the first to name its champion. The six teams that reported to Madison, Wis., were seeded and separated into two pools of three, and teams played their two pool games on Friday. 2024 champion Belmont Shore beat the Chicago Valkyries 80-0 and United 34-0 to top its pool, while 2024 runner-up Majestics also posted two shutouts: 69-0 against Rockford, and 24-0 against San Mateo Wolverines.
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On day two, Saturday, teams of like-strength faced each other in the placing matches, and much more competitive games evolved. In the 5th place game, Michigan’s Rockford beat Chicago 29-14, and in the bronze final, San Mateo topped United 33-17. The title match exceeded them all in terms of back-and-forth, non-stop action. But Belmont Shore got the job done with a 31-29 win and second-straight national title. Stay tuned for more.
The single-school tournament overlaps with the multi-school on Saturday, and its format is more traditional bracket wise. There are quarterfinals and semifinals on Saturday, and then finals on Sunday. 2024 champion Eagle won its quarterfinal 80-0 against City Honors and then kept its points-against column clean with a 38-0 semifinal win against Catholic Memorial. Fellow Idaho team Meridian, which finished 3rd in its nationals debut last year, took down Hamilton 70-17 in round one and then knocked off perennial title contender Divine Savior Holy Angels 14-12 in the semifinals.
That meant an all-Idaho final on Sunday — a focal point for upcoming interviews — and Eagle had the gas for a 34-7 win against Meridian and second-straight title. DSHA finished 3rd with a 15-0 win against Catholic Memorial. Hamilton took 5th after beating Warsaw 36-17, and City Honors finished 7th.
SENIOR CLUB
In the senior club sphere, action began on Friday with the DI semifinals. NOVA held a narrow 14-12 halftime lead against Metropolis before putting more cushion on the scoreboard in the second half, 34-24 the final. Six different players scored and co-captain Camille Johnson led with nine points on a try and two conversions. The Utah Vipers had an easier go against sHARC, winning 86-7. Outside center Apa’au Mailau scored a whopping five tries, while captain Shannon Woolley accounted for 21 points (T, 8C).
Sunday’s final was a rematch of the 2024 title match, and the teams returned to this stage much more educated on each other’s strengths. The Vipers started and finished strongly. The team scored the first two tries of the match and three-straight tries in the final 12 minutes of the game. NOVA showed its grit, battling back from an early deficit and overtaking the lead twice in the third quarter. Ultimately, the Utah Vipers had the engine to run out a 45-36 win and first-ever national trophy. Toomalatai, Mailau (2), Kennidi Feliuai, Kylie Bloomfield, Soloau Te’o and Vaimalo Manuo scored the tries, and Woolley added five crucial conversions. NOVA got its points from Fulbrook (3T), Kathryn Hobbs (T) and Johnson (2T, 3C).
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Division II played Saturday and Sunday, and Phoenixville was the first post a W. In its semifinal against Grand Rapids, White Horse scored six tries through 63 minutes, and Claudia Norton (4) and Corinne Gallagher added the conversions. Norton, Kelsi Beahm (2), Anna McGlade, Sydnei Scipio and Kelsey Diabo all dotted down. The Growlers logged converted tries on either side of the half — one from Carmen Cincotta, the other from Samantha Walquist — and captain Emma Shimek converted both in the 40-14 decision to Phoenixville.
Las Vegas and Tampa Bay followed, and they nearly went into halftime deadlocked at 0-0, but then Kielee Kinghorn crossed for Las Vegas for a 5-0 lead into the break. The Florida side immediately evened up in the second half, sending McKenzie Koval away for five points, but then Vegas locked in for three-straight scores. Rachel Haycock, Matelani Lotomau (who would end the weekend with three tries) and Taylahn Russ dotted down, and Sierra Williams kicked a conversion for 22 points total. Tampa Bay kept working and was rewarded with two late tries through Laurell Cuza and Lauren Surick, and Robyn Oliveri converted both for the 22-19 final to Las Vegas.
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In Sunday’s championship match, both Las Vegas and Phoenixville scored four tries apiece; however, the former converted all of its scores and also added a Kinghorn penalty — and that accounted for the six-point separation on the scoreboard. Phoenixville scored the first and last tries of the match, both through fullback Gallagher, and also enjoyed a brief lead when McGlade scored early in the second half. Las Vegas concentrated all of its scoring in the middle of the match, sending Lotomau (2), Taumoefolau and Jones into the try zone. Kinghorn (2C, P) and Williams (2C) handled the kicking duties and sealed the 31-24 win for Las Vegas. Stay tuned for more.