Photos: Kari Killberg •
Summit High School has raised the state championship trophy once again, but everything was different this year, and the Tigers were happy for the end result. Rugby Colorado restructured its league season to 7s, with 15s friendlies peppered in, and the adjustment fostered more involvement and competition. The ultimate example occurred in the state final, as the Tigers held off then-reigning 7s champion Westside Swarm 10-5 for the title.
“It’s nice to go out there and know you have to play well – versus just not making mistakes – in order to win,” said Summit coach Karl Barth, whose Tigers have won the previous eight 15s state championships. “Based on the level of play on Saturday, there were definitely much more contested games. There were no blowouts, and that was nice.”
Summit, a single-school program, has a large player pool (50-plus players registered) and could field four 7s teams when needed. Barth mixed his teams, placing the top-eight players on the Black side and second-eight on the White team. Younger players filled out the squads. Summit White finished third with a 31-5 win over Chaparral.
“That can get a little edgy at times,” Barth said of the rosters. “If we were a multi-school team, then you let it slowly split into two teams. But we’re all at the same school here and work really hard to have that same-school culture. … It’s been a challenge to us, but [our success] is a good testament to our leaders.”
On Summit Black, seniors like Jodi Losch, Natalie Gray and Marin Pennell, and junior Cassidy Bargell (who will all feature on Atlantis’ U19 team at New York 7s next weekend) were unifying forces and kept the many moving parts working in the same direction. On Summit White, Holly Minor, Kassidy Pothier and Erin Scott-Williams were among the influential. All of these players and more were important during the 7s/15s balancing act. With one exception, 15s games occurred on Wednesdays and 7s tournaments on Saturdays.
“It’s good for them mentally to have to figure it out and make adjustments. The basics are the same – catch, pass, run and tackle – and you have to read space a little differently,” Barth said of the mixed season. “Summit has always done a little of that [7s and 15s] so it wasn’t as big a deal, but we won’t be able to flip that switch so easily in a few years because today we still have players with a lot of 15s experience.”
The intricate season saw some breakout performances, including newcomer Meghan Sockett, who ended up being the second leading try-scorer for the Tigers. An athlete with a track, skiing and swimming background, she scored both tries in the final against Swarm. A newfound consistency bolstered sophomore Heidi Anderson’s physical game. Delani Bargell added a physical aspect as well, and her time with the Girls’ High School All-American (GHSAA) U16 team introduced her to the next level of play.
“It’s scary to say that Cassidy [Bargell] had a breakout season, but she really did,” Barth said of the GHSAA 7s and 15s player. “She really learned how to make everyone around her better, which was cool.”
Barth acknowledged that opinions on the 7s shift varied from team to team, especially from those programs with stronger 15s histories. But for the former national age-grade coach, it’s all about kids playing, a lot. And for Summit, the 7s option gave the younger players meaningful field time, which contrasts with the difficulty of finding a comparable 15s match for developing athletes. And for the top players, the fragility of the 7s scoreboard – especially against Swarm – injected a level of competition that doesn’t exist for the 15s dynasty.
“The quality of play from everyone was better. It was fun to watch these individual efforts – diving tackles – there was nice ball movement, challenging restarts,” Barth reflected on Saturday. “Swarm is really skilled, athletic and well coached. It was fun to play them, even though it turned into more of a defensive effort [in the final].”
The season is over for Summit rugby, which has been an official school sport since 2006, but the Tigers are always on the lookout for more playing opportunities. The more serious players will reconvene after Christmas, and the Colorado champion will have a presence at the LVI 7s in 2017. The team is also hoping to tour internationally this year, rekindling a draw that once took the Tigers to New Zealand and Fiji.
For season-long results and final standings, visit Rugby Colorado here.
Update: A previous version of this article stated that Summit High School has won all of the Colorado State 15s championships, but Fort Collins (5) and Littleton (3) preceded the Tigers’ dynasty.
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