Tia Blythe (left) and Jess Wooden /// Photos: Carisa Weaver •
Rather than name an all-tournament team for the women’s club 7s national championship that culminated in a Scion title yesterday, we went a different route and crafted two fantasy teams that we’d like to see face off.
With only 14 spots across 16 teams, many good players were left off of the list, but those selected met two important criteria: First, the player’s a difference-maker: steals rucks, is confident in the one-on-one, takes chances and is fun to watch. Second, she doesn’t get palmed-off on defense. Other considerations, like penchant for penalties, figured in as well.
FORWARDS
When ARPTC and Scion lined up in the Cup semifinals, the scrum was a towering display of big, powerful women who could move. It was a great match-up, and seeing ASHLEY PERRY (ARPTC) and ABBY GUSTAITIS (Scion) go up against each other would be a pleasure. Their power sees defenses overcommit, and their vision allows them to skillfully move the ball through contact to teammates in space. They both have finishing abilities, too, and each scored pull-away tries during the tournament.
On the other side of the scrum, we’d want a KRISTIN ZDANCZEWICZ vs. RACHEL JOHNSON showdown. The former represented the USA at the 2010 Women’s Rugby World Cup and brings that flanker work ethic to the breakdown. Zdanczewicz was instrumental in getting the Youngbloodz, who won the Plate, turnovers in contact and cleaning up loose ball. Whereas the 35-year-old is a well known entity, Johnson should now be one if she wasn’t already. The ORSU prop is deceptively fast and strong, fending off would-be tacklers without having to maneuver around them and pulling away for long-range scores. Johnson was just as influential at the contact point for ORSU, which finished fourth overall.
Linking the two props would be definitions of “grit”: SAM PANKEY and MEGAN HANSON. Both are veterans of the game and consummate work horses. Pankey put in an MVP-worthy performance for Scion, whether setting the tone with an opening-minute try, dummying around or back inside the defense, or planting three successive tackles in game six to force a turnover on the goal line. Hanson is, as her nickname “5’0” implies, petite in stature, but gigantic in force. She plays like someone immune to pain and is always putting herself in the right position to finish an offensive movement.
BACKS
Our choices for scrumhalf have determination at the core of their attributes. ORSU’s MOLLY LUFT did it all. Against San Diego in the Cup quarterfinals, Luft broke through the middle of the field before getting tackled at the line. She was back on her feet looping around the subsequent ruck and quickly scored on the weak side. Against ARPTC in the third place game, there was essentially no time on the clock, as Elizabeth Stratton sprinted down the sideline looking to add to the 19-0 lead. The scoreline didn’t influence Luft’s pursuit and she knocked the ball free during the attempted grounding. Big fan. DANIELLE WALKO-SIUA wasn’t on the pitch for the entirety of matches, but she was very potent deep in the tournament. Tiny and compact, she keeps her legs moving while writhing out of tackles, and the effort often pays off in the try zone.
For flyhalf, San Diego’s HUNTER GRIENDLING and Chicago Griffins’ LAUREN TROUT stand out. Of similar builds – tall and lean – they’re consummate playmakers who are tricky when they need to be. Like everyone on this list, both have finishing ability, plant their tackles and are in the center of the rally when their teams are looking for a boost. Their positions on their respective teams are different, however. Griendling is a 7s Eagle who transferred to the Surfers after leaving the OTC. She plays with other former and current Eagles, and her place among them is to set them up for greatness. The Griffins had a lot of untested athletes on their squad, and Trout served as an excellent example on the field.
The center match-up is interesting and once again pits two players with different styles yet similar effectiveness. ARPTC’s JESS WOODEN is an Eagles fullback, and so she’s a great choice for sweeper on defense and for spotting space on offense. She isn’t stutter-stepping or spinning out of tackles; she sees and hits the angles, finishes her breaks and is fast on support. She goes about her job with little fuss or fanfare. San Diego’s TIA BLYTHE is smaller, fast and fiery. She’s just fun to watch. She runs hard lines for at-pace pops, attacks the unguarded weak side aggressively, and is quick to support a goal line tackle for a pick and dive-over try. Both are good conversion kickers.
The wings needed to be speedy and reliable finishers who weren’t easily bundled into touch, and also strong in contact and sure in the tackle. Scion’s KIKI MORGAN and Seattle’s KELSI STOCKERT were both of examples of such. No one got around the corner on the Eagle wings, and both made fantastic pursuit tackles to stop tries. There might have been faster players across the 16 teams, but these two were good about tracking down ballcarriers and then following through with the tackle. All that said, the duo were fun to watch down the sideline. Morgan has a silkier, long-legged stride, while Stockert has more pop. No surprises as to why they’re Eagles.
There are plenty more players who impressed on the weekend, and hopefully they’ll start to surface as the U.S. enters its next Olympics cycle. At the end of the month, Team USA coach Richie Walker, who was on the grounds in Commerce City, Colo., will be hosting a tryout on August 28 for those interested in OTC residency. To apply for an invitation, click here.
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