Photos: RIC Kruszynski and Christine Cancian
This year’s Rugby Ohio Fall 7s season took a more structured approach, as three divisions convened for four series tournaments before naming a champion. Led by an upperclass-heavy core with several years playing together, Brunswick topped the standings at 7-1 and claimed the Ohio State 7s title.
In previous years, all of the girls’ high school teams played each other in a single division, but fall 2017 saw 5-6 teams of comparative strength competing against each other in three separate brackets. In the top division, Brunswick’s only loss came at the hands of 15s state champion St. Joseph’s Academy (20-19), but Brunswick got its revenge later in the season en route to the title. The six-year-old team also defeated top teams like Hudson, and those victories meant a lot to the players. Prater, who’s been head coach for five years, anticipates a good season ahead.
“I’m personally looking forward to this season. There are a lot of similarities between the team today and the one that won the [DII] state title in 15s,” Prater reflected on the 2014 squad and that double-overtime win. “This is the largest core group of seniors we’ve had in a while – I’m expecting 8-10 this year.”
Within that senior group are players who represented Brunswick during its first Division I 15s season in spring 2015. The team had graduated 12 seniors from the DII championship team and got knocked around by St. Joe’s, Hudson and Lakewood the first couple of seasons. But, they’re stronger today for it.
“Our pack is going to be the big punch we need this year,” the coach said. “We have some big, physical, strong girls, and we have subs who are young and eager and working up to that level. Now we have the luxury of taking a girl out not because she’s hurt or didn’t do well, but because someone else is coming on who’s going to play just as hard.”
There are some bruisers in the tight five, not the least of which is Raina Perciak, who is one of two Valkyries invited to the Midwest Thunderbirds’ tour to Florida in the New Year. She’s a hard hitter and built for inside center, but does her damage in the front row. In terms of up-and-comers, watch for freshman Louisa Justice, another big, strong player. She garnered attention during opening week on the B side 7s team and got playing time on the top side as a sub. Prater indicated that she’s really taking to the game, and developing her skill set and game understanding will be the big priorities moving into the spring.
Additionally, Brunswick’s back line has been playing together for the previous three years. It’s led by senior flyhalf Mahina Beates, who was also invited to the Thunderbird tour to Florida. She’s a greatly skilled athlete who directs traffic and upped her game knowledge this year. Prater knows that once Beates and the rest of the seniors graduate, a rebuilding year will follow, and the recruitment process begins now. The coach has pegged a pair of promising freshmen as future halfbacks: Kristen Spickler at scrumhalf and Samantha Drum at flyhalf.
Fortunately, Rugby Ohio’s Rookie Rugby program continues to develop athletes before high school ands feeds experienced players to Brunswick. Prater estimated that half of Brunswick’s newcomers have played junior high rugby.
“Every girl who has played Rookie Rugby is a starter or very close to it,” Prater said. “Both of my Thunderbirds and every rookie on the upper-level team – or those who should have been on the upper-level team, looking back at it – came through Rookie Rugby. The product is there; we just need to grow it and improve it. It will eventually eliminate the problem of having to recruit girls at school, when they come in for a year or two and then graduate.”
After the fall 7s season, many Brunswick players attended the Legacy Rugby Academy weekend in Michigan, and now they’ll enjoy a break before ramping up again in January.
“For a lot of the girls, rugby is what they do, so they’ll take the time to relax and take a breath,” Prater said. “For those players who make the Celtics [Elite], they play 15s from January until almost July, and then summer 7s goes to August. There’s a month break and then fall 7s starts. So the team’s mood and vibe right now is that they’re looking forward to the 15s season, but it’s not something that is taking over just yet.”
For more information on girls’ high school rugby in Ohio, visit www.rugbyohio.com.
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