White Horse entered the Pennsylvania high school 7s championship as the favorite and exited the weekend as the champion. The team went undefeated and unscored upon on Sunday, defeating West Pitt in the semifinals and Doylestown in the final for a second-straight fall 7s title.
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“Everyone stepped up their intensity and showed improvement over the season,” White Horse coach Wayne DiMarco commended the field. “West Pitt is a team to watch in the near future. They have some young talent with lots of potential and competed very hard. … Doylestown is always strong and very well coached. They know how to play 7s and do everything well.”
In particular, DiMarco was looking at freshmen Makenna Tuman (West Pitt) and Nina Mason (Doylestown), who are heading to the New York 7s with Atlantis. They join seven fellow Rugby PA players who were also competing at the state championship.
“Our girls were just very focused and played fantastic 7s all day,” DiMarco reflected. “We had a team talk about three weeks ago addressing our team culture, who we are and what do we want to achieve. The girls responded fantastically. Their focus, dedication, and determination were unstoppable, and I am so proud of this group of wonderful young ladies.”
First-season sophomore Merrin McSorley
While no official Rugby PA MVP was named, DiMarco pointed to captains Alex DiMarco and Julia Riekena as standouts. They will be joining fellow Atlantis veteran Ariana Ramsey in New York, along with two other White Horse teammates.
“The most improvement over the season would be freshman Sophia Linder and sophomore Merrin McSorley,” DiMarco praised. “Both played well beyond their ages and both were instrumental in our success.”
For those that continue on with Atlantis, the select side will compete in the Thanksgiving-time event and remain in the pool for the 2018 Las Vegas Invitational. The Rugby PA 15s season typically begins in late March.
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