Eagle HS Claims the Nationals 3-Peat

Like its high school club counterpart, Eagle High School won its third-straight Girls Single-School 15s National Championship last weekend in Salt Lake City. 2026 marked the first year that the single-school division competed in pools versus the traditional bracket, and the shift actually intensified the Lady Mustangs’ path to the final. [lead photo: Jackie Finlan]

Six teams committed to Tier 1 of the single-school division: three teams from Idaho (Eagle, Rocky Mountain, Meridian), Colorado’s Summit, Wisconsin’s Divine Savior Holy Angel (DSHA), and Hawaii’s Kahuku. So rather than bump up two teams from Tier 2 to fill out the quarterfinals — which has long been the structure for the single schools — the nationals committee opted for two pools of three teams. That meant each team played two shortened games on Saturday, and then standings slotted teams into final placing matches on Sunday.

Upon reflection, the pools were differently weighted. Eagle headlined Pool A alongside Midwest champion DSHA and the Summit HS Tigers, and the Mustangs matches against those juggernauts were of finals quality. Pool B included Rocky Mountain, Meridian and Kahuku, but the Raiders did not travel at full strength. Per tournament director Nikki Bartell, if Kahuku seniors missed the last week of school, then they wouldn’t be able to graduate, and thus did not report to Utah. Kahuku still traveled, picked up some players to fill a roster, but ultimately forfeited its matches as friendlies before kickoff. The sharing of that information, however, would be a source of contention from several participating teams.

It’s rare for a team to arrive at nationals in its ideal shape. It’s end of season, there have been injuries, seniors have conflicting engagements – and how these programs adapt is an aspect of their staying power. Eagle, for example, was missing its two captains, Ella Elordi and Anna Petzinger, due to injury, and another star, senior Kanani Watts, did not travel for nationals. Elordi and Watts are USA Pathway players heading to NCAA DI Lindenwood University this fall. (related: HS > College Rugby Commits)

“We came into this season knowing that we were going to be really strong, but we had a couple injuries that shook us up a little,” said junior outside center Ellie Davis, who was featuring in her second nationals tournament. “We had a ton of girls step up and really show what we’re made of. We say all the time, ‘We’re 23 deep.’ Our whole bench, we’re ready to go and there is no drop-off at all. I think we definitely showed that this year with new players coming in and stepping up.”

One such newcomer is an absolute game changer: freshman inside center Mallory Crawford. She was introduced to rugby in 7th grade and is dynamite on both sides of the ball.

“I play soccer and just wanted to try rugby out,” she said. “The culture was so much better than any other sport, in my opinion, so I just fell in love with it.

“I didn’t have any expectations,” Crawford said of her first nationals. “We just said that no matter what happens, it was meant to happen. It was just so much fun.”

Head coach Kraig Smikel noted the team’s nerves as it readied for its opener against DSHA, and for good reason. The Dashers have featured in every nationals tournament since the event’s inception and has double-digit titles that punctuate that legacy. Eagle started attending nationals in 2022 and every time it plays DSHA, it’s an epic clash.

“I think our team really loved the challenge, because we’ve been playing the same teams over and over again [in Idaho],” Crawford said. “And so this was our first real big challenge, because it was a three-point difference in our first game, which was the closest we’ve been with anybody.”

DSHA led Eagle until the waning moments, when a last-minute score put the Mustangs ahead 13-10 for good. Crawford and Shelby Butler scored Eagle’s tries. Captain and flyhalf Kinley Doyle — another spark in the middle of the pitch — knocked over the penalty kick that provided the deciding points.

“Both of our captains got injured at the end of the season,” Crawford said, “so I just want to thank our new captains that stepped up — Kinley [Doyle] and Tommy [Stone]. They just really took it over in their own way and were great.”

DSHA, which is under the direction of Joe Kloiber, didn’t have much time to stew on the result, as the team was back on the pitch an hour later to face a fresh Summit. True to form, the Wisconsinites dug deep for a 22-7 win against the Colorado side.

A best outcome for the Dashers would have been a Summit win against Eagle, because three teams would be 1-1 and standings points sort teams into Sunday’s finals. And Summit nearly pulled it off, driven by the notable Hailey Russer, who is heading to Life University in the fall. Fellow graduating seniors Teagan Barth and Elle Chabot are heading to DI NCAA Harvard and La Salle, respectively, this fall, too.

Eagle had the goods, though, and ended the tournament day with a 24-17 win. Crawford tallied another two tries, and Doyle followed on points scored with a try and penalty kick.

The other pool was … complicated. As mentioned, the Kahuku games were ruled forfeits due to its mixed roster, but the matches themselves were still played. The controversy revolves around that information being shared with the nationals field as a whole, because a team might take a totally different roster approach for a friendly versus a veritable match. When Meridian took the field for its opener, the team didn’t realize it had already banked the win against Kahuku and put out its top line. Meridian won 36-12 but also lost several players to injury. Rocky Mountain, which is the home club of nationals committee chair Chris Kovak, lost to Kahuku 49-10 — but again, the game was a friendly and thus a win for Rocky Mountain before kickoff.

Rocky Mountain then beat Meridian 27-22, and that’s when the dilemma reached a crescendo. Ultimately committee chair Kovak took responsibility for the miscommunications and awarded Meridian the berth to the final.

“The one thing that I think everyone needs to understand is that none of this poor communication was malicious,” said Utah Youth Rugby President and nationals referee manager Alex Nunnally, who was intimately involved with the running of the tournament. “I honestly don’t think Chris intentionally didn’t tell Meridian that Kahuku was forfeiting their two matches. Just as I don’t believe the Girls Nationals Committee [was duplicitous in having] Westlake involved, where they had to drop out last minute. All the committee was trying to do was get more girls playing, more teams out, and something else ended up happening.”

Nunnally was referring to Utah’s Westlake Drua, which had won its Tier 2 pool but then pulled out of Saturday competition. Thus, pool runner-up Sacramento Harlequins was bumped up to the Tier 2 championship in an earlier time slot to play San Mateo Wolverines, which won the repeat title 34-17. The Quins had lost to Westlake 26-19 in pool play and were a worthy replacement, but again, it’s a snafu that should not be happening at a nationals tournament.

“I think it’s so cool to have two Idaho teams in the national final, especially two years in a row,” Davis said of seeing Meridian in the final. “It shows just how much talent is in Idaho and puts us on that stage for the rest of the country. It’s a really great opportunity.”

The Sunday finals were all convincing decisions. Summit bested Kahuku 46-15 for 5th place. DSHA controlled its 3rd place match against Rocky Mountain in a 61-12 contest. And Eagle beat Meridian 41-10 for the championship. Crawford and Taylor Gutierrez scored a brace of tries apiece, while Gemma LeBeau, Lucy Palace and Alex Hawthorne dotted down a try each. Watch the replays (free once you create an account).

“Definitely our coaches,” Davis thought on final callouts. “They are just amazing. We couldn’t ask for better people to coach us. They love and support us, and everything about them is just amazing. It’s part of the thing that drew me into this team and this sport.”

There was also a Tier 2 competition and it, too, had its complications. Nonetheless, a NOVA+Wasatch squad shut out Herriman/Kearns for the title, and Utah’s Layton Christian Academy beat Eagle’s second team, also a combination squad, for third. Buffalo’s City Honors secured a 41-33 win against the Helena Hydra for fifth.