Indy Speed 15s team
High school 7s was active this summer, but 15s, specifically all-star 15s, was not as visible. Some programs rallied, however, and gave those athletes looking for next-level exposure the opportunity to play.
Indy Speed is Indiana’s state all-star program and has featured at high-profile 15s tournaments like the Midwest All-Star Challenge and Regional Cup Tournament (RCT). RJ Moser assisted with both of those outings in 2019 and was readying for a repeat in 2020 when Covid-19 hit. The previous head coaches had to step down and Moser had the time and interest to take over the head coaching role this summer.
When Indiana high schoolers declared their desire for a summer season, they were coming with a mix of playing experience from the just-ended school year. Indiana did hold a touch 7s season in the fall and then spring 15s followed, but not all teams were able to participate due to Covid-19 restrictions and/or numbers. A solid group of 20 came together, but then the fixture for which the team was preparing – the Midwest All-Star Challenge in Elkhart, Ind. – was canceled.
“So I contacted Jeff Noe in Wisconsin and we debated what we could do,” Moser said of the Wisconsin U19 head coach. “I knew, and Jeff knew, if you skip another year [of competition], then it’s harder to keep the momentum.”
Wisconsin has a long-established, robust all-star 15s program and was able to supply two sides to a June 19 tournament. Moser then reached out Carmel for interest, and head coach Kelly Romano committed her team as well as its home pitch for a day of 15s. On game day, Indy Speed opened against Wisconsin A.
“That was a tough first game,” Moser said. “Wisconsin is very good, very competitive. I think the girls were surprised how good Wisconsin A were. They came to play.
“But the girls realized what they need to do to get better, and I was proud of how they stepped up after only a couple of weeks of practice,” the coach added. “You don’t get to see that when you play the same teams all the time.”
Wisconsin called out Taylor Powell as Player of the Match, and Rugby Indiana followed suit later in the summer, naming the North Central rising senior as Player of the Year.
Indy Speed then faced Wisconsin’s B side and banked the win.
“We played much better as a team,” Moser said. “They were all thankful to be on the pitch and have a run, especially as it was the only rugby for some of them. It was a great opportunity for them.”
Carmel also went 1-1, dropping its game to Wisconsin A and winning against the visitor’s B side.
“Carmel, who hosted the 15s tournament, is keen on repeating the experience next year,” Moser said of the positive experience. “They have the field and we support that idea. And we’d be happy to play Wisconsin again. Part of it is whether the RCTs or All-Stars come back. We don’t want to step on anyone’s toes if there’s going to be an organized format. We don’t want to segregate people into pools. If they don’t come back, then we’ll look at it again. Maybe we’ll go to Wisconsin next year, and if there are RCTs, then we’ll do that again.”
The 15s team drew from six different high schools, mostly from central Indiana: Avon, Noblesville, North Central, Penn, Pike and Westfield. Moser, who intends to be head coach until someone else takes over, is focusing on rebuilding the player pool and marketing the playing opportunities in the near future. Next season’s group will be juniors and seniors, and so the younger classes need a look.
Indy Speed 7s team @ Adrian
“I thought [the summer season] was all done, and then there was interest from the girls for 7s,” Moser said. “’This is fantastic!’ Twelve were interested, so I put it all together, organized practices, and played 7s. They were really excited to play 7s after 15s.”
Ten players from the 15s team continued to train with the 7s group, and Moser picked up two new players. He also picked up coach Charlie Krivda from Noblesville, and that extra support was a welcomed addition as the team trained for Bulldog 7s, a tournament hosted by Adrian College in Michigan in early August. Indy Speed went 2-2, losing games to eventual champion Sparta-Rock and runner-up Chargers A, and defeating Chargers B and a team from Cincinnati.
“They kept progressing as the day went on and really embraced 7s,” Moser said. “Our last game of the day against Charger A, we played our best rugby of the day. Charger beat us but we played fantastic. In that tournament format with the knockout round where it’s win-and-move-on, you’ve got to play at a higher level and the girls really loved that. It’s fun to see what needs to get better, and everyone did get better.”
Powell again put in a powerful showing, and she’ll be investigating her collegiate options this upcoming year. Moser was also impressed with some breakout performances.
“One of the girls from Penn – Skylan Kempft – she drove two hours to 7s and 15s practices,” Moser said. “She came like a ball of fire. High energy. She’s a scrumhalf in 15s and reads the field well, very athletic, very smart, very personable. She came in and dazzled us with how she grew. She embraced every challenge and kept rising above. A real leader. She impressed us the most from not knowing how she’d play to how she grew.”
Alanis Dorsey really showed up at Adrian. The newcomer exploited every opportunity to run, and ran hard. Dorsey impressed, but Moser reiterated that every single player improved during the summer.
“I was hoping that the girls would bond with each other and they really did,” Moser said. “During the tournament, all the girls from these different backgrounds, they all got together on the pitch and kicked the ball around with each other. To see that, that is the joy of the game, bringing together all of these programs and sharing this experience together.
“Ideally we’d like to be more competitive,” the coach continued. “There was no selection process; we just wanted to get back to playing. Maybe in 2-3 years we go to Utah [for NAI 7s] but we’re not at that level yet. But if we continue to grow this, increase the rugby knowledge and have fun, we’ll build that bond across multiple schools and show that Indiana does have a robust rugby program.”
A wash of positivity has come out of the summer, which has staff and players looking at future playing options. As mentioned, the RCTs and other all-star 15s events might return and those are well attended Midwest events. Moser also mentioned 7s tournaments like Falcon 7s at ARPTC in Little Rock; Last Frontier 7s in Anchorage; and repeat tournaments at Adrian College. Conversations regarding a Midwest High School 7s Series have also surfaced, and a nice circuit that stopped in Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois could easily come together.
“I’m very proud of the girls. We pushed them hard and they all embraced it,” Moser thought on the summer. “We tried different coaching techniques that they probably weren’t accustomed to to broaden their horizons, and they appreciated different ways of learning things and embraced the experience. By the end of it, they were all better players and told me they learned something. That’s a huge success in my book: They had fun and I didn’t turn anyone off. That’s key. The energy at the 7s tournament – even though we went 2-2 and they had their hearts broken on the last game when they realized that meant no final – they reflected on a great experience and all love rugby, and I helped make it a good experience.”
INDY SPEED 7s & 15s
Julietta Anderson – 7s & 15s
Darcy Andrzejewski – 7s & 15s
Kaylee Arriaga – 15s
Riley Bonds – 7s & 15s
Brooke Butler – 7s & 15s
Jenna Butler – 15s
Mariah Carroll – 7s & 15s
Kiana Coker – 7s
Alanis Dorsey – 7s
Rayan Duffy – 15s
Sydney Horvath – 7s & 15s
Skylar Kempf – 7s & 15s
Ella Kibbe – 15s
Esmeralda Jimenez Bonilla – 15s
Emily Miller – 15s
Margaret Miller – 7s & 15s
Daniela Sevilla Morales – 15s
Coco Nate – 7s & 15s
Taylor Powell – 7s & 15s
Grace Richardson – 7s & 15s
Caroline Wilder – 15s
Coaches
RJ Moser – 7s & 15s
Charlie Krivda – 7s