Mountain View Wins Idaho DI Championship

After a runner-up finish in the West Ada 7s Championship in the fall, Mountain View went on an undefeated run to Rugby Idaho’s High School Club 15s Championship this spring. The Mavericks beat Eagle 41-7 in last weekend’s Division I final, marking the first 15s title for the girls’ team.

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Mountain View has evolved the previous four years, and senior captain Jada Medellin has witnessed it all. A dancer, Medellin followed current teammate Debra Davis to the rugby team freshman year, back when the team was still known as the Furies.

“I thought I was crazy for wanting to try it,” Medellin said. “We were practicing alongside the boys, too, so I felt super intimidated and super nervous about everything. But Brian Sieminski was my first coach and he was just awesome. He made me instantly fall in love with the game, and by the end of the first practice, I knew I would do this throughout high school.”

The Furies had such large numbers that the club was able to field teams in Division I and Division II.

“In my first game ever, the older girls that were on our DI team came, and it felt like a family,” Medellin said of a reaffirming moment early in her career. “They had confidence in me and so I had confidence in myself. It always feels like that, and that’s why we have so many girls. We put so much faith and trust in one another and it shows on the field.”

The Furies split into Mountain View and Centennial in 2019. The former remained in DI while the latter competes in DII today. Medellin was named as a Mountain View captain in her junior year, but Covid-19 ended the club 15s season after one game. The West Ada school district and Rugby Idaho supported the fall 2020 7s season, and Medellin resumed her role as a captain.

“Everyone was nervous that the fall could be shut down,” Medellin said. “Especially the seniors, who just wanted this one last season. All you can do is play day by day, and go into everything with the best attitude possible. You didn’t know what was going to happen so you had to leave everything out there.”

The Mavericks advanced to the West Ada 7s championship, and lost a 17-10 contest to Meridian.

“The first half of the [7s] season, we were undefeated, and then when we had our first [regular-season] loss, it opened our eyes to work harder,” the 7s hooker talked process. “The loss in the championship gave us even more motivation to give 100% all of the time, because we never wanted to feel that [loss] again.”

Mountain View ran varsity and JV teams during fall 7s, so the spring season was about meshing those two groups into a 15s team. The team had 20 active players, but game-day numbers fluctuated with injuries and availability. The Mavericks played one game with 13 players – and won. When No. 8 Medellin had to miss games due to injury, senior Justice Rupp aptly stepped up as pack leader, and Madi Diefenbach was the leading voice in the backs. The players adapted, and as they cycled through positions to account for the variable roster, their experiences expanded.

“Our coach, Conner [Williams] really pushes us the most,” Medellin said. “He really just inspires to do our best. He has confidence in us, and that gives us confidence to find it in ourselves. He always says that it’s up to us to decide what we want and how much effort we want to put into it. It’s helped us, because no one wants to disappoint our coach.”

Mountain View beat all three DI teams twice during regular season and then bested Meridian 31-5 in the semifinals. On the other side of the bracket, Eagle, which had gone 3-3 during league, defeated Rocky Mountain 36-33 in the semifinals to advance to the May 14 final.

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“We really didn’t want what happened in the fall to happen again, when we were feeling good about ourselves heading into the championship and got a loss,” Medellin said. “So we had a level-headed mindset. We were confident in one another and we knew what we needed to do. I really do think losing the championship in 7s really just pushed us in the spring.”

Mountain View had defeated Eagle 27-17 and 21-12 during the regular season, so the team expected another good match.

“We all had the mindset that if we came up quick on defense, with a strong and united line, that we were going to be able to hold them no matter what,” Medellin spoke to game-day objectives. “In terms of offense, it was about ball flow and getting it quick to the outside.”

The team got great leadership out of the seniors, and saw players like sophomore flyhalf Avery Morgan continue to assert her well rounded value on the pitch. It all came together in a 41-7 win and DI state championship – a first for Mountain View.

“I couldn’t pinpoint one girl on my team,” Medellin surveyed the championship squad. “All of us had our best games. So many girls bring so many different skill sets that I don’t think one stood out more than the other.

“It really is bittersweet,” the graduating senior said of her final Mavericks game. “I’ve loved playing for Mountain View and just being a leader of that team. It was hands-down the greatest experience of my high school career. I wouldn’t change it for the world, and I hope incoming freshmen give it a try. Rugby changed my life for the better, whether on the field or off the field, because I know I’m leaving high school with such good friends.”

Medellin’s rugby isn’t over just yet. There are tryouts for the state high performance program, Toa, this week and those selected will travel to the NAI 7s in Salt Lake City. And then this fall, Medellin will begin her college career at Queens University of Charlotte (N.C.), a DII program in the NCAA varsity competition, NIRA.

With that said, Medellin will still be watching the Mavericks from across the country.

“Look out for Mountain View this fall, because we have really strong underclassmen stepping up and I think they’ll make a big splash in 7s,” she closed.