Tropical 7s: U18 Pool A Preview

Initially, the expectation was that more local or Southeast teams would comprise the majority of the Tropical 7s divisions, but the Girls U18 competition shows there’s nationwide hunger to play. In Pool A alone, there are teams from Alaska, Hawai’i, California, Texas and Michigan and they accompany a relatively local, stand-alone team and regional all-star program.

RELATED: Girls’ U18 & U16 Tropical 7s Rosters

There are additional factors to consider when gauging teams’ performances, and they pertain to states’ Covid-19 restrictions. There’s such a wide range of readiness when some areas permit flag rugby alone, or others only just resumed full-contact training but haven’t played games yet. Compare that to a team like CJRA Tigress, which played fall 7s and has several 15s games behind it this spring. The contact area and team chemistry might reflect teams’ different stages of Return to Play.

Sevens is a game where individual talent can really sway a match, but we’re leaning toward those squads that have had more time training and playing together to make an impact.

With all that said, expect a uniform amount of exuberance and energy in every game. Every coach and player who has talked about the impending trip to Florida, and considers goals and take-aways, the response is the same: We’re just happy to be able to play.

ALASKA YOUTH RUGBY

Read: Alaska Prepped for Play at Home, FL

The Alaska Youth Rugby Club (AKYRC) is based in Anchorage, and girls’ high schools contest their season (7s) from May-August. The weekly 7s round robins didn’t happen in summer 2020, but when the fall arrived, the Alaska Rugby Academy was allowed to resume. Academy members train indoors throughout the fall and winter, and then hope for selection to the travel squad. AKYRC President David Delozier indicated that numbers grew during the winter, so much so that the girls were able to do some semi-opposed. So while Alaska isn’t in season yet, the squad has been getting some reps and running against opposition.

Watch for the Tabor twins, Kamryn and Kailyn, to lean on their experience and lead the squad. Marlyna Taualii and Ana Faafetai are also key to Alaska’s success, as is Grayce O’Farrell, who’s come on in the last couple of years. Fifteen-year-old Lily Stover brings her football background to the pitch, so look for an injection of physicality from her.

SQUAD: Brystal Carey, Ana Faafetai, Alize Lucero, Brooklyn Martin, Maya Moss, Grayce O’Farrell, Lily Stover, Kamryn Tabor, Kailyn Tabor, Marlyna Taualii, Litara Tuuaga, Miricle Tuuaga.

FALLBROOK

SoCal’s Fallbrook is one of the most recognizable U18 clubs in the country. The Warriors consistently field well drilled, creative teams and are regulars at the National Invitational Tournament, which has been canceled in 2020 and 2021 for Covid-19. Both Pinnells have retired from the coaching staff, but coach John Duncan has stepped up to head the Warriors. High expectations follow Fallbrook; however, California has only just returned to (full-contact) play, lagging behind regions like the Southeast. Nevertheless, look for the junior class – notably Tiahna Padilla, Julia Tippin and Jordan Duncan – to lead the way, and expect to discover new players worth tracking.

SQUAD: Brianna Beath (Jr.), Liberty Benitez (So.), Jordan Duncan (Jr.), Cora Haughey (Fr.), Emma Haughey (So.), McKenzie Jones (Jr.), Tiahna Padilla (Jr.), Lucy Powerll (Fr.), Neveah Rivera (Sr.), Analese Sandoval Dalton (Sr.), Julia Tippin (Jr.), Emily Weber (So.).

GORILLA RUGBY ACADEMY

The Texas-based program has been around for a few years, but the girls’ high school side will debut at Tropical 7s this weekend. Mickey Patterson is the program’s head coach and operations manager, and he brought in Gayla Adcock from Broken Arrow (Okla.) to coach the girls. If all goes to plan, then Adcock will also coach a new women’s senior side this summer. Six Texans (The Woodlands, Plano), four Pleasanton Cavaliers (Calif.) and one Oklahoman (F-5) comprise the squad.

“Generally, with elite academy programs the goal is to build up the regional talent through select sides in the area,” Patterson said. “The long-term goal is to focus broadly in the Texas area, and then maybe one day narrow that focus to north Texas. But for Tropical 7s, we took kids we know, or who came from clubs that had boys play for us. It was impossible to hold tryouts with Covid-19 concerns. I did lean on some player recommendations from coaches. We described what we were looking for and got their insight. But I haven’t seen several players, so it’ll be a surprise for all of us!”

When Covid-19 permits more face-to-face interaction, Gorilla will scout players, invite them to camps and tryouts, and then evaluate them for selection to events like Tropical 7s. In the meantime, it’s about getting that first outing in the books, and making sure it’s enjoyable enough to build to some momentum into the future.

“I’m probably more excited to see how the girls work out, because it’s the one that’s new for us,” Patterson said. “We’ve had a couple of boys’ teams play there and have some expectations there. … We’re excited to see the girls do well but it’s mainly [goal wise]: Be competitive, learn a lot, and grow from it. Hopefully they’ll have fun, and they’ll come home with the motivation to improve their games and stay involved in these events.”

Even though the Gorilla girls’ team is a new entity, that doesn’t mean their players are also green. Lily Cartwright is a USA U18 regular, so expect the Quinnipiac University commit to be a big presence on the pitch. She’s joined by three Cavalier teammates, so there will be some chemistry in that quartet. The Woodlands and Plano sent three players apiece, so those are more subsets of chemistry, and then Elena DeVarenne mixes if up with some F5 (Okla.) verve. NorCal hasn’t played any organized rugby yet due to Covid-19 but Texas has been hosting local 7s tournaments since February.

SQUAD: Mia Balderas (Plano, TX), Lily Cartwright (Pleasanton, CA), Adelle Cortis (Pleasanton, CA), Aubrey Crist (Woodlands, TX), Elena DeVarenne (F5 Rugby, OK), Rita Habib (Plano, TX), Asha Jarusinski (Woodlands, TX), Ireland Jeffrey (Plano, TX), Nicola Lynch (Pleasanton, CA), Abby Maciel Lahann (Pleasanton, CA), Grace Macune (Woodlands, TX).

MAUI WAHINE WARRIORS

Read: Wahine Warriors Ready for Contact

Adrienne Pulu explained that Covid-19 impacted Hawai’i’s islands differently, and that Maui has only approved flag rugby. The players were so hungry for competition that they fundraised for a trip all the way to Florida. So expect a lot of joy in the Warriors’ games.

Pulu, who is both an administrator and rugby parent, described the Tropical 7s team as mobile, strong and sizeable, and that freshman Mele Sake, junior Muna Lolohea and senior Lita Kaufononga lead that love of contact. The wide attack takes its cues from sophomore scrumhalf Sini “Vaihoi” Puluh, who is elusive through the middle and opens up space out wide.

SQUAD: Tehani Agacaoili, McKenna Dunlop, Elanna Field, Keleni Jacobs, Kali Kahalehoe, Peatalita Kaufononga, Munalite Lolohea, Sini Pulu, Mele Sake, Lily Tews, Sinele Tongauiha.

PANTHER RUGBY ACADEMY – RED

Read: USA South Layers in Panther Rugby Academy

The Panther Rugby Academy is attending the Tropical 7s in force. The National Development Program held a series of camps and tryouts throughout the Southeast, and is sending four girls’ teams – two U18 and two U16 – to Florida. The Red squad includes multiple players from Tennessee (4), Florida (2) and North Carolina (2), and one apiece from California, Georgia and South Carolina.

Three players have committed to National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA), or NCAA varsity, programs for the upcoming year: Akilah Cathey from Freedom Prep in Memphis, Tenn., and Faith Chen from the Land Park Harlequins in NorCal are heading to Brown University; and Sophia Gaddis will relocate from Nolensville, Tenn., to Long Island University this fall. Both are DI programs, so expect those three to be influential.

SQUAD: Azhinaye Barner (Columbia, TN), Akilah Cathey (Memphis, TN), Faith Chen (Carmichael, CA), Autumn Coles (Chapel Hill, NC), Ailish Coughlin (Bellair, FL), Tyler Dickens (Raleigh, NC), Gwendolyn Dickerson (Greenville, SC), Sophia Gaddis (Nolensville, TN), Aamiya Jordan (Madison, GA), Rachel Martelle (Brentwood, TN), Mia Muth (Vero Beach, FL).

ROGUE RIDGE

Read: Sparta-Rock Finds Way to Play

This team came to being during fall 2020, when Michigan shut down fall rugby – when the state holds its 15s championship season. Across the border, Indiana was offering touch 7s, and so rather than idle at home, players from Sparta and Rockford competed in two of Rugby Indiana’s tournaments.

“My girls don’t get a lot of exposure to 7s so I want them to get as much experience as possible,” said Andy Dauser, who is both head coach of Sparta-Rock and president of Rugby Michigan. “Should be a great bonding experience to further develop our club as we are staying in one big house together. Plus, this might be the only chance we get to play some tackle rugby for this school year.”

The trip south is particularly special for Dauser, as his daughters, Charlotte and Drew, will play their first high school matches together. Katie Gale, Emma Rae and Kate McDowell have the most experience between them, representing the Legacy Academy in Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Watch for Ashley Cowdrey, who is speedy and shifty, to garner attention.

SQUAD: Erin Ball (Sr.), Ashley Cowdrey (Jr.), Charlotte Dauser (So.), Drew Dauser (8th), Katie Gale (Sr.), Kate McDowell (Sr.), Lily Nowak (So.), Hayleigh Peak (Jr.), Emmae Rae Vandenbush (Jr.), Abby Zurek (So.).

TIGRESS

Read: Lennox London (link), EC Cantrell (link), Erik Saxon (link) Talk Tigress

The Charlotte-area club has been one of, if not the most, active teams in the country during the Covid-19 era. The players competed in a fall 7s circuit in the Carolinas area, and the Tigress coaches worked hard to find opponents for spring 15s. Their lineup includes local opponents as well as road trips to West Virginia and Tennessee, and obviously Florida.

Many of the players who feature on the Tigress roster had been selected to USA South or Atlantis teams for the 2020 Tropical 7s, which was canceled. The coaches want to ensure that those players, and newcomers, cashed in on that experience, and that’s why Tigress put Orlando on the schedule.

Seniors EC Cantrell and junior Lennox London are prevalent players, and serve as captain and co-captain, respectively, during the regular season. Cantrell is a flyhalf so expect her to be in the middle of traffic. London is flanker-tough and center-fast, and she’ll be a tough duo beside Queens University of Charlotte commit Maddie Hughes. The senior is good around the breakdown and likes to poach, and a leading try scorer for the Tigress. Hughes isn’t the only one heading to Queens on rugby scholarship. Teammates Lilly Separ and Reese Vorster are future Royals as well.

With that said, there are four freshmen who were selected, and they bring with them experience gleaned from CJRA middle school programs.

SQUAD: Gabby Alegria (Fr.), Emma Claire Cantrell (Sr.), Caroline Cook (Fr.), Katelyn England (Fr.), Jaden Gary (Jr.), Andrea Hooker (Sr.), Maddie Hughes (Sr.), Lennox London (Jr.), Jemmely Rivera (Fr.), Lilly Separ (Sr.), Reese Vorster (Sr.).