The Men’s Junior All American 7s team is wrapping up camp today under the eye of coach Paul Holmes.

Holmes has been coaching in Ohio for years, working with the Tiger Rugby program. An accomplished player in his own right, he has been elevated to the MJAA 7s position, working with program director and 15s Head Coach Scott Lawrence.

The team has been at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, sharing training space with the USA Men’s 7s team, which is also in camp. Holmes has thus been able to avail himself of the considerable expertise of USA Head Coach Mike Friday and Assistant Coach Chris Brown.

The players at the camp are, for the most part, well-known in high-end HS rugby circles:

Malon Al-Jiboori is from the Union program in Oklahoma, and has just joined Lindenwood University. He was a HS All American 7s player this year. A tall, powerful runner, he projects as a forward in 7s. He is a former Goff Rugby Report Player of the Week.

Ian Crilly is a flanker from the championship Fallbrook HS program in Southern California. Crilly also played 7s for the HS All Americans and for the Eagle Impact Rugby Academy at the Victoria 7s. The 6-2 15s flanker is a weapon in the breakdown.

William Fifita came to notice as a player for the ATAVUS All Stars in the Serevi RugbyTown 7s in August. He is a power-running center from Aurora, Colo.

Travis Heer is a freshman at Lindenwood University who was part of Back Bay’s title run in Southern California’s HS club season. Heer is a speedy back who got some experience playing as a 7s forward with the HS All Americans 7s team in London and Las Vegas, and also played for the Eagle Impact Rugby Academy team that lost the Victoria 7s to BC in overtime.

Michael Islava is a big, powerful 7s forward who played lock for Life University in 15s. The Lake Travis HS (Texas) product has a nice combination of mobility and athleticism.

Kyle Makaiwi is a snappy halfback out of the Danville Oaks program. A speedy runner, he played for the Eagle Impact Rugby Academy team in Victoria, and is now enrolled at Utah Valley University.

Deion Mikesell is a former Goff Rugby Report Player of the Week, and was Player of the Year in Iowa, where the teams play only 7s. A topnotch athlete, he has some impressive field vision and pace. He played for the Eagle Impact Rugby Academy 7s team in Victoria and is now a freshman at Lindenwood.

Conner Mooneyham is a flyhalf out of the Woodlands program in Texas who is now at Life University. He is a playmnaker.

Cecil Rich is a former HS All American prop out of the Perry Street Pride program. Now at Wheeling Jesuit, he is a line-buster in 7s.

Cristian Rodriguez is a small and very elusive halfback out of the Hawaiian Gardens team in Southern California. He missed the HS All American camp last winter due to injury, but played for the Eagles Impact Rugby Academy team in Victoria, and performed well. He is now at Lindenwood.

Austin Taefu is a former HS All American who has been playing with the Tempe Rugby Club and the Tempe/Scottsdale HS program. He is a handful in contact and an elusive runner and has major 7s experience being the only one of this group from the Youth Olympics in 2014.

JoJo Tikoisuva is a big back who played for the USA in the Youth Olympics and was a HS All American. He is also qualified for Fiji and that country has shown some interest in him. 

Invited but unavailable Dante Weeks is a wing out of the Granite Bay HS program in Northern California. He blossomed this past season at Arizona, where he exploded into national notice at the CRC 7s tournament in Chester, Pa., showcasing elusiveness and pace.