The Budd Bay Barbarians U19 team joined Seattle at the top of the Rugby Washington Boys U19 Summer Sevens Series.

The Series is part of the Subway-sponsored Washington State Games, and culminates after four tournaments on August 2.

Budd Bay defeated Seattle, Liberty, and Rainier Plateau before falling in a close one to Eastside to go 3-1 on the day. That caught them up with Seattle, giving both teams 20 points for the season. (The tournaments are set up to give all teams four games in a day, with three points for a win, two for a tie, and one for a loss. Those points are tallied for the season.)

“The guys are putting it together nicely,” said Budd Bay Head Coach Trevor Anderson. “We’ve got a good core of players from our state championship team. Usually we don’t do much 7s because of summer football and vacations and things like that. But this year we’ve got a group of players who really wanted to play, and the series is a great one to have.”

Lui Sitama was a force on the day, scoring a boatload of tries, while big Isaiah Bird found his place in a 7s team as a bruising runner. Isaiah Loucks was also a solid player for Budd Bay, and his absence, along with the absence of Sitama, in the final game probably contributed to their loss to Eastside.

‘We’ve also got some younger guys coming out and getting experience,” said Anderson. “We’ve got our U13s and our girls team at every tournament, too. All of the players cheer each other one. So it’s a bonding experience – we use it to build a club culture as much as anything else.”

The tournament was played in Snoqualmie among the scenic Cascade Mountains. The next two will be played closer to Seattle, with the culmination of the series in Kent, Wash., where State Games medals will be given out.

In the other age groups, Liberty logged the best record among U17 teams once more and the Patriots hold a commanding lead over Rainier Plateau. Chuckanut, likewise, dominates the U15 bracket. Kent leads the Girls bracket, but the Crusaders have been pushed by Rainier Plateau.

But in the Boys U19s, it’s all to play for with two tournaments left. Kent is just three points behind Seattle and Budd Bay, with Liberty, Eastside, and Rainier Plateau all close behind. In fact, a 4-0 day by Rainier Plateau next weekend could see them vault from 6th to first, things are that close.