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Girls HS Champs: Quarterfinal Previews

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Girls HS Champs: Quarterfinal Previews

St. Joe's performance hinges on whether its seniors attend. (Photo: Andrea Rolf)

The Girls High School National Invitational Championship is fewer than two days away, so here's what you can expect on day one in Division I:

 

 

Quarterfinals
Divine Savior (1) vs. West End (8)
. DSHA looks good as per usual. They won their state and region, again, and have an enormous senior class supporting. During the Midwest final, the Dashers were missing some personnel and worked its bench, and still hammered out a solid result against St. Joseph’s. But when the team has players like center Maggie Brennan launching the backline, and future Lindenwood prop Taylor Bragg-Brock powering the forwards, the team’s in good shape regardless. West End got out to a raring start, dominating state opponents, and lending some perspective with a huge win over North Bay during the Maryland Exiles tournament. But the Ruckettes, which finished 3rd in DII last year, incurred some injuries and are limping slightly. This game goes to DSHA.

Kent (4) vs. Pleasanton (5). The Crusaders repeated as Washington state champion rather easily last weekend, beating Rainier 62-7. Kent diversified its build-up with a tour of Canada, and that trip helped the team’s host of new players develop immensely. Kent is led by All American forward Emily Prentice, and Leah Ingold – also heading to Lindenwood – is superb as flyhalf. Kassie Reynolds is also Lady Lions caliber. The Cavaliers graduated to DI after winning DII last year, and have since defeated Sacramento and Fallbrook in tournament play. The NorCal side is led by All American and Quinnipiac commit Emily Roskopf in the centers, and flyhalf Teigan MacDonald, who is heading to UC San Diego next year, is tireless. Watch for junior Loren Roundtree to make a difference, too. Pleasanton is good, but we think Kent is better.

Fallbrook (3) vs. St. Joseph’s (6). The Ohio team impressed during the Midwest championship, but after the second-place finish, coach Jaime Cleary indicated that she was going to petition for DII, as 11 players would be attending senior prom. So it’ll depend on who shows up: If seniors Jackie Harter, Tayler Valentine, and Amanda Burns - to name a few - skip the dance, then that bodes well for St. Joe’s. Otherwise, the team will rely on the leadership of players like Rachael Kean. As for Fallbrook, the Pinnells have not been quiet about their lackluster build-up to nationals, and the Warriors suffered a couple of early-season tournament losses to California sides. That said, the Warriors have overcome hurdles every year, and the SoCal team is returning three knockout All Americans: Richelle Stephens, Michel Navarro, and Lilly Durbin – to name a few of their weapons. Win goes to Fallbrook.

Danville (2) vs. Morris (7). Morris coach Tom Feury has encouraged his team to get out there and play up, and the team has listened. Aside from All American and junior Olympian Kat Ramage, who heads to Lindenwood this fall, players like Alie Ramage and Jordan Cowan have joined Atlantis’ U16 and U19 sides, and it’s paying off. Morris is whooping the competition in and around New Jersey and New York, and we’re eager to see what they do in DI. Unfortunately for Morris, the day will start against Danville, and we’re willing to bet that Morris has yet to face a team as physical as the Lady Oaks. 2015 marks Danville’s third trip to nationals, and its third year in existence. Every year they come back better, and the team has been playing some solid ball this season. All American sisters Leti and Mata Hingano provide the pace and aggression in the backline, while Caroline Lomu and Melehoko Lata are enforcers in the forwards. Danville is the pick for this one.

Semifinals
If all of the higher seeds win their openers – and we think they will – then the second round will be interesting. Top seed DSHA would play Kent, and reigning champ Fallbrook would revisit Danville. The gap in competition is narrow at this stage, and victories often hinge on depth and recovery. Divine Savior and Kent have a long history, having participated in nationals since the tournament’s onset a decade ago. The Californians would duke it out on the other side, and can lean on what they saw of each other at the Fullerton Invitational. One side a little more finesse; the other a little more rough and tumble – it would be a great game.

The games get moving at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 16. Watch them live here.