Who Rocked the Ruggerfest Among Girls Teams?
Who Rocked the Ruggerfest Among Girls Teams?
The Carolina Ruggerfest produced some girls performances of note.
And as we look toward a March and April in girls rugby some of the teams involved put their hands up.
All-Tournament Team
1. Scout Spadoni, Badger Selects
2. Lauren Sizemore, Badger Selects
3. Bailey Borum-Gray, Hough Huskies
4. Nathalie Allen, Valkyries Ga.
5. Cailin Baker, Highland
6. Sam Melvin, Clayton
7. Alaina Sandberg, Raleigh Venom
8. Maria Depner, Moon Area
9. Sarah Santiago, Clayton
10. Vanessa Aquilera, Hough Huskies
11. Sarah Zavier, Valkyries Ga.
12. Caroline Cook, Charlotte Cardinals
13. Caroline Martinez, Sparta Rock
14. Sarah Lyons, Hough Huskies
15. Lara Calhoun, Raleigh Venom
Local Teams
The Tigress won their games by wide margins but they were in a somewhat lower-level bracket and it would have been good to see where they sat against some other teams. The Charlotte Cardinals impressed, playing a a wide open style, went 2-1 with convincing wins over Raleigh and Sparta Rock, but were defeated by Badger Selects. That Raleigh game was back-and-forth and Raleigh, for their part, were in a position to win that game.
Hough Huskies were very good, beating Moon Area, St. Joseph's Academy, and Wando (Pa., Ohio, and SC, respectively). With some power up front and a relentless defense the Huskies put three players on the all-tournament team.
Clayton unleashed some running rugby and with Sam Melvin playing solidly at No. 8 (all-tournament team we moved her to blindside flank) they unleashed 50 on Brunswick and Oceanside, and shut out Highland 40-0.
Out-of-State
Moon Area's loss to Hough was their only one, and even there they were competitive. With wins over Wando and St. Joe's they battled through some tough games led in part by some big plays from Marian Depner at No. 8. The Valkyries played in a low-level bracket and in the end probably should have been higher up—Valkyries vs Tigress would have been a good game to see. They had a ton of talent and wing Sarah Zavier has some serious pace, and No. 8 Maria Depner is a tall, physically powerful and movile athlete, but fans needed to see them challenged.
Badger Academy draws players from all over, and they played well as a unit despite that. With an outstanding front row and a set of backs who are knowledgeable and savvy, they swept Sparta Rock, the Cardinals, and Raleigh—three really strong programs.
Girls Ruggerfest Results:
| Brunswick (OH) | 21 | Highland Buzzards (OH) | 36 |
| Charlotte Tigress (NC) | 66 | Rebels (GA) | 5 |
| Oceanside (SC) | 5 | Clayton (NC) | 51 |
| St. Joseph B (OH) | 0 | Valkyries (GA) | 77 |
| Oceanside (SC) | 7 | Highland Buzzards (OH) | 17 |
| Moon Area JV (PA) | 5 | Beckham (SC) | 20 |
| Southern Pines (NC) | 0 | Valkyries (GA) | 61 |
| St. Joseph B (OH) | 15 | GreyStars (Various) | 15 |
| Brunswick (OH) | 0 | Clayton (NC) | 52 |
| Southern Pines (NC) | 55 | GreyStars (Various) | 0 |
| Sparta (MI) | 0 | Badger Academy (WI) | 22 |
| Charlotte Tigress (NC) | 31 | Beckham (SC) | 5 |
| Charlotte Cardinals (NC) | 29 | Raleigh (NC) | 7 |
| St. Joseph A (OH) | 40 | Wando Wahines (SC) | 10 |
| Sparta (MI) | 5 | Raleigh (NC) | 31 |
| Charlotte Cardinals (NC) | 5 | Badger Academy (WI) | 27 |
| Hough Huskies (NC) | 24 | Moon Area (PA) | 10 |
| Moon Area JV (PA) | 5 | Rebels (GA) | 27 |
| St. Joseph A (OH) | 5 | Moon Area (PA) | 10 |
| Hough Huskies (NC) | 21 | Wando Wahines (SC) | 5 |
| Badger Academy (WI) | 17 | Raleigh (NC) | 7 |
| Oceanside (SC) | 26 | Brunswick (OH) | 10 |
| Southern Pines (NC) | 38 | St. Joseph B (OH) | 0 |
| Clayton (NC) | 40 | Highland Buzzards (OH) | 0 |
| Valkyries (GA) | 52 | GreyStars (Various) | 0 |
| Wando Wahines (SC) | 0 | Moon Area (PA) | 17 |
| Charlotte Tigress (NC) | 27 | Moon Area JV (PA) | 5 |
| Beckham (SC) | 10 | Rebels (GA) | 20 |
| Hough Huskies (NC) | 24 | St. Joseph A (OH) | 5 |
| Charlotte Cardinals (NC) | 29 | Sparta (MI) | 0 |