Girls HS Clubs Nationals Kick Off LIVE On FloRugby
Girls HS Clubs Nationals Kick Off LIVE On FloRugby
FloRugby previews the girls HS Club nationals.
The top girls single-school and club teams in the country are heading to Murfreesboro, TN, this weekend to compete in the Girls High School Rugby National Championships.
The club tournament takes place over the course of two days at the Middle Tennessee State University Sports Complex, beginning Friday, May 18, with the opening rounds and semifinals and continuing Saturday, May 19, with the finals.
Join PRO to watch the Girls HS National Championships live and on replay.
Club: May 18-19 | Single School: May 19-20
Here's a look at each matchup in the early rounds as well as our predictions for the knockout stage.
HS Club Round 1 (Friday)
TIME (ET) | FIELD | LEVEL | GM# | MATCHUP |
11:30 AM | 2 | CLUB | 1 | Brunswick vs. KC United |
11:30 AM | 1 | CLUB | 2 | PA United vs. West End |
1 PM | 2 | CLUB | 3 | North Bay vs. Belmont Shore |
1 PM | 1 | CLUB | 4 | Morris vs. Danville |
This is a strange bracket in that there are actually 10 teams. The top two seeds, South Bay (CA) and United (Utah), will get a bye to the semis.
This first round of games is shortened to 22-minute halves so that teams don't exceed the 90-minute player limit for a day (all teams will be playing twice on Friday).
GAME 1: Brunswick (Ohio) vs. KC United (MO)
Both of these teams met in the recent Midwest Championships, with Brunswick coming away as the 34-15 winner. But this was a crucial tournament for KC, as it got the team some much-needed opposition. This is a pick 'em game.
GAME 2: PA United vs. West End (VA)
United suffered a setback last week with a loss to State College but has done well overall. Formerly called White Horse, United is favored here.
GAME 3: North Bay (MD) vs. Belmont Shore (CA)
Maryland's North Bay won the D2 title in 2017 and is a very tough team (see the squad in action in this U.S. Marines commercial).
Belmont Shore has played hard in SoCal, but fell to South Bay and could have trouble with this Bay team on the Atlantic Coast.
Game 4: Morris (NJ) vs. Danville (CA)
This is an absolute pick 'em and perhaps the game of the first round. The Danville Oaks had a losing record in Northern California, but that's because the girls league there is hugely competitive. Morris is 4-1 in league play in New Jersey and will bring a very skilled team to the matchup. Whether Morris can match the physicality of Danville is the question.
HS Club Round 2 (Friday)
TIME (ET) | FIELD | LEVEL | GM# | MATCHUP |
2:30 PM | 1 | CLUB | 5 | South Bay vs. Winner of Game 2 |
2:30 PM | 2 | CLUB | 6 | United vs. Winner of Game 1 |
2:30 PM | 3 | CLUB | 7 | Losers of Games 1 & 2 |
South Bay was undefeated in Southern California. A powerful, physical team that can move the ball, the Spartans could go all the way. They will play the winner of PA United and West End.
United has only really been challenged by Provo in what is a very competitive Utah Youth Rugby league. Depth is a key part of the equation for whichever team advances to face United. The United program fields two squads in the Utah league, so they have players.
Games 9 and 11 determine who makes the final, so we won't see a South Bay vs. United final. That will likely be a semi. On the other side of the bracket, FloRugby is leaning toward a North Bay vs. Morris semi.
The championship game is LIVE on FloRugby at 2:30 PM Eastern Time on Saturday, May 19.