7 on 7 football has become very popular among high school football players over the past several years. They use it to hone skills, perfect timing on routs, and as a conditioning tool as well. Although football 7 on 7 is over, there is still 7 on 7 being played and it’s quite a bit more physical than the football.

As rugby made quite a presence in the high school division over the last few years, 7 on 7 has become a way for rugby players to continue their workouts in the summer. Like football, 7 on 7 rugby is won with speed and quickness.

“7 on 7 [rugby] is much more exhilarating and extreme,” explained Katy assistant coach Matt Creed. “In seven’s you have to rely more on quickness and speed if you want to win.”

Teams from the U17 and U19 competed at St. Thomas on Saturday in a round robin type tournament. In 7 on 7, the rules are quite the same as 15’s, however they play seven-minute halves with a two minute halftime. Although the teams are cut in half, the field size stays the same. This makes for a very fast pace game that takes a lot of endurance.

“Ball passing is so much quicker in 7 on 7,” said Katy coach Neil Doherty. “You see very little of teams trying to grind it out.”

Doherty went on to explain how 7 on 7 rugby is very similar to the concept of 7 on 7 football.

“Having no forwards on the field in rugby is like having no lineman in football.” “It’s mostly a back style game in 7 on 7.”

On Saturday’s competition teams started out with an overcast sky giving some relief from the heat. However, the clouds dispersed and brought on the hot Texas heat. However, it did not stop these guys from pounding each other for 14 minutes straight.

In game one St. Thomas U19 came out ready to play. They drew first blood against Kingwood and would outscore them 19-5 in the first half. The Eagles offense was unstoppable in the second half as St. Thomas scored three more tries to take a 36-12 victory to start the day off on a winning note.

The Woodlands U17 looked fine tuned as they earned a 24-12 victory over the St. Thomas U17 club. The Eagles led 7-5 at the end of the first half but the Woodlands jumped ahead as they returned the opening kick of the second half. The Eagles put another score on the board but the Woodlands scored two in the end to seal the deal.

Katy U19 looked promising as well with a convincing 34-7 victory over the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs scored first, but Katy responded with three unanswered tries before the end of the first half. It was all Katy in the second half who dominated on defense and added three more tries to rack up some points for the offense. Katy’s U17 club defeated St. Thomas 31-5.

The Eagles U19 finished off the morning with a 29-14 victory over the Bulldogs. The Eagles took control of the game in the first half with three tries to take a 17-0 lead into halftime. The Bulldogs gained some ground back in the second half but couldn’t quite find their rhythm.

7 on 7 is a great way for these athletes to get in the playing shape they need to be when the season comes around. St. Thomas coach James Wolfinger says they are even working on implementing a fall league to keep the teams in practice nearly year round.

 Final results from Saturday's tournament:

U17 Championship
Katy 22- Woodlands 7

U19 Championship
Katy 41- St. Thomas 19
 
MVPs
U17
Backs - Byron Henry, St. Thomas
Forwards - Loren Baker, Woodlands

U19
Backs - Curtis Chaffin, Katy/Conor Mills, St. Thomas (Co-MVPs)
Forwards - Cameron Blinkow, Katy
 
Leading Scorers
U17
Taylor Hunter, Woodlands: 37 Points
Curtis Chaffin, Katy: 25 Points
Jeremy Marshall-Johnson, Woodlands: 15 Points

U19
Hunter Leland, Katy: 41 Points
Conor Mills, St. Thomas: 31 Points
Patrick Gutkowski, St. Thomas: 15 Points

Subscribe to this comment's feed