MCAA 7s mount comeback in Cup QF while Falcons pick up speed.
The Men’s Falcons have had an up and down tournament this weekend in Glendale, but the ups have been very high. In two matches today, the Eagles prospects tallied 47 and 50 points respectively. From the eye test, it was clear to see the chemistry and ball movement was beginning to click in day two.
With veterans Nick Boyer and Maceo Brown sidelined with injury, the Falcons first paired up with the Cayman Islands. In one of the prettier drives you’ll see the whole tournament, all seven players on the pitch supported an Alex Cleary try. Carrying the ball field-length, each man knew where the other was and cleanly fed Cleary in the end. The spotlight however shined bright on Ben Broselle who finished with a hat trick in the 47-12 win.
Later in the day, the team shut out the US Coast Guard 50-0 where a total of 7 different players found the try zone.
Head Coach JD Stephenson commented on the team’s improvements, “Extreamly happy with the way we defended, ensuring that the issue from yesterday were improved upon. It was good to see our younger players stepping up in the significant minutes, all around it was good to see.”
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Falcons move on to the final day of RugbyTown 7s still competing for a Bowl Championship and meet the Dark and Stormy Misfits in the semi.
The Men’s Collegiate All-American Sevens are on a rise this weekend, and the Infinity Park crowd are doing the same. The first game of the day was a 40-0 shut out of Bermuda, but the game of the day went to a Cup Quarterfinal match up with Lomaiviti where a 19-5 halftime deficit was turned on its back.
Head Coach Steve Lewis‘ thoughts at halftime were to collect first possession and trust the strong players in reserve, “We dug ourselves a bit of a hole, but we knew first possessions would be critical to get back in the game. We believed in our bench, we knew we were fitter, so if we can get close we have a chance.”
Lomaiviti were visibly bigger in size and their tackles, but speed was on the All-American side. Nick Feakes and Deion Mikesell raced away for two tries to keep the score within striking distance, but it wasn’t until Marcus Tupuola hot stepped his way into the try zone and Harley Wheeler drove through tackle after tackle to find Jihad Khabir and collect a penalty try for the 31-29 win.
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Lewis concluded, “That was a real test of character, these guys have a lot of skill, we knew that, but I couldn’t be more impressed with their character.”
No shortage of excitement as we close out day two. Tomorrow the Men’s Collegiate All-American Sevens go up against the British Army in the Cup Semifinal.
