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Charger Wins 6th Indiana Title

  • 09 Jun 2021
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Charger Rugby Club is the Rugby Indiana Girls’ High School 15s champion, having defeated Carmel 10-7 in the semifinals and North Central 32-0 in the title match. The victory extends the team’s title streak since spring 2018 and includes Rugby Indiana’s 7s and 15s competitions.

“I did some research: No team, from their inception, has won six consecutive state titles,” Charger head coach Kris Carroll said. “Highland from Utah won five. … The players definitely knew that [statistic]. I used it as motivation for them to make a little history.”

Bowdoin Women's rugby camp

Charger had good numbers relative to the rest of the field. After winning Rugby Indiana’s touch season in the fall, the team saw more than 40 players boot up for the spring. Normally, the state is playing 15s in the spring, but with teams combining or remaining dormant due to Covid-19, any version of the sport – 7s, 10s, 15s – was an acceptable format on game day (read more).

It’s a difficult situation to manage, but fortunately, team captain Kate Woenker and co-captains Anesa Ellis, Delaney Fosnaugh and Lauren Winger guided the group.

“I’ve never done that before,” Carroll said of four captains. “These seniors made it indecipherable who should be captain, and all four legitimately earned it. We just had solid leadership across the board.”

Charger got a pre-season run at Adrian College and beat Ohio’s Walnut Hill and Brunswick, which just won the state’s Small Club DII championship last weekend. Rugby Indiana didn’t record scores or maintain standings during the spring, but it became clear that Carmel was a serious title contender this year.

“We beat them 20-19 in the regular season, and then there was a pretty big gap [competition wise] after us two,” Carroll said of Carmel. “This is a unique year for them because other teams backed out [of the season] and they were able to pick up some of the better players from those teams – Avon, Pike.”

Since there were no standings to seed the post-season, a blind draw was employed. Charger and Carmel lined up for the May 29 semifinals in Elkhart, Ind., while North Central took on Noblesville.

“We really needed to step up on defense, which we did,” Carroll said of keys to winning the rematch. “The way we played defense, it was at a level I haven’t seen yet. Everyone rose to the occasion.

Charger took an early 5-0 lead, but then a penalty try put Carmel up 7-5.

“There was no panic,” Carroll said of the team’s demeanor while playing from a deficit. “Actually, I found out after the game that most of the team thought a penalty try was only five points, so they thought it was 5-5 the whole time. They just kept playing hard and stayed positive. No one turned on each other.”

Charger held up three Carmel tries to keep it close, and then took the lead with approximately 10 minutes remaining in the match.

“Carmel kicked from their own 22 to gain some territory, and our fullback – freshman Gabby Woenker – took it and broke four tackles for the try.

“She’s a stud,” the coach said of Kate Woenker’s little sister. “She will be the future of this team.”

Charger then held on for the 10-7 win.

“It was the first time they did it all season,” Carroll said of the come-from-behind win. “Carmel had a good team on the field and both sides played really tough rugby.

“It was good to have that push in the semifinals,” the coach added. “It’s not that the result of the final was a foregone conclusion at that point, but since we were playing who everyone considered the second-best team in the semifinals, it took the historical stress off of the final.”

North Central defeated Noblesville 46-22 and advanced to the May 31 title match against Charger.

“It’s rugby. They knew they had to play their best both days,” Carroll said of the team’s mindset. “When you come out as defending state champions, everyone wants to beat you. They throw everything at you because they have nothing to lose.”

The team was loose and confident, and it was reflected in a 32-0 win.

“The final played out better than expected,” Carroll said. “North Central consistently fields a great team year in and year out, so we were expecting a pretty tough match. The girls just stepped up and executed everything flawlessly.”

Despite the convincing win, Charger nominated North Central scrumhalf Coco Nate as championship MVP because, “she’s just impressed me each time we’ve seen her,” Carroll said.

There’s still more rugby to played this season, and Charger is readying for summer 7s. The team will play at Adrian College (Mich.), Lakefront 7s (Milwaukee), Brunswick (Ohio), and host its own 7s tournament for the first time. Conversations about a Great Lakes high school 7s circuit have also resumed.


Charger Middle School champions

“For me, it just speaks to the character of players I have,” Carroll reflected on the successes of this season. “They’ve fought through so many things – not just Covid, but having a season canceled and going through a touch season. Whatever was thrown at them, they just came together and came out on top.”

The Charger legacy is also expanding. The middle school girls, who played one season before Covid-19 struck in 2020, went undefeated en route to this year’s Rugby Indiana title. Allison Reid, who helped start the high school team during her tenure, is the head coach of the middle school squad. Carroll’s high school seniors can also be found on the elementary flag program’s coaching staff, and that cycle of participation only enhances the larger club’s investment and tradition

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HIGH SCHOOL

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