The High School Girls team kicked off their 2024 season with a successful trip to Syracuse on Sunday for a Round Robin 7s event. Kenmore was in Pool B with Orchard Park and Syracuse, while Pool A consisted of City Honors, Hamburg and Fairport.
The team opened the day with a very tough match against Orchard Park, losing 30-0. However, they did not let that get them down and bounced back with a 29-5 win over host Syracuse to end pool play. With the win, the girls moved on to play the 2nd place team from Pool A, Hamburg, who is always a tough opponent. The Kenmore girls came out full speed and took home the win with a score of 25-5.
"These players really embraced the core values all day. With seven brand new rugby players, they had the courage to jump in and just go for it from the start. They all grew physically and mentally from game one, 1% at a time. When mistakes were made, they were empathetic with themselves and their teammates. And they did all of this with enthusiasm for the sport!" - Kenmore Rugby HS Girls Head Coach Rachel Noone
Tries on the day came from 6 different players. Rosie Miller led the way with a hat trick, Taylor Stevens and Emily Pytlewski added two tries each, and Maddy Greene, Marleigh Szymendera, and Victoria Westfall each tallied a try apiece. Pytlewski also added two conversions.
"This team is something special. Starting off a season against such a tough opponent is never easy, but they did not let that slow them down. Instead they took the lessons from that game and immediately put them into action. This is only the start." - Kenmore Rugby HS Girls Head Coach Rachel Noone
Up next, both high school teams host a double header April 14th. The boys will kick off their season against Syracuse, while the girls will look to build off a strong start against Fairport and a rematch with Orchard Park.
Founded in 2004, the Kenmore Rugby Club is WNY's oldest and largest youth & high school rugby club with over 100 active players in grades K-12.