Highland Girls Rugby Club returns, wins state championship

by Erica Peterson

The Highland Girls Rugby Club returned with a bang, capturing the Fall 7’s State Bowl Championship on Nov. 11.

Coach Dave Sambor said after he worked with some Highland players with the Brunswick rugby club last spring, and coached a combined Brunswick/Highland team this summer, he was able to restart the Highland Girls Rugby Club this fall. The team disbanded when it didn’t have enough players.

The Lady Buzzards finished the season with a 9-1 record, outscoring their opponents 243-50.

In the playoffs, Highland defeated Perrysburg 37-0 to reach the finals against the John Marshall Lady Lawyers, which Highland defeated 17-0 for the championship.

The 2018 Highland Girls Rugby Club was led by captain Sophia Schweitzer, senior Katie O’Donnell and sophomore Jessica Sambor, who led the team in scoring.

“With many girls brand new to the sport, their success is a result of learning the fundamentals, working well as a team and a strong competitive spirit,” Sambor said. “They also have a lot of fun in the process.”

Most of the players are expected to return in the spring, Sambor said. And because it is a club sport, girls from other schools are allowed to join. Two players on the state championship team are from Strongsville, he said, and past team members came from Buckeye, Wadsworth and Cloverleaf.

Anyone interested in joining the team can contact Sambor at Dave@MyHealthArchitect.com.

 

Featured image photo caption: Members of the Highland Girls Rugby Club include (front, l-r) Isabella Bennett Gandini and Katie O’Donnell; and (back, l-r) Emily Perhacs, Heather Brickman, Alexis Gretta, Jenna Karpinsky, Lilia Colbrunn, Madison Stokes, Coach Dave Sambor, Jessica Sambor, Jaclyn Karpinsky, Alyssa Fredmonsky and Sophia Schweitzer. Photo courtesy Dave Sambor