he Milwaukee Barbarians kicked off their 2017 sevens rugby season in Appleton, WI at the Leinie’s 7s.
Seeding Round
The day began well with a warm-up style match against a ‘pickup’ team with Bryce Counsellor racking up three tries in the first half. At the final whistle, the Barbarians had put together a clinical 48-0 victory.
The perfect defense continued into the second match with Tom Fossell leading the offense and scoring twice against the Pigs (Oshkosh, WI). At the final whistle, the Barbarians claimed the victory 26-0.
The third and final match of pool play was the closest of the morning against a very determined side the Celtics (Green Bay, WI). Despite strong defense on both sides, Milwaukee outscored their opponents three tries to two, including a double from Kyle Cwikis. Final score: 21-17 to the Barbarians.
Knock-out Rounds
With a 3-0 record, the 1st-seeded Barbarians matched up against the 4th-seeded Wolfpac (Fond du Lac, WI). With some fresh legs from the bench, the Milwaukee rugby team outscored their opponents six tries to one.
The 36-5 victory over the Wolfpac punched the Barbarians ticket to the final to meet the second-seeded Celtics for the second time of the day.
Mike Albert lead the scoring in the championship with a pair of tries. Two more scores from Justin Patterson and Counsellor kept the Barbarians ahead of Green Bay who scored twice.
The 28-14 scoreline gave the win to Milwaukee and capped a perfect 5-0-0 record for the day with Jeff Cebe taking top honors as man of the tourney.
Leinie’s 7s Roster
- Alex Mross
- Anthony Sims
- Brian Klein
- Brian Strenk
- Jeff Cebe
- Justin Patterson
- Kyle Cwiklis
- Mike Albert
- Nick Vigder
- Taylor Young
- Todd Chini
- Tom Fossell
- Bryce Counsellor
