On Saturday the Milwaukee Barbarians headed to Fond du Lac, WI to participate in the annual Lighthouse 7s tournament.
As 2-time defending champions, expectations were high.
Seeding Round
With five teams in each of two pools, the seeding round was scheduled to have four matches instead of the more common three.
In the first match of the day, the Barbarians met the second side from the Celtics (Green Bay, WI). Despite a few defensive errors, your Milwaukee rugby team outscored their opponents 5 tries to 2 and won the match 29-10.
Having worked out the kinks, the next match against Wisconsin Rugby Club (Madison, WI) was more successful. For the second week in a row Bryce Counsellor scored multiple times in a single match with a pair of tries. Three additional Barbarian tries and 4 conversions combined with an effective defense to produce a well-earned 33-5 victory.
The third pool match was a high-scoring affair against the Celtics third side. Featuring doubles from Adam Regini and Kaleb McDonald and non-stop tackles from Kyle Cwiklis, the Barbarians racked up a 53-0 shutout.
The final pool match was against Oshkosh and was also a little lopsided. Huge tackles highlighted the 5-try, 35-0 performance: the second shut-out of the day.
Knock-out Rounds
With 24 tries, the Barbarians earned the second seed heading into the elimination rounds and paired with 3rd-seeded MRFC (Milwaukee, WI) from pool A.
MRFC appeared to be under-powered with a number of their typical starters unavailable. The Barbarians did not let up however and three players scored twice: Brian Strenk, Mike Albert and Bryce Counsellor (his second double of the day).
At the final whistle the 43-0 score for the Barbarians earned them a ticket to the Championship match.
In a replay of the Leinie’s 7s last weekend, the Milwaukee rugby team faced the top side from the Celtics.
The scrappy match was dominated by unforced errors and changes of possession. In spite of this, at half-time the Barbarians held a slim 12-5 lead. But the defensive lines held in the second half and a pair of unanswered tries by Milwaukee sealed the win and the tournament Championship for Milwaukee.
The win also marks a 3-year winning stretch for the Barbarians at the Lighthouse 7s.
Man of the match
Jeff Cebe took top honors for the second week in a row.
On deck
This week the Barbarians prepare for the Madtown 7s in Madison, WI.
Even if you have not yet come out, roster positions are still available for new club members and students in the greater Milwaukee area to play summer rugby.
Practices are Tuesday and Thursday at 6PM at the Old Milwaukee Gun Club.
Lighthouse 7s Roster
- Jeff Cebe
- Brian Strenk
- Mike Albert
- Taylor Young
- Adam Regini
- Trevor Hergert
- Ty Ash
- Kyle Cwiklis
- Alex Mross
- Zach Price
- Michael Orgas
- Kaleb McDonald
- Lukas David Torres
- Bryce Counsellor
- David Gray
