Maria Depner followed up her medal-winning performance at the PIAA Track and Field Championships Saturday by helping Moon Area win the inaugural Pennsylvania Scholastic Sevens Cup Sunday – a precursor to what could become a PIAA girls rugby state championship.
Depner, who placed seventh in the discus at the PIAA meet in Shippensburg, scored eight tries Sunday in State College as the Tigers collected four straight victories to capture the cup.
Moon opened pool play with a 47-0 victory over Cocalico and followed that with a 48-0 thumping of West Chester.
Those two wins vaulted the Tigers into the championship pool with matches against Hempfield and Conestoga.
Moon Area’s girls rugby team captured the inaugural Pennsylvania Scholastic Sevens Cup at State College, Pa., Sunday by winning four straight matches. (Photo courtesy of TL Merklin Photography)
In the match against Hempfield, the Tigers fell behind 12-0 but tries by Depner and Ava Steed brought them back to within 17-14 at halftime.
The second half was a different story, though, as Moon took control and posted a 31-22 victory.
Steed scored twice in the second half and Depner added one score. Hempfield scored on the final play of the match, but it was too late to affect the outcome.
That put Moon into the final match against Conestoga.
Unlike the previous game, the Tigers got off to a fast start, with Ella Arnold scoring in the first minute and Ellie Nurss adding another try shortly thereafter to put Moon up 12-0.
Two tries by Steed, one by Depner and one by Jayla Rugani helped Moon put the finishing touches on a 34-5 victory.
For the tournament, Steed matched Depner with eight tries while Rugani had four and Arnold and Nurss each had three. Nurss made good on 11 of 19 conversions while Avery Merklin was 5 of 7.
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