All three Michigan 7s sides traveled to Chicago last Sunday to play in a four-team tournament just outside of the Chicago Hounds’ SeatGeek Stadium. Facing Michigan State, Illinois, and Wisconsin, the Wolverines hoped to put up a strong performance in anticipation of larger tournaments in the coming month.
The First Side began the day with a 10:00am match against Michigan State, a squad whom Michigan had beaten once in 2022. Sophomore Shea Loughnane put Michigan ahead with two first-half tries, helping the Wolverines cruise to a 15-7 victory.
Just over an hour later the Wolverines faced Illinois. Despite giving up an early try after a long Illinois break, the First Side retained composure, working as a team to give Shea Loughnane, Luke Zana, Armen Vartanian, and Colin Sampic one try apiece. Nathan Feldman’s three conversions added to a 26-12 Michigan victory.
The Wolverines seemed to have every reason to be confident going into their third and final pool play match against Wisconsin. From the start, though, something didn’t click: after a messy opening kick receive Michigan lost the ball, allowing Wisconsin to score early. The First Side appeared dejected as the Badgers scored three more tries in a 24-5 victory.
Wisconsin’s victories over Michigan and Illinois led to a three-way tie for first place in the pool play standings, but Illinois, having the poorest point differential on the day, was unable to qualify for the tournament final. The championship game had suddenly become a daunting prospect for the Wolverines: would they be able to triumph in a rematch against Wisconsin?
Before any championship could happen, however, the developmental tournament had to conclude. Because Illinois brought only one side, Michigan’s Second and Third Sides each played second sides from Michigan State and Wisconsin. Flashes of brilliance on the Third Side, including multiple tries from sophomore Ryan Schmidt and relentless defense from freshman Joshua Nicholson, unfortunately weren’t enough to beat either of their more experienced opponents. Michigan’s Second Side, however, established itself as the unequivocal champion of the developmental tournament, beating Wisconsin 38-5 and Michigan State 38-0.
As the Second Side celebrated their victory the championship game was finally set to commence. After a chaotic first few minutes—there were multiple turnovers in the first minute alone—Armen Vartanian made a break in the fourth minute, dishing the ball to Devan Ekbote who managed to complete the try. The Wolverines’ lead was short-lived, though, with Wisconsin returning score three minutes later and leading to a 7-7 tie at halftime.
But Michigan seemed almost a new time after the half, seemingly unperturbed the unprecedented fifteen-minute duration of the first half. The Wolverines marched down the field once play resumed, with Armen Vartanian scoring in the eighth minute. Two tries by Nathan Feldman and one by Shea Loughnane to cap it off allowed Michigan to cruise to a 29-7 victory.
Now that Chicago Hounds 7s in the books, the Wolverines face a quick turnaround with Fighting Irish 7s happening this Saturday in South Bend. Michigan will once again be entering three sides, with the Second and Third Sides competing in the developmental tournament and the First Side hoping to secure a Collegiate Rugby Championship qualification.
