The National Small College Rugby Organization 7s national championship, which is held in conjunction with the Penn Mutual Collegiate Rugby Championship, concluded last weekend with the New Mexico Highlands capturing their third title in six years.

The small school based out of Las Vegas, NM has been around for 25 years but up until recently had not been on the national stage. That all changed with back-to-back national championships in 2015-2016 with current United States Eagle Kevon Williams leading the charge. The Vatos have been at every 7s national final since and once again hoisted the trophy with an impressive run over the weekend.

(Kevon Williams is a former Vatos who has excelled on the international stage.)

The Vatos took care of business in pool play besting Susquehanna, Loyola Maryland and Thomas More in pool play. NMHU blanked Christendom 26-0 in the cup semis to meet Claremont in the finals. Claremont went 3-0 in pool play and defeated Loyola in the semis to reach the cup finals.

The final was close throughout as the teams traded scores to make the game 12-12 with a few minutes to play. Claremont looked to have taken the game-winning lead late in the match but a try-saving tackle in the corner forced a knock-on and a scrum to the Vatos on their own five-meter-line. 

With less than two minutes to play, the Highlands methodically worked their way downfield. After 13 phases and the ball swinging from side to side, Donovan Kambjii found a gap and powered over to give the Vatos a 17-12 win with no time remaining.

“Everybody played a huge role in the team win. The resilience that I saw in the minute was brilliant,” said coach Keith Maes. “We showed exceptional character, composure and the will to win on Sunday.”

Voshon Jackson was named the MVP but coach Maes credited the win to a solid team performance. The entire team has bought into a team-first mentality built on trust.

“We say that if everybody does their job we are going to be successful. If we share the ball, trust each other we are tough to beat,” Maes added. “Our guys have created a bond together that has allowed them to excel.”