RUGBY: Kent pair brace for rugby overseas

They’re separated by years, but not talent.

One has grown into the veteran, the captain of her team, while the other is a young rookie trying to make a name for herself.

But when it comes to their individual futures on the rugby pitch, one thing remains common and distinctly clear for both Lisa Henneman and Katie Humphreys: They’re as bright as ever.

So bright, in fact, that in May the two Kent natives were named to the USA’s U20 national team. To put that accomplishment in perspective, Henneman and Humphreys aren’t just the only two players from Kent on the team, but the only two players from the state of Washington.

And it doesn’t end there. The squad essentially is comprised of the 25 best under-20 high school, college and club players in the nation and includes members for Wisconsin, Maryland and Virginia, among other places.

Henneman and Humphreys are two of the nine West Coast-based players on the team.

“This is a big deal,” said Humphreys, a senior-to-be at Kentwood High and Kent Crusaders standout.

For Humphreys, labeling the honor of playing for team USA might be an understatement since, at 16, she is the youngest player on a team stacked with college-experienced players.

But Henneman, 20, has been there and done that. In fact, when Henneman was 16, she also was named to the U-20 team, though the accomplishment remains a rarity.

“If they have the physical attributes (when they’re young), you have to take them,” said USA coach Bryn Chivers, a native of Wales who now calls South Dakota home. “Lisa and Katie both had those attributes.”

The two Kent players will get a chance to put those attributes on center stage from July 9-18, when Team USA goes overseas to compete in the U-20 Nations Cup, which will be played on the Brunel University campus in London. The tournament will be made up of the best U-20 teams in the world.

The United States opens play against Wales on July 9, followed by England on the 12th and Canada on the 15th.

The fact that Henneman and Humphreys are among the best of the best in the nation is no surprise to Kent Crusaders coach Rex Norris.

“So far, (Lisa) is the best player I’ve ever coached,” said Norris, who is better known as Kentwood’s football coach, but also has 14 years of rugby coaching experience. “She is in the top percentage of athletes I have been around, guy or girl.”

The numbers Henneman posted while playing with the Crusaders from her freshman through senior years in high school would indicate as much. She owns the program’s record for tries in a career with 94. And it’s not even close — the next player on that list comes in at 56.

But rugby — and Team USA — is hardly about scoring for the former Kentlake product. It’s about leading a group of girls who, during the next month, will become like sisters.

POINTING THE WAY

At the center of it all is Henneman, the team’s captain who plays fly-half. The position is the equivalent of a quarterback on the football field. As the fly-half, Henneman is the team’s ultimate decision maker and essentially dictates the tempo of the game.

Rugby also allows Henneman the opportunity to unleash her aggressive nature.

“I am naturally an aggressive player in sports,” said Henneman, who also played soccer while at Kentlake. “Rugby has everything for me. And, as I’ve been going through it, it has given me the opportunities to do other things.”

Other things, indeed. Henneman recently completed her associate of arts degree at Green River Community College and is in the process of transferring to Penn State, where she will play rugby next fall. Penn State has the top-ranked women’s rugby team in the nation.

Chivers has been impressed with Henneman for a long time.

“She has always been a thinking rugby player,” the USA coach said. “An intelligent player. She carries herself well on and off the field.”

When Henneman takes that field in England, she will officially become the team leader in caps, which in rugby terms, is an appearance for a select team, such as a school, county or international team. Henneman, who has seven caps, is currently tied in the category with two other players.

However, next month’s tournament isn’t about setting the team’s caps record. As the team’s captain, Henneman has made it her responsibility to take players like Humphreys under her wing.

“I’ve already told her, she’s there for a reason and not to let her age play in as a factor,” Henneman said. “She’s one of the best of the best. It’s not about age, it’s about what she brings to the team.”

TRADING HOOPS FOR SCRUMS

And Humphreys, who stands a shade taller than six feet, brings plenty.

One of the most athletically gifted females at Kentwood, Humphreys was a standout basketball player until giving the sport up before her freshman year in high school.

Why would a 6-footer give up basketball?

Well, like Henneman, Humphreys has an aggressive side.

“I played basketball until the eighth grade, then I got bored of it,” Humphreys said. “There wasn’t enough contact. I couldn’t really do much on the court. Rugby is so much fun. I am never mad or stressed out because I can go to the rugby field and tackle people.”

Humphreys plays the lock position on the rugby field, which is perfectly suited for her tall stature. The lock is the player who is thrown up in the air during scrums. Being one of the tallest girls on the field is critical to the position.

“She is the engine of the scrum,” Norris said.

One that may not have the years under her belt of her Kent counterpart, but does have the talent.