Blues News
Blues Name Captains and Vice Captains for 2010
Halfback Greg Gallagher has been named Club Captain for the spring 2010 season, an honor he maintains after successfully leading the Club in the fall of 2009. The 2009 D1 Back of the Year, Gallagher has been a member of the Blues since 2002. Joining Greg at the helm of the D1 side are Vice Captains Eric Munninghoff and Conner Smith. Both products of the Jr Blues program, Munninghoff and Smith will be tasked with keeping their units firing on all cylinders. Munninghoff, a hooker, was the 2009 D1 Forward of the Year. Smith was the 2009 7s Player of the Year and has captained the Blues 7s side since 2008. Flyhalf Caleb George, the 2009 D2 Player of the Year, will Captain the D2 side again this spring while not on loan to the D1.
New Blue Tommy Saunders Heads to Eagle 7s Camp
Blues 7s player Tommy Saunders will attend the USA National 7s Team Camp this week at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, CA as head coach Al Caravelli assembles 19 candidates to trial for the team's next two IRB Sevens World Series events in Adelaide AUS, and Hong Kong.
The camp will run from March 6 - 13, and if one of the 12 players selected Saunders will head on tour with the National Team throughout the remainder of March. A record setting wide receiver at the University of Missouri, Tommy joined the Blues in December 2009 and made a strong impression at the CCS 7s Finale in Las Vegas, where he was scouted by Caravelli. Since then, Tommy has split time training with the Mizzou RFC in Columbia and with the Blues, where the 6'0, 210lb 24 year-old has impressed at flanker.
The Blues wish Tommy the best of luck in Chula Vista!
Blues Send Kenny Scott to Play For Atlantis 7s at Havana 7s
20 year-old Kenny Scott (KSU '11), the Blues 7s leading try-scorer in 2009 and at the Las Vegas CCS Tournament, has been invited to join the prestigious Atlantis VIIs invitational side at the Havana 7s on Feb. 27th & 28th. Kenny will become the 3rd player to represent the Blues with Atlantis, following in the footsteps of Doug Brown, Steve Robke, and Mike Skahan - all who went on to play for the Eagles 7s side. The trip has been made possible by generous donations from countless Blues and KSU alumni.
Atlantis will be joined at the Havana 7s by a Canadian Select team that won the Cancun Sevens, The Froggies (France), 2 Cuban teams including their National Team, West Indies National Team, Mexican National Team, and the Peruvian National Team.
Since 1986, 155 Eagles (99 men and 56 women) have played for Atlantis. 81 of these represented Atlantis prior to the US. Atlantis' coach Emil Signes was US National Men’s Sevens Coach from 1987-90. During this time the US had a winning record, defeating Wales, Canada, and Argentina, and won the Hong Kong Plate Championship. He was also the long-time coach of the US National Women’s Sevens Team.
Atlantis has competed in over 120 tournaments, including 70 in 23 locations outside the US, i.e. England, Scotland, Spain, New Zealand, Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Italy, Uruguay, Bulgaria, Dubai, Trinidad, Fiji, Hong Kong, Japan, Australia, Argentina, Canada, Holland, Portugal, Venezuela, Cuba, the Cayman Islands, Brazil and Singapore.
Blues finish in 11th place with 1-3 record in Vegas
The Kansas City Blues 7s side took on some stiff competition at the Championship Cup Series finale in Las Vegas on Friday Feb. 12th, played extremely well at times and looked inexperienced at others, while gaining invaluable experience against the nation's elite 7s programs en route to a 1-3 record and an 11th place finish in the 12 team event. The Blues lost a heartbreaker 17-24 in the opening round to eventual runners-up Chicago Lions, before dropping their 2nd pool match 7-24 to NOVA. In the consolation bracket, the Blues were pushed around by OMBAC in losing 12-34, and went on to defeat Long Island 32-7 in the last match of the day to secure a victory and stay out of the tournament basement.
Belmont Shore went on to defeat the Lions in the final to win the $7,500 prize purse, in front of 18,000 fans.
Blues Roster: Kevin Schwartze, Marshall Lurtz, Arnold Odera, Tyler Hodges, Conner Smith, Tommy Saunders, Pete Kowalski, Joe D'Agostino, Billy Racule, Ernie Moore, Tony Temple, Kenny Scott
Coaches: Scott Kram & Pete Winklebauer
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