In a momentous weekend of rugby, champions were crowned, tickets to Nationals were booked, and teams put their finishing touches on their fall seasons.
ATLANTIC NORTH
Men's
At Mazzella Field at Iona College in New Rochelle, N.Y., White Plains hosted Buffalo for the Empire Division II championship. The game started as defensive struggle with White Plains leading 8-0 after 35 minutes. Disaster struck Buffalo as they picked up two yellow cards in a matter of five minutes, and were forced to play down two. White Plains took full advantage, as Giorgi Maisuradze completed his trick and Angus Duckett added another to rack up 21 points for a comfortable 29-0 lead with 30 minutes remaining. Buffalo refused to go quietly and never gave up as it scored the last 15 points of the game. However, the damage had been done and White Plains grabbed the championship, 29-15.
“As said before, defense wins matches,” White Plains director of rugby Andrew Britt said. “We set the platform in the first half, were very physical, and we were able to keep Buffalo scoreless for all the first half and much of the second half. [Our defense] set the tone and it was the key to our victory.”
White Plains gave the game ball to Maisuradze. “He was superb and the forward pack hunted as a unit, but everyone played well. Our inside halves controlled the game, we worked on pinning them back through kicking and the wingers chased really hard to put pressure on them. A pretty complete performance,” Britt concluded.
Rockaway continued its dominance in Division IV blasting the Rochester Aardvarks, 62-10, to win the Empire title. The Fishheads’ postseason run proved they were the best team during the regular season going undefeated with an amazing +301 point differential. Prop Santino Hasting led the way with three tries and flanker Patrick Felmer connected on six conversions to go along with his two scores.
In the last game of the ARP, Old Blue earned its second victory of the season beating crosstown rival NYAC, 24-21. The teams traded blows in the first half before a try from Derek Lipscomb put Old Blue up for good.
“We went into the game with the mindset of playing an expansive brand of rugby to really test and move NYAC around,” coach Dom Wareing said. “We confidently played the threats on the outside. Gavan D’More-Morrison was particularly effective out on the wing scoring a try and making a couple of line breaks. We wanted to get out there and play for pride this week in the local derby as we were out of the race for the Elite Cup. We wanted to have fun and enjoy the experience.”
Women's
The Empire GU is one weekend away from naming its champion, and the final will seed the teams into the Atlantic North semifinals in the spring. The title winner will play New England runner-up Worcester in the Competitive Region crossovers, and the Empire runner-up will play Providence.
Top-ranked Monmouth hosted Danbury and banked a convincing 52-0 semifinal victory Saturday. Flyhalf Leah Berry lit up the scoreboard approximately 10 minutes in with a try, and then scrumhalf Rebecca Musumeci, No. 8 Diana Valencia, wing Crystal Cooke (3), flanker Stephanie Desch and reserve Ashley Allen followed with tries. Hooker Alexandrea Rumsey added six conversions in the shutout.
Second-seeded Brooklyn hosted Uticuse on the other side the bracket, and fell behind 5-0 when Shannon Finnegan scored the first of two tries after 10 minutes. Brooklyn mobilized, tied it up by the 15-minute mark, and then took off. By game’s end, inside center Jane Wade led all point-scorers with 16 points on two tries and three conversions. Prop Juliet Wade scored a brace of tries, and No. 8 Lily Wissinger, outside center Laila Blumenthal-Rothchild and wing Margaret Ewen added a try apiece in the 46-10 victory.
Monmouth and Brooklyn will now decide the Empire title and it’s a rematch of the teams’ final regular-season game on Nov. 2. Crystal Cooke scored a game-winning try in the 80th minute to award the 22-21 win to Monmouth. A showdown awaits.
FRONTIER
Men's
The Rocky Mountain Rugby Eastern Rockies Cup (DII/DIII hybrid cup tournament) fall championship was on Saturday between the Denver Misfits and Denver Barbos at Infinity Park in Glendale, Colo. In a complete tale of two halves of attacking rugby, the Barbos were up 26-12 at the half, but the Misfits came back for the 50-38 victory. In the Plate final, the Queen City Rams edged the Colorado Springs Grizzlies, 39-34.
For the penultimate weekend in Mid-America, Wichita were road warriors at Tulsa and took home the 59-24 win in DII while Sunday Morning and the St. Louis Bombers outpaced their opponents in DIII. Sunday Morning, the defending DIII champs, finished off their undefeated fall season with a 65-10 victory at home against Springfield and the Bombers notched their second W as they defeated the Ramblers, 59-32.
MID-ATLANTIC
Men's
The Mid-Atlantic DI ended its fall campaign with a North versus South clash between Rocky Gorge and the Washington Irish at Hains Point in Washington, D.C. The Irish were first on the board with a try from Hannibal Vaivao, but Gorge responded with a trio of converted tries from Nick Kuhl (2) and Dustin Meehan to take the 21-7 lead. The Irish kept their heads and Vaivao scored his second and third tries to take the 22-21 advantage in the 44th minute. The lead didn’t last long as Gorge’s Tyler Myles, Sean Hartig, and Eugene Becton scored three tries in 14 minutes to go up 40-25. Irish’s Mark Seiss scored late, but Gorge notched its sixth straight win to close out the fall, 40-30.
The next to last weekend of DII saw four matches in the EPRU. Bruce Dolan scored a hat trick for Doylestown as the Dragons stretched their unbeaten streak to six games with a 46-18 win over Philadelphia-Whitemarsh; Old Gaelic stomped the Roses, 58-10, as Brady Reisman scored every way possible with a try, four conversions, a penalty, and a drop goal; South Jersey beat North Penn, 29-22; and Phoenixville White Horse blew out Wilmington.
DIII saw a rematch of the last season’s Central championship between the Washington Irish and Rocky Gorge that took 100 minutes to decide. After scoring the first 21 points of the contest, the Irish prevailed this round, 24-12, to stay undefeated. “The difference today was that we’ve had the same squad together for the most part,” head coach Brendon Worley said. “We’ve certainly been hit by injuries and some unavailability, but we got a core group that really worked hard in the offseason to come together as a team. These are two evenly matched clubs so it’s always going to be a battle… We took advantage of a couple of holes on the defense in the first half that they closed up in the second half, but mostly it was the guys being able to recognize space and use it.”
Elsewhere in DIII, North Bay, West Potomac dominated in the Central; Jersey Shore cracked the Philadelphia Gryphons, 53-17, in the North; and in the semifinals of the South, Rappahannock and Virginia Beach walloped their opponents by thirty point margins. The South final is next week in Fredericksburg, Va. and it should be a high-scoring affair.
Lastly in DIV, Severn River beat the Washington Scandals, 76-5, Loudoun outpaced North Bay, 51-29, and Patuxent River beat Prince William County, 33-29, in a battle of unbeaten squads.
MIDWEST
Men's
In Lemont, IL., the top teams of the Midwest gathered for the union championships with berths to Nationals at stake. The finalists in each division played valiantly and displayed the best rugby the Midwest can offer.
First up was the DIV final between the Findlay Scars and the hosts, the Chicago Blaze. The match started the worst way possible for Chicago as their captain Erik Otten was binned in the fourth minute. Findlay took advantage scoring a try, but the Blaze responded with 26 straight points to lead by 19 soon after halftime. Findlay was able to score again in the 56th minute, but Chicago landed the final blows in the final 20 minutes to celebrate the championship, 36-14.
“Today was a total 1 to 23 team effort,” Otten said. “Aaron Sanderson was definitely our MVP today. He led the team on defense and tackled everything in sight all game. Chris Chrencik's leadership and experience on offense really showed.”
Next on the docket was the epic DII final between Queen City and the Fox Valley Maoris. The undefeated clubs were tight for the entire match and ultimately, the game would come down to one point. Each squad has its chances to blow the game open, but Queen City was able to take advantage of some key opportunities to finish with the 34-33 win. Queen City played a man down twice in the match, but the defense was able to minimize the damage and outside center Austin Baker scored four tries at full strength.
“The deciding factor of the game was the fact that we have a team that doesn’t quit,” captain Chad Pennington said. “Our coach has emphasized fitness this season. He challenged us every practice and we held ourselves accountable on our off days. Our forward pack is a force to be reckoned with in scrums and rucks, while our backs are dynamic and are all offensive threats. By the end of the season, we were firing on all cylinders going into the playoffs.”
The DII final featured a team with multiple division titles under its belt against a squad searching for their first. In a battle of two heavyweights, Wisconsin and the Pittsburgh Forge were locked in a brawl where heavy periods of time were dominated by one team and then the other. Wisconsin came out swinging to score the first two tries before a yellow card stopped their momentum. The Forge tacked on a penalty with the man advantage, but by halftime, Pittsburgh cut the lead to four points at 17-13. After some stellar defensive play, Pittsburgh crossed the whitewash for a converted try in the 67th minute for the 20-17 lead. Wisconsin’s Kevin Sommers took back the 22-20 advantage minutes later.
Wisconsin’s Phil Winkler described the final moments of the match saying, “The game ended with ferocious defense by both teams earning turnovers and Pittsburgh marching deep into WRC territory. A maul held up resulted in a WRC scrum. WRC ran slow pick-n-go phases to burn the rest of the clock and the match ended with a collapsed ruck and players all over the ground.”
The last match of the day was the Chicago Lions versus the Kansas City Blues in the DI final with a bid to the Elite Cup up for grabs. A contentious first half ended in a 12-12 tie with both sides showing good defensive resilience. The action opened up in the second half when the Lions took the lead on an intercept from Kevin Lydon and then Frikkie de Beer added another soon after. Chicago would not be denied a final try and the Lions emerged victorious 31-15.
“We watched some of their previous games and we played against guys like Taylor Howden and Mike Baska who were playing for KC before the MLR season,” Lions’ director of rugby Dave Clancy said. “We were reading some of their footage and their attack structure and we tweaked our defensive lines on how we wanted to put pressure. We stuck with what’s been working all season with our attacking structure: attacking the best space and keeping it simple.”
Chicago had contributions from all over the pitch but captain Andrew Rose earned the MVP honors with his dominant ball carrying. Hooker Kevin Lydon played above and beyond with two tries including the game-winner and Jake Hidalgo and Dan Coci were key cogs in the defense that limited KC to three points in the second half.
With a berth to Nationals secured, next up for the Lions is the Elite Cup in two weeks against the Life Running Eagles. Kansas City will join Chicago in Georgia and will play an American Rugby Premiership select side.
Women's
The Chicago Lions joined Division I this fall and just sealed an undefeated fall with a Midwest Championship. The Lions faced Metropolis – a squad that served the Lions their only non-win, a 12-12 tie, in the regular season – and battled to a 29-24 victory. The Lions have secured the Competitive Region’s top seed to the national quarterfinals in the spring, and Metropolis has proved that they, too, will be a valuable addition to the 2020 post-season.
“They’re a very skilled team, and since we started our women’s team 15 months ago, they’re probably the strongest opponent that we’ve come up against. Well coached by Sue Whitwell and Martha Daines,” Chicago Lions Director of Rugby Dave Clancy said. “It was very tight going into halftime, lot of over-and-backward, exciting rugby.”
Lions wing Katherine Lohaus and flyhalf Kelley Hirt teamed up for a 7-point lead after eight minutes, but then a yellow card at the 17th minute opened up the opportunity for back-to-back Valkyries tries: 14-7 to the Minnesotans. The Lions responded immediately, as fullback Rachel Grecky scored and then sustained pressured produced a penalty try that Jill Stariha would have otherwise dotted down. The Lions went into the break up 19-14.
“In the second half we had the wind at our back, and the ability of our players to kick to space was a key factor. And we just made it difficult for them to play from deep,” said Clancy, who also praised the team’s defensive resilience. “We took our opportunities, and when we had possession in their 22 came away with points, and ultimately that was decided the game.”
The teams were deadlocked during the first 15 minutes of the second half, and then Valkyries scrumhalf Dalena Khothsombath crossed for five: 19-all. Clancy praised the work of Lions scrumhalf Cara Thayer, who took over the decision-making role after a late=season injury to the regular starter, and kept the game moving in spite of a fast defense. Hooker Benny Hershik was also crucial in keeping the pace of the defense high and put in a standout performance in the set pieces.
The Lions were rewarded through Lions wing Devon Gold and Lohaus followed with tries to push the Lions’ lead out to 10, and provide the cushion the squad needed to hold onto the win. Metropolis added one more score in the final five minutes, but the Lions took home the 29-24 victory and Midwest DI Club Championship.
The Midwest DII Club Championship brought two undefeated teams together – the West’s Palmer College and East’s Cincinnati Kelts – and they fought to a single-digit decision. When the final whistle sounded, the Dragons celebrated a 22-15 win, its first Midwest trophy and berth to DII nationals.
Palmer College captain Leilani Zinsli reflected on the tight game, “We knew our only option was to come out of the gates hard.”
Palmer wing Skyler Zawko scored seven minutes into the match, and flyhalf Claire Tomashek made it 7-0. The Kelts got on the board minutes later with a penalty kick, and the Dragons responded with tries from outside center Wren Felton and prop Stephanie Snoeberger. Tomashek added a conversion and penalty after the break for a 22-3 lead.
The Kelts started chipping away, dotting down in the 50th and 67th minutes, and with 13 minutes to play, Cincinnati only trailed by seven points. But Palmer rallied around its defense and held on for the 22-15 win. There’s plenty of time to prepare for the national quarterfinals in May, and Palmer College is ready for the build.
“With regard to ‘leading' our team in its first national playoffs, I know it's going to be painless and smooth,” Zinsli looked ahead. “We have so many natural leaders on our team that I never feel like I have to do it alone.”
RED RIVER
Men's
The second week of DIII action in the Red River saw six clubs see their first play of the fall season. The marquee match-up was old versus new as the established San Antonio RFC was pitted against a brand new club, the “Other Rugby Club” (ORC). It was competitive and got a bit scrappy at times, but referee Drew Low kept the teams within the laws. ORC jumped out to an early lead 12-0, with San Antonio getting on the board just before the half. ORC came out strong in the second half, scoring three unanswered tries in the first 20 minutes. San Antonio staged a late rally, but it was too little, too late. At full time, ORC walked off the field with its first-ever win, 36-22.
In the other two tests, the road teams picked up victories as the Austin Blacks blitzed Alamo City, 82-15, in the Central and the Dallas Reds beat the OKC Tribe, 45-26, in the North.
SOUTH
Men's
The final Saturday in Carolinas saw Charlotte remain undefeated and Greenville break its three-game losing streak. After leading for most of the game against Southern Pines, Charlotte found itself in a two-point hole with less than 20 minutes left. With little time remaining, Charlotte’s Adam Shokair scored the decisive try and the defense did the rest for the 35-30 win. In the other contest, Greenville has game by game improved its play and its offensive output leading to its first win of the season versus Raleigh. Led by a 17-point effort from Colin McKeon, the Griffins beat the Vipers, 34-28.
Florida DII opened up its second week as Boca Raton and Miami Tridents won comfortably as expected. Boca handled struggling Fort Lauderdale, 45-17, to move to 2-0 on the season, while the Miami Tridents opened their campaign with a 38-15 win over crosstown rivals Miami RFC. Boca and the Tridents will both put their undefeated records on the line when they face off this Saturday in Miami.
