Mid-Atlantic Recap: Close Finishes Across the Divisions
Of the four matches in men’s DI in the Mid-Atlantic, Rocky Gorge remained undefeated taking out NOVA on the road, Schuylkill River fought off the Washington Irish at home, and Norfolk edged the U.S. Naval Academy in its annual test. However, the Potomac Exiles’ impressive 40-39 comeback win against Baltimore-Chesapeake earned the match of the weekend.
Things couldn’t have started worse for the Exiles as BC raced to a 28-0 lead before Potomac cut the deficit to nine points before halftime. BC charged ahead again in the second but it wasn’t until a pair of late Guy Lopresti tries that Potomac was within striking distance of the lead. Kenny Rothmann’s conversion in the 75th minute put the Exiles over the top for the one-point victory.
“The game was riddled with errors on our part,” Potomac coach Owen Lentz said. “Dropped balls, losing the ball in contact. I think the only thing we could really take out if this game was composure. We were down 28-0 and no one panicked. I think that showed good character from the boys.”
In men’s Division II, Doylestown, Lancaster, James River, and Richmond remained perfect with big wins. Next weekend, there will be only two left as Doylestown is at Lancaster and James River hosts Richmond.
The most entertaining match of Division II goes to Old Gaelic’s 26-23 win over Philadelphia-Whitemarsh. The teams traded blows throughout the contest with Gaelic holding a slim 21-20 lead after being down early. The squads went back and forth again following halftime with OG’s player/coach Dan Roth scoring in the 49th minute for the three-point advantage. Neither defense let up in the final 30 minutes and Gaelic held on for the victory.
“It was a very good competitive game as the scoreline indicated,” Coach Roth said. “The key to the comeback was tightening up our defense and better possession on offense. I believe [this type of win] showed that OG is a team that will be prepared to go 80 minutes, we have been working on developing our team depth.”
After three weeks in men’s Division III, nine teams are still undefeated. In the 12 matches on Saturday, Wilkes-Barre, Northeast Philadelphia Irish, and Brandywine are without a loss in the North; Rocky Gorge, Western Suburbs, and North Bay are perfect in the Central; and Virginia Beach, Roanoke, and Blackwater are undefeated in the South.
Two blowouts took center stage in men’s DIV as Prince William trampled Western Suburbs, 71-14, and the Washington Renegades broke the century mark with a 107-0 win over Phoenixville White Horse.
In the women’s Division II ranks, Harrisburg is 4-0 after beating the Northeast Irish, 66-26, and James River is 2-0 with a 41-15 win over the D.C. Furies. For DIII, the Maryland Stingers improved to 3-0 after a 53-15 victory against Frederick and NOVA and Pax River tied at 19 apiece.
Highlighting one of the more dominant wins in women’s Division II, Doylestown pounded out nine tries in a 49-11 win over previously undefeated Phoenixville White Horse. Cait Rycek, Lydia Keener, Grayce Fjeld and Faith Hughes led the Dragons on both sides of the ball.
“The overall key was the right defense, we really only let them breathe the line once or twice,” Doylestown coach Mary Merlo said. “On offense, the pack worked hard drawing in their players to where we could capitalize on the overloads in the backline. We kept the field spread wide and used it to our advantage.”
| HOME | SCORE | AWAY | SCORE | DIVISION |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schuylkill River Exiles | 34 | Washington Irish | 10 | Men – DI |
| Northern Virginia Rugby | 21 | Rocky Gorge Rugby | 57 | Men – DI |
| Baltimore-Chesapeake Brumbies | 39 | Potomac Exiles | 40 | Men – DI |
| Navy | 17 | Norfolk Blues | 24 | Men – DI Non-Conference |
| Old Gaelic Rugby | 26 | Philadelphia Whitemarsh Rugby | 23 | Men – DII-North |
| Phoenixville White Horse | 38 | South Jersey Devils | 45 | Men – DII-North |
| Lancaster Roses | 39 | Lehigh Valley Hooligans | 7 | Men – DII-North |
| Doylestown Dragons | 65 | Wilmington Rugby | 15 | Men – DII-North |
| Washington Rugby | 24 | Raleigh Vipers | 50 | Men – DII-South |
| Virginia Rugby | 14 | James River Rugby | 19 | Men – DII-South |
| Northern Virginia Rugby D3 | 22 | Rocky Gorge Rugby D3 | 33 | Men – DIII-Central |
| Virginia Griffins | 10 | Western Suburbs Rugby | 48 | Men – DIII-Central |
| Baltimore-Chesapeake Brumbies D3 | 12 | North Bay Rugby | 72 | Men – DIII-Central |
| Media Rugby | Postponed | Happy Valley Barbarians | Postponed | Men – DIII-North |
| Reading Rugby | 39 | Harrisburg Rugby | 19 | Men – DIII-North |
| Wilkes-Barre Scranton Breakers | 56 | Hibernians Rugby | 7 | Men – DIII-North |
| Jersey Shore Sharks | 26 | Brandywine Rugby | 34 | Men – DIII-North |
| Northeast Philadelphia Irish | 74 | Delmarva Rugby | 0 | Men – DIII-North |
| Blackthorn Rugby | 17 | Schuylkill River Exiles D3 | 21 | Men – DIII-North |
| Rocktown Rugby | 0 | Blackwater Rugby | 22 | Men – DIII-South |
| Roanoke Rugby | 45 | Blacksburg Rugby | 19 | Men – DIII-South |
| Newport News Mariners | 19 | Norfolk Blues D3 | 21 | Men – DIII-South |
| North Bay Rugby D4 | 22 | Patuxent River Rugby | 34 | Men – DIV |
| Prince William County Rugby | 71 | Western Suburbs Rugby D4 | 14 | Men – DIV |
| Washington Renegades D4 | 107 | Phoenixville White Horse | 0 | Men – DIV |
| Northeast Philadelphia Rugby | 26 | Harrisburg Rugby | 66 | Women – DII-North |
| Doylestown Dragons | 49 | Phoenixville White Horse | 11 | Women – DII-North |
| Chesapeake Rugby | Postponed | Norfolk Storm | Postponed | Women – DII-South |
| D.C. Furies D2 | 15 | James River Rugby | 41 | Women – DII-South |
| Frederick Rugby | 15 | Maryland Stingers | 53 | Women – DIII-South |
| Patuxent River Rugby | 17 | Northern Virginia Rugby D3 | 17 | Women – DIII-South |
