The first real burst of winter blew into the Mid-Atlantic on Saturday as temperatures dropped and a strong southeastern wind wreaked havoc all day. This was the last weekend of play for most squads in the conference and they made their final statements of the fall.

Like last season, Rocky Gorge and the Norfolk Blues finished undefeated as the Division I frontrunners going to the spring. Each club completed their fall on Saturday and the battle for Division I may come down to the head-to-head match on April 6th.

Gorge’s loss in last season’s divisional championship remains the overwhelming driving factor this season. “It’s motivation at this point,” captain Nick Kuhl said. “Making Nationals is our goal and what that takes is playing good rugby. Let’s try to be better, harder, tougher, smarter rugby players and so far we are doing that. There is a lot of work to be done, everybody has a couple of months to reflect before we come back in the spring and make our run.”

Gorge ended its fall with a 54-19 victory over Baltimore-Chesapeake. Flyhalf Ben Cima, who recently signed with MLR’s Seattle Seawolves, turned in a banner performance going 7/7 on conversions and adding a try in the win. In three games with Gorge, Cima scored three tries, kicked 22 conversions and two penalties, and was third in total points in DI with 65.

As for Norfolk, the Blues defeated the Potomac Exiles, 31-27. Norfolk scored five tries including a pair from inside center Kristofer Wilson, but the game ball goes to the defense for holding off a surging Exiles attack late to win the game. In addition to the DI win, Norfolk’s DIII side won its southern playoff semifinal over Blackwater, 17-5, to advance in the Division III playoffs in the spring. 

“Our biggest takeaway from this fall is the strength of our club culture,” Blues coach Chris Porter said. “We are keeping players in the club longer and picking new players as they move into the area. With the guys staying longer, it makes it easier to blend in the new players to our club.”

The other Division III South semifinal saw Virginia Beach pound Roanoke, 50-17. “We were very successful at exploiting their defensive gaps,” head coach Dave Greninger said. “We were so proud of the job our boys did. Everybody was dialed from the start and really wanted it. We stuck to our game plan and really had fun out there.”

In Women’s Division I, Philadelphia remained undefeated stretching its winning streak to four games with a 39-5 win over Charlotte. Philly dominated all game and almost had a shutout as Charlotte managed to score with two minutes left.

“We haven’t seen Charlotte before and were excited about the new competition,” captain Becca Fagan said. “We wanted to push from the first kickoff and get points on the board early. We really focused on executing our game plan, with both backs and forwards working together. This game was an absolute testament to how comfortable we are playing together and trust each other on the field.”

The only other women’s match was the Maryland Stingers’ Division III South 36-0 dismissal against NOVA. It was the Stingers’ third shutout in a row for a squad that prides itself on its defensive prowess.

“Our defense has been solid all season and has got better as the season went on,” coach Matt Hodgson said. “We have a veteran team who are making great decisions on the field and playing expansive rugby.”

Lastly in the crowded men’s Division III North, the surprise has been Media, who has gone from 1-7 a year ago to 6-0 in the North’s Blue division this season. Against a tough Reading club on Saturday, Media trailed by two points at the half. The defense stood tall in the second half and a pair of tries from Andrew Butkus and another from Ryan Gregory was all Media needed for the victory.

“Going into the match, we expected a very physical contest and Reading didn’t disappoint us,” coach Rick Van Luvender said. “Our defense keyed on Reading’s eightman, inside center, and one of the locks. We avoided counter-rucking in most situations and continuously met them on their side of the gain line… Containing those three was the key to our success… and the fitness level of Media proved to be the difference.”

Men’s Division II:

The Midwest’s Men’s Division II championship game was set on Saturday, after Wisconsin saw off the Pittsburgh Forge and Cleveland Crusaders cruised by the Indianapolis Impalas. In the first game, it was all one-way traffic for Wisconsin. They ran in 34 unanswered points before the Forge were able to get on the board in the 80th minute. The win was secured by a second half double scored by replacement wing, Brian Weddle. Final score, 34-5.

Wisconsin’s opponent would be determined by the winner of Cleveland Crusaders and the Indianapolis Impalas. In the beginning, it looked as though it would be their divisional rivals the Impalas; however, when the Crusaders scored 27 unanswered points in 20 minutes it became clear it would be the Crusaders advancing. The Crusaders were able to sustain their lead for most of the game- winning, 41-17. Flyhalf Nicholas Viviani led the way with 26 points for the Crusaders.

Women’s Division II:

Two very different games were played in the Women’s Division II playoffs, as the Milwaukee Scylla blew out the Chicago Sirens, 91-0. And the Pittsburgh Forge and Buffalo rugby were locked in a tight tussle; where Buffalo would eventually prevail, 22-10. In the Scylla’s match Fullback Chelsea Willes and number eight Abigail Williams both scored hat-tricks; while four other players scored a brace each. It was a comprehensive victory and Buffalo will know they have their hands full this weekend when they take on the 2017 National Champions.

Buffalo were able to avenge a regular season loss to the Pittsburgh Forge this weekend, on their way to booking a championship berth. The women from Western New York shot out to an early 17-0 lead within the first 20 minutes. From there the Forge clawed their way back into the match to bring it the deficit to a converted try with just over half an hour to play. However, a try in the 56th minute pushed the result beyond a doubt and Buffalo was able to hold their 12-point lead until the final whistle.

Men’s Division III:

In the men’s third division, there were conference semifinals and championships played, with the winner of each championship to meet in the Midwest championship game. In the eastern conference semifinals were played on Saturday with the Grand Rapids Gazelles and the Dayton Flying pigs taking each other on and Louisville Rugby facing the Presque Isle Scallywags. The Gazelles crushed the Flying Pigs, 60-0. The majority of the damage was done by lock Nicholas Burger who scored a double and their outside center Zebb Dewes-Taylor who contributed 23 points to the Gazelles’ efforts. In the other semifinal Lousiville were able to earn a hard fought victory 30-12 over the Scallywags. In their final on Sunday, the Gazelles put on a clinic winning by a similar margin over Louisville, 60-5. Dewes-Taylor was the shining light scoring 23 points in the winning effort.

Grand Rapids’ opponent for the weekend would be the winner out of the West, and it was a much tighter contest than what was witnessed in the east. It was the fourth seeded Bremer County Bucks that advanced through. They got through the semifinals against hosts and first seeded Milwaukee Rugby, 24-17.   Their opponent for the western conference final would either be the Fox Valley Maoris or the St. Cloud Bottom Feeders. It became apparent early on it would be the Maoris as they walked away 56-10 victors. The Championship game on Sunday was a more comfortable experience for the Bucks as they took the game 25-5. They will now have a big week ahead of them as they prepare for a mammoth task of slowing the Gazelles down.

Men’s Division IV:

 Similarly to the Men’s Division III competition, the Men’s Division IV saw conference semifinals and championships were played on Saturday and Sunday. In the East, the semifinals saw Lancaster Men of Stone and Fort Wayne Rugby D4 go toe to toe and the Findlay Scars up against the Columbus Coyotes. Lancaster advanced by the Fort Wayne and Findlay ran amuck against the Coyotes. The Scars put up 74 points on the board, on their way to an impressive victory. In Sunday’s final, the Scars again put on a clinic taking down the Men of Stone 50-19.

In the West, the Chicago Blaze D4 side comprehensively beat the Metropolis D4 side, putting up over 60 points in the process. Their opponent would be settled by the winner of the Indianapolis Impalas D4 and Cedar Rapids Headhunters. The Headhunters got the early lead in the game, but the Impalas came back and scored 14 unanswered to capture the lead. The Headhunters struck again and were within four, however, that was as close as they’d get. The Impalas D4 would go on to win the game after scoring another 17 unanswered. Final score, 31-10. In the final, it was a close affair, with the Impalas D4 holding on to win 19-14. Jonathon Wade was the catalyst in the win scoring the opening two tries in match to establish a 14-0 lead. The Impalas D4 will now face the Findlay Scars this weekend.

Midwest Premiership:

In the Midwest premiership, the Palmer College Dragons won comfortably against the Kansas City Blues, they now sit at 4-3 on the season. The Chicago Griffins won an intense affair against cross town rivals, the Chicago Lions, 30-29. The Milwaukee Barbarians fell by one point to the St. Louis Bombers, 22-21. The Cincinnati Wolfhounds fell just short of their maiden victory for the year, as Columbus Rugby held them at bay, 30-22.

While many Men’s and Women’s clubs took a break for the first weekend of November, the Carolinas Division III teams remained busy.  

The Charlotte Barbarians (3-0-0) hosted and defeated the Raleigh Vipers (1-1-0) 43 to 7.  Charlotte scored six tries, five conversions, and one penalty.  Raleigh was limited to one converted try.

The Asheville Iguanas RFC (3-0-0) hosted and crushed the Fort Bragg RFC (0-4-0) 81 to 7.  Asheville scored 12 tries, nine conversions, and one penalty.  Fort Bragg scored just one try and conversion early in the second half.

In Clayton, the Bootleggers (2-1-0) beat the Columbia Old Grey (1-1-0) 36 to 22.  Clayton scored five tries, four conversions, and one penalty, while limiting Columbia to four tries and only one conversion.

The inaugural Eastern Rockies Cup Finals event took place on Saturday, November 3, at Glendale’s recently-resurfaced Infinity Park south field. The event was the scheduled capstone for the hybrid D2/D3 competition, and Boulder Rugby – the area’s oldest senior club – walked away with the championship’s first trophy.

The Eastern Rockies Cup is a hybrid competition between clubs in the Rocky Mountain Premiership and the Rocky Mountain Championship. Featuring eight of the top and longest-tenured clubs in the area, the cup competition plays alongside Fall Premiership and Championship fixtures, featuring two pools of four teams each. 

The first match of the day saw an energized Denver Barbarians side storm out to a 67-7 victory over the Littleton Eagles to capture 5th place. The Barbos competed in the competition with a mixture of first- and second-team players, and were keen to make a statement in the finals after upsets by Boulder and Queen City earlier in the year. Thomas LaMuraglia led the Barbos with an incredible 4 tries, with Charles Ajarrista adding 12 more points with his boot and a try of his own.

In the competition’s third-place match, the heated rivalry between the Denver Highlanders and Queen City Rams lived up its expectations – and then some. After finishing the Fall leg of its Rocky Mountain Championship fixtures a perfect 4-0, Queen City jumped to an early lead with a 6th-minute try by Thomas Pearce. Their Rocky Mountain Premiership opponents, however, quickly countered with a try by flyhalf Adam Price just moments later, and then added two more scores by Josh Slater and Jeff Westbrook. The trio of longtime veterans thus gave the Highlanders a 21-7 lead going into halftime. After the break, Queen City was able to take advantage of a pair of Highlander yellow cards to add 10 points while playing two men up, via a PK by Charlie Keener and a converted try by Kaine Dimech. Alexander Friedman then scored in the 63rd minute to give Queen City a 22-21 lead, which was followed by a Bobby Haynes try in the 67th minute to push the margin to 27-21. The Highlanders would not relent though, and outside center Peter Gray crashed over the line in the 79th minute to put his team within one. Moments later, a successful conversion by Gray put the Highlanders up 28-27, stealing the victory from Queen City’s hands. 

Later, in the Eastern Rockies Cup championship match, Boulder Rugby proved too much for the Colorado Springs Grizzlies to handle on the day. The match stood at 12-7 just 31 minutes in, but an outpouring of second-half tries led to a 59-19 Boulder victory. Boulder’s Sean Kilfoyle, named Tournament MVP and Man of the Match, proved unstoppable, and Boulder’s pace and passing was difficult for the 2018 RMR Division 3 Champion Grizzlies to contain. Boulder finishes the Fall 5-2 overall, with a victory over the Denver Barbarians, who were the 2018 USA Rugby Division II National Champions. For Colorado Springs, who made the 2018 USA Rugby Division III National Round of 16, success in the Eastern Rockies Cup (2nd Place) will hopefully fuel a change in their 2018-2019 season fortunes. The Grizzlies finish the Fall 2-4-1, going 1-3 in Division III but 2-1-1 in the Eastern Rockies Cup (their win over Littleton counted in both standings).