Honey Badgers Drown Mermaids in Season Opener

Poised and ready to strike on the hot, humid Norfolk pitch, the Severn River Honey Badgers met their opposition on Saturday and took the first steps towards realizing their team goal of returning to Regionals. With powerful performances by Back of the Match Katie Marshall and Forward of the Match Ashley Chafin, the honey badgers showed their determination from the first whistle.

In the first two minutes, Marshall punched the ball through the back line to Madam President Aly Jost for the first try of the match. The scoring continued with tries from Tina (scrum half), Todo (8-man), and Rayne diving over the line from the wing position (She may have landed on some tree roots and loose rocks, but anything for the team, right?). With excellent kicking from Charlee, the honey badgers found themselves up 33-0 at the half.

The scoring continued in the second-half with tries from Sweet Dee, Madam President, and Chafin. Shelly, our newest rookie, notched her first try by dusting the competition in an 80 meter sprint to the middle of the uprights to finish the match. With a solid conversion from Captain Casey, the honey badgers finished with a 60-0 victory over the mermaids. 

The match was not without its blunders as two players received yellow cards for Severn River. The first was a justifiable call after a high tackle, while the second was a bit more suspect when a veteran player received a card for causing two of her teammates to put their hands in the ruck. I have yet to look up that particular rule, but clearly the force is strong with Jedi master Farrah. 

Overall, the honey badgers have a lot to be proud of, but also have room to grow. After the match many of the players recognized the need to improve the connection on defense and to be even quicker to the rucks to support each other. Overall, the positive communication kept them focused on each moment of the match.

The Honey Badgers will be away again to face the DC Furies Division 2 side on September 15th.

Tries:

A. Jost - 2, K. Todorovich - 2, R. Trouwborst - 1, K. Schafer - 1,  D. Crovo-Denton - 2, A. Chafin - 1, S. Freeman - 1

Conversions:

C. Bryant - 4 for 7

C. Hartzell - 1 for 1

R. Trouwborst- 0 for 2

2018 Fall Preview

2018 Fall Preview

Women’s Side

Captains Casey Hartzell and Leni Ferreria are excited. And by excited I mean over the top, raw meat, baby you’re a firework, dancing pandas, honey badger found a free lunch with many beers, excited. With lofty goals of returning to playoffs and competing for the National Championship, the honey badgers have high expectations for this relatively young squad.

Looking to build from last year’s successes, Casey and Leni are looking to remedy last year’s near miss of a playoff berth. They hope that the strong connection in the back line, positive attitudes, and willingness of people to try various positions will continue into this new season. With this consistency, they also expect to see improvement in defensive toughness and strategy, confidence with decision making, and of course the dreaded fitness.

Like any good program, consistency is crucial. The coaching staff is returning, ready to meet the demands of the captains and players. With Dola’s somewhat complicated drills and Sloth and Fitz’s perhaps overly elaborate explanations, they fully expect to be targets of a new Kangaroo court tradition at the end of each match...players should look out for this as well. The team encourages past players to come out to practice to share their experience and get a few drills in!

With strong numbers at the first week of practice (including twenty players on a TUESDAY!), the honey badgers are poised to return to their rightful place on the national stage. If everyone buys in to the simple concept of always doing the right thing, these women can achieve the goals they have in mind.

Men’s side

Kick ass and win games. It’s that simple for Captain Colin Gottimer and the Severn River Men’s Team. Hoping to capitalize on their quickness and agility, Colin and the coaching staff are eager to push Severn River to be a force in the region.

Above all, Severn River is focusing on consistency this season and working as a unit. The team expects that everyone will show up to practices, games, fundraisers, and social events to build the strong relationships that are indicative of outstanding rugby clubs. If everyone commits to making the team a priority and holding themselves to the same standards as everyone else, then that attitude will translate onto the pitch as well. No one is bigger or more important than the team.

A majority of the returning players now have two or three years on their boots and with some new teammates from various clubs across the US, it will be exciting to see how the level of play improves this season. Like any program, it takes a tremendous amount of work and commitment to succeed and the men’s team is certainly on a strong path with their mindset.

Both the men’s and women’s teams will be away for their first two matches of the season. With the men facing Rocky Gorge on September 8th and the women traveling to Norfolk, both teams need to focus immediately to start their seasons on the right track. The home opener on September 22nd will be a shot at redemption for the women against Chesapeake and another solid test for the men against Frederick.

Let’s pack the pitch on September 22nd and give our men and women the boost they need from the 16th man!

Legends and Heroes: The Fly-halfs

So you might be asking yourself, why are we focusing on fly-halfs for this issue of the newsletter? No idea. Don’t they get enough credit, glory, notoriety, and press as it is? Yes. But, does that make them any less worth our time, appreciation, and affection? Absolutely not. Besides, if I make them look good they might buy my drinks at the happy hour at Stan and Joe’s the night before the gala. I’m a writer with little money and a seven week old...a beer sounds pretty good right about now.

It wasn’t easy to get the four selected fly-halfs to respond, but when they did, their passion for the game and for this club reverberated through all of their responses.

Michael “Bergie” Bergeson had an illustrious rugby career playing for the University of Utah, Gonzaga Law School, the Spokane Rugby Club, and finally coming to Severn River in 1982. He began his career playing wing and center, but eventually found his sweet spot at fly-half. “I really liked to read the defense and exploit weaknesses. I also liked to disrupt the opposite forward play by anticipating breaks from the wing, forwards, and the number 8,” he remembered. With the help of excellent teammates like Marty O’Neill at fullback, Pete Freeman at scrummie, Mike and Chris Posko as well as Jeff Arendt at centers, Bergie could use his dummy pass and know his guys would be there to back him up. For Bergie, this game is all about chemistry with the guys on and off the field. From the photo, it’s pretty clear that he had a strong connection with his scrumhalf and no one was getting in the way of that channel.

Ruth Seerey is a rugger for life. Playing for Severn River on a dare from her friends when the women’s team was just starting to form, she had an immediate impact with the knowledge she brought from her years with Chesapeake and her alma mater, UMBC. WIth her kangaroo leather Diadora cleats and a knack for nailing dropkicks mid-play, Ruth was a dynamic fly-half with a calm confidence that her teammates admired. While the position could be frustrating when she received a tough pass from the scrummie and kept “passing the shit” on down the line or getting nailed by the opposing fly-half after a bad pass, her love of the strategy of the game had her hooked from the start. Reading the field and “orchestrating what might happen three plays from now...I’ve always loved figuring out that aspect of the game.” Ruth continues to promote youth rugby as a Head Coach with the Green Hornets program in Severna Park.

The current fly-halfs are following the path laid for them by these outstanding alumni of the club. Charlee and Punchy seem to be related to Ruth and Bergie...if only by the blood they’ve left on the pitch.

Charlee “Charles” Bryan started playing rugby at Towson University and joined Severn River in 2011. A utility back (like so many rookies), Charlee learned much of the game from fullback before moving to fly-half. Once in the new position, her pension for trickery and love of controlling the opponent was really able to shine.  While not a lot of people talk about defense enough, Charlee’s favorite move is to work with her flankers, especially Sweet Dee Crovo, to force the attacking opposition to see a hole in the line that isn’t really there. “We like to turn that into a little game where I feed them right back into the middle where they get blindsided by my more than ready flanker.” With Eminem in her headphones and a family of sisters to support each other, “there's just this feeling that comes with playing the sport- words can't do it justice.”

Erik “Punchy” Dronberger began playing with Severn River in 2001 when he was fifteen. He continued to play in college and returned to Severn in the summers before joining the men’s club in 2009. As another notch in his belt, Punchy played wing in South Africa for Klerksdorp in 2012. With a love of pressure and the adrenaline rush that comes before getting crushed while setting his teammates up for a perfect pass, Punchy loves to be “in control of the giant chess match” that is a 15s rugby match. With a remarkable memory for specific game moments, Punchy is the kind of fly-half who can remember his successes and failures to grow as a cerebral player.   

I could go on and on about Charlee and Punchy, but come out to a match and see their dedication for yourself. All four of these flyhalfs made a few things abundantly clear in their interviews:

1. They relied heavily on their 8-men, Flankers, and Centers for support, but all have a deep appreciation for every player on the field.

2. They love the pressure of making decisions under fire...even if it means getting wrecked occasionally.

3. They all have a 6th sense.

4. They are all fiercely loyal.

But perhaps most importantly, each player stressed that Severn River is their rugby family, the team that they think of most fondly as their own.

Maybe I should buy them a beer.

Triebel Cup

On May 12th, the Severn River Rugby Club took part in the Triebel Cup against the Frederick Rugby Club. Tobin Triebel, a First Sgt. flight paramedic with the Maryland State Police and member of the Frederick rugby club, was struck and killed by a truck while jogging along a local road in November of 2008. From the tragedy, the challenge emerged to honor Triebel and remind ruggers of their deep connection to each other, no matter their home club. This year's Cup was no different with former players dusting off their boots to show their respect and current players experiencing the camaraderie that comes with entire clubs coming together. 

This year, Frederick hosted the day and provided a beautiful pitch for the events. The cup is awarded to the club with the highest cumulative score on the day. Severn River Women started off the day strong with a 71-15 victory. After playing the national anthem and a moment to remember Triebel, the men fought hard through the first half until they fell to the strong depth and chemistry of the Frederick side, 70-36. In the end, Severn River was not able to provide a full B-side for the final match of the day, so Frederick emerged victorious and took home the cup.   Details of the men's and women's matches are below.

Women's Re-Cap:

 With the lucky draw of playing  a little earlier and missing the brunt of the afternoon heat, the Honey Badgers were poised to put a strong finish on their spring season. After narrowly missing regional playoffs , the women took the pitch with something to prove. From the get go, Aly Jost and Katie Marshall were in sync in the backline. A quick score by Jost after an offload from Marshall gave Severn River the first score of the match. Frederick responded quickly a few minutes later by exploiting some defensive weaknesses that Severn corrected as the match continued. Over the next 25 minutes, the honey badgers dominated the field of play. Taylor Tracey (Ferd) recovered a dodgy line-out throw to add another 5 to the board. Scrappy added two scores before the half and Bridgett McDonnell (London) added two as well, including her first as a Honey Badger. One of her scores was assisted by another heads-up play by Ferd who recovered the ball when it popped out of the scrum and connected with London for a pass that sent her to the try-zone. 

By the second-half, Severn River was in their groove, but Frederick wasn't going down without a fight. They added two more scores to their total and forced the Honey Badgers to play even harder. Lauren Hensley, a Salisbury Alumni and welcome addition to the backline, had a strong connection with forward veteran Kate Todorovich (Todo) throughout the day. Their strong communication and fancy offloads set-up Todo for a weak side try to start the scoring in the second half. After that, the scoring was all Severn River.  Aly "Twinkletoes" Jost added another try to her belt while dodging Frederick's defense and leaving a few sore ankles in her wake. Sammi Bottorf and Hannah "Scrappy" Whiteley each added to the tally and earning Scrappy her hat trick on the day. With excellent slow ball control in the forwards by Todo, Lenni, and Mikey as well as beautiful offloading from the backs, Severn River proved how much they have grown as a team this season. New props Kerry Lammers and Jess Murray dominated in the scrums and helped win multiple defensive contests. The combination of new talent and veteran composure left the Honey Badgers with a renewed vigor that will fuel this team into the fall season. 

Final score: 71-15

Tries: A. Jost (2), T. Tracey (1), H. Whiteley (4), B. McDonnell (2), K. Todorovich (1), S. Bottorf (1), M. Williams (1), C. Bryan (1)

Conversions: R. Trouwborst (3 out of 12), M. Williams (0 out of 1)

Men's Re-Cap:

In the scorching heat, the Severn River Men’s team sought vengeance against Frederick, for the defeat that knocked them out of playoff contention in the fall.  After a back and forth first five minutes, Severn looked like they may take their revenge as they broke the deadlock on a well-executed lineout from ten meters out; setting up a maul and driving Frederick back all the way to  the try line before Aldo “don’t have a cow Man” Batubara dove in for the first try of the match.   From there, Severn River took control of the game, dominating possession with excellent rucking from Steven Nery and Dustin Taylor.  As Severn River pushed Frederick on the back foot with crash balls, Erik “Punchy” Dronberger was able to spring Niko through a hole. After being tripped up by the opposing winger, he let off a nice offload to Aldo to score his second on the day.   

Thumping runs from Steve Nery, Richard Maldonado, Nick Strachko, and Dustin Taylor, helped Punchy shift through a hole in the Frederick defense, nothing left to do but dance past the fullback to finish the forty meter try for Severn River’s third of the match.  Continuing their early dominance, Punchy got involved once again in the fourth try, breaking the line to set up Richard to finish for five more points.    This put Severn River up 24-0 after 20 minutes of play, it looked all but over for Frederick, but the heat, and over confidence seemed to play a toll on Severn River, as they dropped their guard and ended up going into halftime down 33-24.  

   Severn River came out of the second half in a fit of rage.  Aldo got the scoring started with another long run to cap off his hat trick, bringing Severn River back within a try of Frederick.  However, it wasn’t meant to be as missed tackles, fitness, and lack of chemistry saw the Severn River Men go on to lose the match 70-36, with Aldo knotting in another try to finish with four on the day and receiving man of the match honors.   It can be said that the score line did not reflect the competitive nature of the match. Severn River were the dominate side throughout the match, but not being able to match Frederick’s depth proved to be their Achilles heel.  Severn River finished the spring season 4-3 and begin their 7s season at the Landshark 7s tournament in Severn.

Tries: A. Batubara (4), E. Dronberger (1), R. Maldonado (1)

Conversions: E. Dronberger (3 out of 6)

Prom Dress Rugby!

Spandex? check. Boots? check. Prom dress?!?!? Huh?  The kit bag packing list was a bit different this past Saturday for the honey badgers.  Towson University hosted the Severn Women's team for a friendly ‘prom dress rugby’ match in honor of their graduating seniors, Lauren Wood and Rien Hachmann.  Both sides were dressed in sequins and tulle and ready to kick off the match in style.  With a partly injured Severn back line, Kate “Todo” Todorovich was able to make a rare appearance at center and tore through the Towson back line several times to advance Severn into scoring territory.  Salisbury alumni, Malie Lockard was definitely ‘prom queen’ of the day, for coming out of retirement to help Severn on the wing and putting three tries on the scoreboard.  Rayne Trouwborst put one in the try zone as well after making several hard runs through the back line, one of which cost her a large chunk of her black and gold sparkly dress in the process.  Not only did front row players, Taylor “Ferd” Tracy, Gabby Hiken and Shanna Davidson show up in matching hot pink pleated dresses but they also put a ‘wear’ on the Towson pack rucking and mauling with a fury.  Rookie, Jess Murray is now a Zulu warrior after fighting through multiple Towson defenders to make her way into the try zone.  Lock, Mikey Williams didn’t let her long dress stop her from making it in the try zone either, even when she had to take a few Towson players along for the ride on the back of her dress.  Hannah “Scrappy” Whiteley was all over the field on Saturday on both sides of the ball, tracking down quick Towson players and running in support of her own Severn teammates.  Captain, Lenni Ferreira, also touched two in-between the try lines after some excellent 'forward ball' play.  On the Towson side, former Severn player, Masha Romanchak, accounted for two of the Towson tries and reminded the honey badgers of how much they miss playing with her, instead of against her.  The match ended in a 58-31 victory for the honey badgers.  

Severn is looking forward to their next match on Saturday, May 12th, where the whole Severn family will travel to Frederick to hopefully bring home the coveted Triebel Cup.

Tries: M. Lockard (3), M. Williams (3), L. Ferreira (2), R. Trouwborst (1), J. Murray (1)

Conversions: R. Trouwborst (4 out of 10) 

Severn Men take down Media on the Road

Severn River Men traveled north to Media, PA to take on some familiar faces from Media RFC this past weekend. During Severn’s trip to Savannah, GA this spring, the boys teamed up with the side from just outside of Philadelphia, as both team were traveling short on numbers for the tournament. After some quick hellos and chatting before the match, both teams got right down to business at the opening whistle. Severn didn’t seem bothered by the 2+ hour trip to Media’s pitch, as they hit the ground running scoring 3 unanswered tries to open the match. Fly-half Erik “Punchy” Dronberger and Second Row Adam “Macca” McIntosh found their way on to the score sheet quickly. Severn went into the break up comfortably 19-5. Comfortable seemed to be the way they came out in the second half, as Media came out roaring, scoring 3 more tries and taking the lead 20-19. This seemed like the inevitable end of Severn’s day, as they only traveled with 15 players and had no subs…but that was not the case. This onslaught from Media turned out to be just what the doctor ordered, as it roused Severn from its halftime slumber. Through some hard running via Nich Stratchko and Taylor “Moses” Gavigan, Severn was able to take control of possession for the last 20 minutes of the match. Once possession was under Severn command, they found the try zone twice in quick succession. Once in the corner by Dronberger, to seal his hat trick for the day, and the eventual winner scored by Aldo “Fresh Fruits” Batubara on a clever bit of play, where he found a hole in the defense taking a quick tap penalty wide from where Media had expected it. The win solidified Severn’s first win streak of the year and the boys look to make it three in a row against West Potomac this week at home, 1pm kickoff.

Tries: E. Dronberger (3-5), A. McIntosh (1-2), A. Batubara (1-2)

Conversions: E. Dronberger (2 of 5)

Honey Badgers Fight the Good Fight vs Whitehorse

Severn River Women traveled up to Phoenixville, PA this past weekend for a division match up against Whitehorse.  Hoping to clinch their spot at regionals, Severn fell short of that goal with a 58-41 loss. Veteran ruggers Meredith McAlister, Denisse Villaran, and Ashley Chafin stepped in to lend a helping hand vs Whitehorse since fly half, Charlee Bryan and loose forward, Dee Crovo were sidelined due to injury.  The match was quite the back and forth battle in the first half.  Lock Mikey Williams punched in two tries, while Villaran quick tapped on a penalty to touched one in.  Scrum half Tina Schafer managed to sneak one in as well off a driving maul from the Severn pack.  Whitehorse’s first half tries were result of a very quick and hard running back line and the half ended in a 24-22 Whitehorse advantage.

Whitehorse came out fired up to start the 2nd half and put in four unanswered tries.  The honey badgers fought their way back into the match hard and with a vengeance though.  Wing, Hannah “Scrappy” Whiteley broke up a Whitehorse try with a hard hitting tackle in the try zone, when the Whitehorse player tried to center the ball but ultimately knocked it on.  Severn Captain, Casey Hartzell answered Whitehorse back first, running in a try on the outside off an overload.  Kathryn ‘Todo’ Todorrovich powered through defenders to put two more tries in before the final whistle blew, one off a spin move, pop pass assist from Villaran.  Unfortunately, the determination and grit shown by Severn late in the match wasn’t enough to overcome the 2nd half slow start.  On the defensive side of the ball, Captain Lenni Ferreira dominated the lines outs the entire match, stealing 100% of Whitehorse’s throw ins as well as winning her own.  McAlister created turnover after turnover, by stopping any Whitehorse player dead in their tracks, who dared to cut back inside.  Severn women are looking forward to their ‘Prom Dress Rugby’ match up vs Towson University this Saturday at 10am.

Tries: M.Williams (2), T.Schafer (1), D.Villaran (1), C.Hartzell (1), K.Todorovich (2)

Conversions: R.Trouwborst (3 out of 7)

If you’re not in, you don’t understand. When you’re in, you can’t explain.

It was quite chilly for a Thursday practice in April when alumni, Jenn Fenzel made her way back to the pitch she has called home for over a decade.  The current team gathered around her, and the not so pristinely laid out jersey’s.  They eagerly awaited her words of wisdom before their big match against Whitehorse that coming Saturday.  Jenn began the story with her start at Severn in 2005.  That year, her, Sloth, and Kristi Grande, who resided in Salisbury at the time, were recruited by former Salisbury teammate Megan ‘Midge’ Haslip-Jarrett, for the newly formed Severn River Women’s rugby team.

Jenn fast forwarded to the fall season of 2012.  But the moment she wanted to talk about was not the 2nd place finish at Nationals in Ft. Meyers, FL that year, but instead the Sunday night after regionals.  After the honey badgers spent a grueling weekend fighting their way past Raleigh and Norfolk; two heavy hitters in the league that year, Severn made it to the other side victorious and earning their place at Nationals.  Battered and bruised, the 30 women on the team that year, decided that they were going to celebrate as a family.  They picked up a keg and headed to Meredith McAlister’s house on West Street.  Every single player called out of work for Monday.  Thirty honey badgers...no fans, no coaches, no significant others...drank and did keg stands until the keg was kicked and the neighbors called the cops.  That night they all felt the same way, they all knew what they had sacrificed to make it to that point; their bodies, their free time....some teachers hadn’t graded a paper in weeks.  They were all in and they all knew it.  There was nothing more they could ask of each other, no more trust to give.  If you ask most of the women that were on the 2012 team about that season, most will do the same as Jenn and not talk about the heartbreak in Florida but instead that Sunday where ‘1,2,3,4,5,6, Severn, Severn, Severn, Severn’ was born.

After Fenzel concluded her story, she was given the honor of ceremonially handing out the jersey’s for that Saturday’s match.  As she said each name, she gave nicknames to those she knew or coached and recognized the ‘player of the week’, Tina Schafer she read about on Facebook two days prior.  As she got to the fly half name, she couldn’t help but laugh when she read ‘Meredith McAlister!?!?’ who came out of retirement to help the current badgers that weekend.  As each player picked up their jersey they were also handed a letter from an undisclosed alumni that shared the position they were to play that Saturday.  Some of the current team read their letters then and others saved them for Saturday, but the pile of letters just brought to light how while the alumni may not always being physically present, they are always there to support. 

Jenn then headed inside the legion with the current team to throw back a few beers and talk about her visit with current coach, and former scrum half, Katie Fitzgerald.  She was happy to report the birth of our newest honey badger John Fitzgerald Goetschius or Jack as they are calling him.  The current team listened to the update while they tore through 4 plates of peanut butter oatmeal cookie’s Jenn made.  The night ended the same as many nights, for many years at the legion have...Sloth and Jenn walking to the parking lot and being one of the last remaining cars.  #Feelings

Women Weekend Warriors - Ruggerfest 2018

The two day Ruggerfest tournament proved a good challenge for the Severn River honey badgers. They walked away with the third place trophy in the Club Division after three tough matches in two days. 

Saturday, the warmest day of the season thus far, put the honey badgers to the test as they kicked off against a combined Brandywine/Buffalo team at 1:40pm. A guest appearance from former honey badger Colleen Cribbs, now a starter for the Glendale premier side in Colorado, gave the honey badgers an excellent boost from the first whistle. Contributing all three of the team's tries from her new found wing position, Farrah Douglas (normally a prop) burned the competition. Another excellent game at scrumhalf from Tina Schafer and solid support from the entire pack gave Severn the 17-5 win over Brandywine/Buffalo to start the weekend. The second game against a young, tough side from UVA proved to be a challenge for Severn.  The honey badgers suffered a heartbreaking 19-14 loss to despite the packs domination in the mauls and scrums.  Outside center, Aly Jost managed to break through the UVA line twice during the match, while kicker Rayne Trouwborst followed each try with points through the uprights.  In spite of the loss, Severn earned a spot in a semi-final match on Sunday versus the Old Girls.

After some much needed ice and rest the honey badgers returned to Rosecroft Raceway, Sunday morning for their 9:10 match.  The Old Girls, a mashup crew of old girls from around the region, turned out to be too much for Severn as they were defeated 19-0.  Some exceptional play to note from the match came from rugby vets, Farrah Douglas, with a number of breakdown poaches, Dee Crovo, with several play saving tackles and Tina Schafer, with a fearless defense in midst of women twice her size. 

Severn also lent Glendale a hand with their 1st place finish in the premier division with some minutes from honey badgers; Jazz Harrison, Farrah Douglas and Hannah "Scrappy" Whiteley.  This Saturday the honey badgers forge ahead to face Whitehorse Rugby Club, away in Phoenixville, PA at 11:00am.

Match 1: Tries:  F. Douglas (3)  Conversions: R.Trouwborst (2 of 3)

Match 2: Tries: A.Jost (2)  Conversions: R.Trouwborst (2 of 2)

Severn Men defeat Irish at Home

Severn River Men finished up their Mid Atlantic Conference Division III season at home on Saturday vs Washington Irish. The boys in green and blue shot out of the gate from the opening whistle and did not let up, defeating the Irish 30-20. Severn had a small bump in the road as their first try scored by lock Rich Maldonado was disallowed and ruled a knock-on, but they quickly found their way back into the try zone via Erik “Punchy” Dronberger. Dronberger had a tough day at the kicking tee only converting 1 of 5 conversion attempts, but made his presence felt on the score sheet via two trips to the try zone and a converted penalty kick. Former team captain Jim Benson made his return to the starting lineup after a recurring hamstring injury had kept him on the bench for most of spring play. Benson wasted no time asserting his influence on the game, making several hugely important tackles, as well as finding his way to the corner flag on a well-executed piece of wide play towards end of the half. Coming out of the break, up 20-0, Severn kept the pressure on with another try on a deep kick into the corner by Dronberger, recovered and scored by inside center Milton Greenstreet. The weather was quite a factor for the last quarter of the match, as heat reached upwards of 90°F during the afternoon and both teams started to wilt. Irish made a bit of a comeback in the heat, finding their way into the try zone 4 times in the second half. But their attempts for a comeback fell short, the match ending with Severn’s third win of the spring season. Man of the match for River was a hotly contested award on Saturday, with several great performances on the day, but Rich Maldonado and Wing Zach Lammers rose to the top of the heap, splitting the distinction after the game. This week, Severn travel to Philadelphia to take on Media RFC in a friendly this weekend at 1pm.

Tries: E. Dronberger (2), J. Benson (1), N. Stratchko (1 - 2), M. Greenstreet (1 – 2)

Conversions: E. Dronberger (1 of 5)

Penalties: E. Dronberger (1 of 1)