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)

Severn fights hard vs # 1 North Bay

Severn River Men resumed their Mid Atlantic Conference schedule this past Saturday, traveling to play against undefeated division leaders, North Bay. It was a disappointing day for the squad from Annapolis, falling 26-7 to the 1st place team. North Bay’s defense displayed a bent but not broken attitude all day long, as Severn River had the lions share of possession in the first half inside North Bay’s 22 meter line, but did not come away with any points.  For North Bay's side of the score board, they put two converted tries together in the first half and went into the interval up, 14-0. Severn was able to keep North Bay’s backline subdued for most of the game via some tough tackling by centers Phil Denton and Karl Teague, but had trouble containing the hard running of the North Bay pack. Lock Dave Faimanifo and Number 8 James Wadey were responsible for 3 of 4 North Bay tries Saturday. In a game packed with big hits throughout, inevitably there were some injuries, the majority of which were on Severn’s side of the ball. Both captain Mike Blimmel and openside flanker Bear Carter were subbed off in the second half due to injury. There were a few bright spots in the second half for Severn. Veteran Fly-half Erik “Punchy” Dronberger kept North Bay on the back foot with several deep probing kicks, one of which ended in a bit of excellent open play on the recovery from several Severn players, resulting in their lone try on the day. Additionally, 19-year old Cullen Bilger made his first conference start at Scrum-half and looked the part, organizing and marshalling the forwards in attack all day long with the aplomb of a much more seasoned player. Severn hopes to get back to winning ways in their last conference match of the season against Washington Irish at home, this Saturday at 1pm.

Tries: C. Gotimer (1-4) Conversions: E. Dronberger (1 of 1)

Severn River Men victorious over Delmarva

Severn River Men continued their successful spring season with a second consecutive win, this one coming against Delmarva RFC last weekend. Due to a snowstorm that covered the Annapolis area, the game was moved to Delmarva at the last minute. This sudden change of venue location didn’t seem to slow the gentlemen from SR down as they came away victorious, 12-0. It was a slow start for both teams, with most of the flow of the game stalled by numerous penalties called on both sides. Once play settled down after the first 30 minutes, Severn dominated in possession but could not find the try zone. After several near scores, including a marauding 65 meter run by Captain Mike Blimmel and a dive into the corner by Logan Reece, Severn River finally broke the deadlock just as the clock stroked halftime, with a hard charge up the middle by Lock Richard Maldonado. The second half was much of the same for the green and blue, lots of possession but not many points to show for it. Severn owned the set pieces on the day, with several stolen lineouts and scrums. Eventually, Blimmel did find the try zone midway through the second half to secure the victory for Severn. With it being a hard fought, low scoring affair, Severn’s man of the match was awarded to their hard hitting, tireless openside flanker, Lawrence McClain. Severn look to make it three on the trot to open the spring, with their first matrix match of the season against division leaders North Bay this Saturday in Aberdeen at 1pm.

Tries: M. Blimmel (1-2), R. Maldonado (1)

Conversions: M.Greenstreet (0 of 1), K. Teague (1 of 1)

Pax River Re-Cap - Saturday, March 17th

While others may have been enjoying $1 Guinness drafts and $3.17 corned beef and cabbage, the Severn River Men's and Women's teams wished a top o' the mornin' to their home pitch as they took on the men's and women's teams from Pax River. 

The women started the day with a 65-0 win over the Pax River Riveters. The Honeybadgers had a chance to stretch their legs after the long winter break with Mikey Williams leading the way in the pack. With three tries and at least four devastating stiff arms, she emerged from the winter hibernation ready to play. Aly Jost, in one of her few appearances at outside center, picked a pass in the back line and finished with a try in the middle of the uprights. Tina Schafer added two tries from scrumhalf, showing off her quickness and knowledge at this crucial spot. Lauren Scheidegger, new to rugby this spring, held her own at lock and proved her ability to ruck and support the team across the field. Her sister Beth and fellow newcomer Lily Folts worked hard to stabilize the pack and find their rhythm with their new teammates. More tries were added by Sammi Bottorf, Captain Casey Hartzell, and returning vet Kiki Elia.  Rayne Trouwburst added four conversions and gave Mikey Williams the honor of adding one more at the end of the match. 

Tries: M. Williams (3), A. Jost (3), T. Schafer (2), S. Bottorf (1), K. Elia (1), C. Hartzell (1)

Conversions: R. Trouwburst (4/10), M. Williams (1/1)

Severn River Men kicked off their 2018 spring campaign this past Saturday with a friendly match against D-IV side Patuxent River Lions.  It was a St. Patrick’s day to remember for the boys in green and blue as they won in a rout, prevailing 83-12.  Severn River’s experience and depth were key in the victory, and evident on both sides of the ball, with 10 different try scorers on the day, as well as holding PAX river to just 2 scores.  The Gotimer family had a great day on the pitch with a first half brace from Harrison Gotimer, only to be topped by an eventual hat trick from his cousin, Colin Gotimer.  Severn River also had first time Men’s side try scores from a trio of players.  Brad McCarty, Cullen Bilger and Adam “Macca” McIntosh all scored their first try for the A-side in this week’s action.  Severn had some highlights on the defensive side of the ball with several stolen line out set pieces as well as a try saving tackle on a breakaway near the 5 meter line by Mikhail Hershfeld.  While not making it into the try zone, veteran leaders Erik “Punchy” Dronberger and Adam Dondero displayed their polished partnership at the 9 and 10 positions and kept the offense humming smoothly all match long.  It was a great first step in their spring season and Severn River will look to continue their winning ways at home against Delmarva RFC this Saturday at 1pm.

Tries: H.Gotimer (2), M. Blimmel (1), L. McClain (1), C. Bilger (1), B. McCarty (1), A. McIntosh (1), A. Batubara (1), C. Gotimer (3), N. Stratchko (1), M. Greenstreet (1)

Conversions: E. Dronberger (9 of 13)

Severn River Slays Savannah

Maybe we don't win every tournament we enter, but we do attempt to achieve legendary status wherever we roam. The 2018 Savannah Saint Patrick's Day Tournament was approached with no less sense of purpose. With fewer than the needed for the weekend, the men teamed up with Media from Media, PA while the women joined forces with some girls from Frederick, St. Mary's, and some other tournament whores looking for a home.

Both the Men's and the Women's Teams represented the club well on the pitch with impressive play by Taylor "Moses" Gavigan of the men's club with phenomenal rucking and steals at the breakdowns in both matches. On the women's side, Mikey, Lina, and Marshall were wrestled from their deep Cage Dancing induced slumbers to play their Sunday matches with heart, even if they may have lacked their traditional coordination at times. Captains Lenni Ferraria and Casey Hartzell stated that "having 100% attendance and participation in the Sunday game is [our] biggest accomplishment to date."

Saturday night became the main event for the club. Dressed in Hawaiian shirts, the Men and Women pre-gamed at the women's home for the weekend, a historic mansion on Perry Street. After a round of Flong, a flip cup/beer pong hipster mash-up game, won decidedly by the women, a boat race where the men were victorious, and some prom style stair photos, the club headed into the once peaceful, quaint city of Savannah. After stops at Wild Willy's to taste and ogle the wall of frozen beverages, cage dancing at Liquid, piano bars, and mistakenly discovering a costume party, it was back to the house with what was left of the tattered ruggers. After some rounds of SEGA, cold pizza, and a front porch Dr. Phil session where far too many feelings were flying, the night came to a close just before the sun tried to ruin the fun. The teams lost an hour of sleep that night to both the terror that is daylight savings time, as well as their own excellent decisions.

The women rallied for their 8:30am match and the men slept soundly through their quiet Sunday in true rugby whore fashion.