Tiger Cubs win the Larrimer Cup
Five men's teams played for the Larrimer Cup this year: 1823, Cincinnati Wolfhounds, Pittsburgh, Renegades, and Tiger Cubs The Tiger Cubs emerged with a record of 5-0 on the day, winning the cup. 1823 went 3-2, losing only to their practice buddies, the Cubs.
The Tiger Cub Academy of Ohio traveled with 11 players to The Larrimer Cup invitational 7s tournament on Saturday and 1823 took a VERY young team of mostly U20 rugby players, including collegiates from Maryland, Wheeling Jesuit, and Notre Dame College.
The Cubs two players to injuries in their first match against Pittsburgh. Pete Friedmann left with a concussion and Dominic Pezzutti with a separated shoulder. This didn't stop the Cubs from blanking Pittsburgh 26-0, then Cincinnati 19-0. The next match proved the closest of the day for Tiger as defeated 1823 25-17. By this time, the Cubs had found their groove and the Renegades were tired. An end score of 35-5 reflected exactly the kind of play expected of a Tiger product.
1823 was captained by the Player of the Tournament, Luke Markovich. He deserved the honor as he led the youthful side to three hard-fought victories over older, more experienced 7s players. They dropped the Wolfhounds 21-12, Pittsburgh 28-5, and the Renegades 28-5. This earned them a spot in the Final playing against the team they practice with and had already lost to once in the day, the Tiger Cubs.
The Cubs turned on the jets in the final, besting 1823 by 31-19. With just nine players to rely on, the Cubs proved dangerous from every position. Former Ohio State sprinter Brandon King in his second 7s tournament continued to wow onlookers. Trevor Tanifum showed up in great form after a hiatus from the game that he took post-CRC 2012, where he turned heads with spice and speed for the Maryland Terrapins. Coach Paul Holmes said that his workhorse, Michael Ziegler, "was phenomenal." Such brevity is high praise from the coach with stiff standards for his 7s players
The Tiger Cubs are off next weekend and return to action June 8th at the Cin City 7s at Brimelow Fields in Cincinnati, OH.
Denton 7s (Photos here)
Men - Dallas RFC defeats Ft Worth in the 2nd OT of the Men's Division Final.
The Dallas RFC took the first step toward their goal of qualifying for USA Rugby's Men's Senior Club 7s Championships in Pittsburgh, PA on August 10-11, 2013 as they went undefeated at the 5th Annual Denton Rugby 7s Tournament sponsored by Tullamore Dew (my favorite Irish Whiskey) and held in memory of Paulie Biddiscombe. Dallas traveled with seven core players and two reserve players to Denton after a tough XVs season.
The Reds won out their pool play by blanking the Pirates by 40-0, overcoming a tough Ft Worth A side 19-14, then finding some purchase with a 33-5 win over Topeka. A quarterfinals win over the 'Quins and a semifinal defeat of Ft Worth B propelled Dallas into a rematch in the Final against Ft Worth A. Ft Worth brought it's tough defense to the pitch again and when the referee blew his whistle at the end of regular time, Dallas found themselves drawn with Ft Worth at 14-all. The first seven minute overtime period saw neither team finding in-goal. The beautiful pitches in Denton became tiresome. Dallas felt this weariness more and decided this match needed to end. Thirty seconds into the second overtime, Dallas made good on that decision and ran one in to win the final and end the tournament.
The Reds are coached by former USA U19 player Kelly Kolberg and former Canberra 7s player Chad Joseph. Joseph scored 13 tries in the six wins proving, undoubtedly, that he earned Dallas' Player of the Tournament accolade. Dallas enjoyed a relatively successful XVs season, but were heavy on loose forwards and backs and light on tight five players. These numbers hurt them in the XVs post-season, but stand to propel them to their goal of qualifying them for 7s Nationals.
The Reds will decide this week whether they will participate in the Texas 7s Series (TSS). It's a tough decision for the Reds - and for any other teams that plan to play the TSS & qualify for 7s Nationals -
as they will face a possible six straight weeks of hard 7s rugby. In a season that traditionally is played as a social entity, this constitutes a huge change. As they make this decision they will be preparing for the Austin Huns' 18th Annual Bloodfest 7s on June 15, 2013, where they plan to play next.
Women's - Dallas Harlequins rebounds to down Austin Valkyries
The Quins went 2-1 in pool play, blanking Denton (25-0) and Texas Tech (35-0), before falling to the Austin Valkyries (5-28). The top two teams from pool play (Quins & Valkyries) met in the Women's Division Final. The Quins proved that a rematch was just what they needed as they down the Valkyries 20-5. Jacey Cardwell and Lesley White had great performances on a team that spread the scoring to everyone, while the Quins flyhalf, Esther King, provided superb defensive and all-around play on the day.
Quins forward Crash Wesley caught the 7s bug at the IRB WSWS Houston 7s when she was the Australian Team's Liaison Officer. This weekends tournament had her excited, but now she's rethinking the prospect:
Photos courtesy of 1823 and Denton Rugby.
The Tiger Cub Academy of Ohio traveled with 11 players to The Larrimer Cup invitational 7s tournament on Saturday and 1823 took a VERY young team of mostly U20 rugby players, including collegiates from Maryland, Wheeling Jesuit, and Notre Dame College.
The Cubs two players to injuries in their first match against Pittsburgh. Pete Friedmann left with a concussion and Dominic Pezzutti with a separated shoulder. This didn't stop the Cubs from blanking Pittsburgh 26-0, then Cincinnati 19-0. The next match proved the closest of the day for Tiger as defeated 1823 25-17. By this time, the Cubs had found their groove and the Renegades were tired. An end score of 35-5 reflected exactly the kind of play expected of a Tiger product.
1823 was captained by the Player of the Tournament, Luke Markovich. He deserved the honor as he led the youthful side to three hard-fought victories over older, more experienced 7s players. They dropped the Wolfhounds 21-12, Pittsburgh 28-5, and the Renegades 28-5. This earned them a spot in the Final playing against the team they practice with and had already lost to once in the day, the Tiger Cubs.
The Cubs turned on the jets in the final, besting 1823 by 31-19. With just nine players to rely on, the Cubs proved dangerous from every position. Former Ohio State sprinter Brandon King in his second 7s tournament continued to wow onlookers. Trevor Tanifum showed up in great form after a hiatus from the game that he took post-CRC 2012, where he turned heads with spice and speed for the Maryland Terrapins. Coach Paul Holmes said that his workhorse, Michael Ziegler, "was phenomenal." Such brevity is high praise from the coach with stiff standards for his 7s players
The Tiger Cubs are off next weekend and return to action June 8th at the Cin City 7s at Brimelow Fields in Cincinnati, OH.
Denton 7s (Photos here)
Men - Dallas RFC defeats Ft Worth in the 2nd OT of the Men's Division Final.
The Reds won out their pool play by blanking the Pirates by 40-0, overcoming a tough Ft Worth A side 19-14, then finding some purchase with a 33-5 win over Topeka. A quarterfinals win over the 'Quins and a semifinal defeat of Ft Worth B propelled Dallas into a rematch in the Final against Ft Worth A. Ft Worth brought it's tough defense to the pitch again and when the referee blew his whistle at the end of regular time, Dallas found themselves drawn with Ft Worth at 14-all. The first seven minute overtime period saw neither team finding in-goal. The beautiful pitches in Denton became tiresome. Dallas felt this weariness more and decided this match needed to end. Thirty seconds into the second overtime, Dallas made good on that decision and ran one in to win the final and end the tournament.
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| Dallas RFC raising the cup after winning the final in Denton |
The Reds are coached by former USA U19 player Kelly Kolberg and former Canberra 7s player Chad Joseph. Joseph scored 13 tries in the six wins proving, undoubtedly, that he earned Dallas' Player of the Tournament accolade. Dallas enjoyed a relatively successful XVs season, but were heavy on loose forwards and backs and light on tight five players. These numbers hurt them in the XVs post-season, but stand to propel them to their goal of qualifying them for 7s Nationals.
The Reds will decide this week whether they will participate in the Texas 7s Series (TSS). It's a tough decision for the Reds - and for any other teams that plan to play the TSS & qualify for 7s Nationals -
as they will face a possible six straight weeks of hard 7s rugby. In a season that traditionally is played as a social entity, this constitutes a huge change. As they make this decision they will be preparing for the Austin Huns' 18th Annual Bloodfest 7s on June 15, 2013, where they plan to play next.
Women's - Dallas Harlequins rebounds to down Austin Valkyries
The Quins went 2-1 in pool play, blanking Denton (25-0) and Texas Tech (35-0), before falling to the Austin Valkyries (5-28). The top two teams from pool play (Quins & Valkyries) met in the Women's Division Final. The Quins proved that a rematch was just what they needed as they down the Valkyries 20-5. Jacey Cardwell and Lesley White had great performances on a team that spread the scoring to everyone, while the Quins flyhalf, Esther King, provided superb defensive and all-around play on the day.
Quins forward Crash Wesley caught the 7s bug at the IRB WSWS Houston 7s when she was the Australian Team's Liaison Officer. This weekends tournament had her excited, but now she's rethinking the prospect:
Photos courtesy of 1823 and Denton Rugby.