Thursday, April 25, 2013

Midwest Championships 2013

This weekend the Midwest Championships are held at the Moose Rugby Grounds in Elkhart, Indiana.

A quick preview of the brackets:
Quarterfinals:
DSHA vs Plainfield
It's good to see the Illinois teams competing again in the top bracket and their league seems to be regaining momentum.  With a squad pushing two full sides, Plainfield is long on  athleticism and potential and short on experience.  DSHA are the reigning Midwest Champs and clear favorites after a perfect-conference season.

Kettle Moraine v Armstrong
The two-time Minnessota state champs face the Kettle Moraine in their 10th appearance at the Midwest Regionals.  After an absence of a few seasons, Minnessota rejoins the competition as well.  This might be the closest call in the first round.

CMHS v Penn HS
A perennial Indiana representative in this tournament, Penn plays on their home field before their home crowd in this tournament.  CMHS makes their second straight appearance in the Championship division.

St Joseph's Academy v DSHA JV
DSHA JV earned promotion after winning the second-division tournament in 2012 with a 3-0 record.  Coupled with Michigan turning down a shot at a top division seed, DSHA finds itself with an opportunity to play against one of the top teams in the midwest, and it happens to be another all-girls school, from the Cleveland, Ohio area. DSHA's JV has continued to find success this school year with several victories against A-sides to their credit.  St Joe's narrowly knocked off their cross-town rival a week ago, playing Lakewood hard in a 25-22 battle.

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