-There were no easy matches in this year's national tournament. This year was noteable in the number of close, competitive matches played. The 2-7 game ended 14-0. The 4-5 game was 10-0. The 3-6 game was 34-26. One would imagine that at a championship of this caliber, there would be great, competitve games and this year did not disappoint. No team gained an advantage from playing an easy first round game. The committee did a nice job getting eight strong programs and fairly balancing brackets. They had a tougher job this year trying to predict and seed teams who hadn't played head-to-head and without a second tier to move teams up and down.. The bottom line though is that participants learn more about themselves in close games; what it takes to be successful and how important decision-making can be, and for that, the event and the committee's work can be deemed a success.
-The Lakewood upset of DSHA was historic. DSHA has a strong team, that is clear. Lakewood, after a decade of losses to DSHA, finally broke that streak in impressive fashion though, shutting them out 19-0. With impressive size and athleticism in their midfield, not to mention youth, Lakewood looked like a championship team and should continue to be the strong contender for several years to come. This just adds another chapter in their great rivalry.
-DSHA scored 24 points in three matches. That's unheard of and a little misleading if you just look at numbers. At the same time, they only allowed 27 points against Downingtown, Lakewood, and CMHS. That's not a sign of weakness; it's a sign of playoff rugby. Watch any World Cup playoff rugby and you'll see the same thing, a lot of low scores. CMHS scored 33 and allowed 38 in three matches against West Carroll, Fallbrook, and DS. The defenses at the highest level make scoring tough and you tend to see more field goals. With 15 strong athletes on the field with these well-coached teams, it's harder and harder to keep possession, much less finish. How then to explain the final result, just like in the collegiate d2 finals? Matchups of strengths and weaknesses could be one factor, another is that teams expend so much energy and incur injuries trying to get to the final, that sometimes it's a pyrrhic victory in the process of getting there.
-Having unique teams and different styles come together from across the country makes the event special. The Amazons, with their Polynesian heritage add something special to every event they participate in. The Wisconsin players we talked to who had a chance to talk with a few of their players were so impressed with their character ... half their team is in middle school ... and yet they stuck to their own unique style of running rugby and challenged everyone they played. Another great moment was the team handshake after the CMHS and Fallbrook game. After a brief handshake, Fallbrook called CMH back to go through the tunnel again, amidst applause, and the genuine respect showed by both teams after a great, clean game was evident as the girls smiled. "That's the best game we've played in in two years," commented one of the Fallbrook girls.
Downingtown was another team that impressed with their tough-nosed eastern brand of rugby and strong traveling parent support. After an undefeated tour of Ireland this spring jumpstarted their season, one of their parents commented to our staff reporter that this year's experiences pushed their daughter to do things she never thought she could. I bet that's a story alot of parents can indentify with as their daughters challenged themselves physically and mentally this year.
-The Kent -Lakewood match was billed as worthy of a final and it didn't disappoint. It would've been fascinating to see how a Kent v DSHA or a Kent v CMH game could've gone too. Kent has a lot to be proud of. As does West Carroll, who are universally respected for playing good, physical rugby. It was hard watching the tears on the faces of their seniors after they lost a close opening round game.
-CMHS, by far the smallest team competing, did remarkably well in its first-ever appearance at the National Tournament. While several other programs like Kent draw from multiple high schools, CMHS draws from it's student body of 690 students, half of which are girls, and that's it. They are a unique team and a tight bunch. They managed to move up one spot from their incoming ranking.
DSHA is also special for being a single-school team, competing against programs that draw from multiple schools. With an enrollment around 658 students, the all-girls school does a remarkable job year-in-and year-out of being among the best teams in the country.
-The championship match was viewed by some on the sidelines as a victory of skill and technique over brawn. That's not entirely fair to Lakewood, as they showed so much skill to be a championsihp finalist team for the third time. They had to defeat Kent and DS to ge tthere, don't forget. Nonetheless, Fallbrook's speed, stamina, and skill, not just passing, but in contact and ballcarrying are so impressive, no matter who they play. They never seem to throw a bad pass or knock the ball on. It didn't matter that Lakewood had a size advantage in some positions. Fallbrook used their skill to play running rugby and it was tough to stop. Couple that with their pressure defense and they look tough to beat.
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