WGR Classic Matches
There have been a slew of memorable, classic matches in WGR
over the last decade and a half. So, we
surveyed a few of the current and old-time conference coaches for their
nominations. Some were nominated because
of the phenomenal play involved, some for the drama of a final playoff upset or
a remarkable back and forth rivalry match.
All were great matches. We just
couldn’t bring ourselves to rank them so we share them here chronologically. We also rejected matches that didn’t take
place in Wisconsin. There are too many
GREAT games from Nationals, Midwest, or on tour to include here. We may feature those in a separate article at a later
time.
Have any other nominations? Do you have some names, details, picturesm or stories to
add? Send them to WGR at wisconsingirlsrugby@gmail.com
. Please excuse the dates below; there may
be some errors in memory from our older coaches.
WGR 1997-2013 CLASSIC MATCHES
Summer 1997 DSHA v Wayzata @Veteran’s Park, Milwaukee
Wisconsin
The first-ever
girls high school match in the state saw Wayzata, MN drive down from Minneapolis
in a chartered coach bus to play the Dashers in their white and red striped
long-sleeve cotton jerseys. The Dashers
looked like the Canadian flag, or perhaps the red-cross team. Playing 10’s due to low numbers, the score
was something like 30-5 in favor of Minnesota’s original powerhouse. But the scoreline didn’t matter, history had
been made.
Fall 1998 DSHA v Krusaders Dretzka Park
With excitement
for the sport growing, a group of girls from Catholic Memorial High School came
together under coach Linda Niemela.
Although the team only lasted a season or two, it included, just to name
a few, the likes of Kate Sarner future Scylla player, future MU players Erin
Wells and Karen Kleczka, and future UWM rugger Bobbi Heritsch. The team had to call themselves the Krusaders
with a K since the school would not sanction them in their first season.
The match that makes the list was
actually the second-match between the sides; it was memorable because the
Krusaders upset the more ‘established’ team in a close contest. A rivalry was born.
Fall 1999 DSHA v Marquette University B-side King Field
The first few years DSHA was the only
girls team in the state and they struggled to find matches, playing frequently
in Indiana, Minnesota, and more frequently against local college sides. DSHA lost a lot of matches 80-0 and 100-0 in
those first few years. It’s amazing they
stuck with it.
This match was
significant because it was the first time DSHA won a game against a college
side. Several more followed after this
breakthrough. The exact year may not be
exactly right. Fullback Colleen Brennan
sprinted to two long tries on an old “double d” pattern.
Fall 2001 DSHA v Highland i and ii (The debut and the rematch)
The first
Highland or Northshore team, consisting mostly of girls from Homestead high
school under coach Rick Ferrara were a force to be reckoned with almost
immediately. Featuring a core of
talented athletes including Samantha (#8) and Kimiko Ross (thp) and Angela
Mathews (#13), they defeated DSHA at one point that fall and completed in
nationals in the spring of 2002, finishing 3rd. This fall conference match was when they
shocked DSHA amidst Mathew’s debut. A
big rampaging center with incredible speed to boot, she was dominant against
high school competition, requiring a host of tacklers. She was the Jonah Lomu of her era in WGR and
every team had to game plan for her.
DSHA came back in the rematch later that fall and was able to win the
conference title when Highland tied KM.
Fall 2002 DSHA v Highland iii Veteran’s Park Milwaukee.
The third of the
three great matches between the two rivals.
It was the final conference match of the season. Highland still had a really talented team and
this game came down to the wire. The
last ten minutes of the match were spent down on DSHA’s tryline. A long defensive stand repelled Highland
again and again, until a turnover led to a 90-meter scamper and mad dash for a
dramatic match-winning try on the final play of the game from young sensation
Natalie Mills, one of the great ‘finishers’ of the WGR early years. It
also signified the beginning of the end of Highland’s championship claims. They never defeated DSHA again.
Fall 2002 Kettle Moraine v DSHA Season Opener, Naga-Waukee Park
Kettle Moraine
shocked DSHA in the conference opener winning 46-5. The Dashers have never since lost by anything
close to as wide a margin as that day.
The culmination of the day was a scrum push-over try. Not technically legal in high school rugby,
the ref let the KM scrum drive the extra three meters into the tryzone for
their #8 Brittany Hanson to fall down on the ball for a symbolic try of
dominance. The Knightmares had recruited
a stable-full of good young athletes including future full eagle Kati McKormick
in her freshman debut, and future USA 19 Nicole Heil in the centers. KM went on to defeat DSHA in the second match
in their conference series, to become the only other team besides DSHA to be
crowned State Champion.
Fall 2003 Kettle Moraine v DSHA Oct 12th
Minooka Park
The second of the
two matches between the sides was also the last time DSHA would lose a match in
Wisconsin for a remarkable 7 consecutive years.
While it’s a little unfair that DSHA gets mentioned whenever they
lose, such is the burden of their unprecedented excellence, success, and the
challenge of expectations. They’ve had a
lot of great wins in that span.
It was
a close match. KM
dominated possession and rucks early, racking up a 17-0 halftime lead. Their third try came on a break from the DSHA
#15. KM’s wing, Justine Ellenson, cracked down and got in
the passing lane and when #15 passed, she intercepted. Running for the corner, she still had to beat
a covering weakside wing, but a powerful stiff arm helped her shrug off the
tackle and dot down for the most dramatic score of the match.
DSHA came back with two tries in the
second half, including a twenty meter scamper by flanker Alyssa Hext after she
scooped up a turnover. DSHA senior #8 JoJo Hoffman was a tackling and passing machine. She later went on to help lead Ohio State to nationals in her collegiate career, played for the USA u19's on multiple occasions, and even worked at USA Rugby for a time.
Player of the match, though, had to be KM's outside center Alex Glorioso who seemed to sidestep, spin, and run through three to four tacklers on every run. She carried KM in this classic match, as KM won 17-15. DSHA
would win the state title on aggregate points for the tie-breaker.
