WGR Classic Matches,
part ii
The first part of
our series on memorable matches in WGR was one of our most read pieces in some
time. We also had some nominations from
players and former players. Thank
you.
Part ii of our
series, “The modern” era of WGR features a greater variety of matchups. WGR has
become a league with twice as many teams, sometimes split in conferences
geographically or by level of play (Division 1 or 2). We’ve seen national-level
programs come and go based on waves of strong classes or coaching changes. We’ve also seen rivalries come and go based
on team and coaching make-up.
Part iii of our
series will have to be written in 2020, which really isn’t that far off. We at WGR predict that we’ll have to discuss
the memorable 7’s matches, how the Olympics have affected the game, and how the
Fox Valley area has developed and affected our conference structure. There have
been murmurs of girls interested in playing around the Green Bay area for
years. Will that come to fruition? Will Wisconsin and Illinois form a mega
conference with larger numbers in D1 and D2 conferences or maybe a northern (Fox
Valley), and southern conference?
But, for now, onto
the GREAT games:
Fall 2006 Vernon v DSHA
Vernon was the second-place dominant
girls team for several years during this period and this was perhaps their
high-water mark. Brittany Houston, an
eventual u-23 selectside MVP, who eventually moved out to Colorado to pursue
her rugby career, was the face of a team filled with good athletes. A hard-running #9/10, she also possessed
incredible skill, with a great #9 pass off the deck. She once famously nailed a drop goal in the
national semifinal in 2006 to come close to upsetting perennial finalists Kent,
Washington.
Problem was, DSHA
was unbeatable in this era. At the time,
and perhaps maybe even to this day, DSHA’s #10 and #13 combo of “Coogan and
Haas” were unparralled and a part of the their running off six straight
national championships at one point. By
far the biggest, strongest running midfield in the State, teams were stymied by
their defense and overrun by their combo of speed and power. While this match wasn’t that close, it was
two outstanding teams facing off in the heat of a big rivalry and in that sense
the score was irrelevant.
Fall 2007 Vernon v
DSHA
This was memorable for being the first state tournament
championship game and it was held at Naga-Waukee Park. A huge crowd assembled that day, thanks to
Jeff Noe’s visionary plan to bring all the teams together for a final playoff
atmosphere showcase set of matches. It
also marked the end of Vernon’s run as they were soundly defeated in the final.
Fall 2008 CMHS v DSHA
Oct 29th 5-0.
CMH made a remarkable debut in the league in ’07, making the
finals the next year. In the most
competitive match the Dashers had seen since they last lost, the Crusaders,
many would say, outplayed DSHA, but just couldn’t get over the tryline. A try in the corner by eventual Nationals MVP
and speedster Sarah Chimelewski proved to be the difference.
Fall 2009 Brookfield
v Vernon State Semifinals
In the biggest upset in state playoff
history, Brookfield under Head Coach Dan Chanen knocked off Will Traber’s talented Vernon Park 19-14. Making the game all the more dramatic was
the fact that Brookfield had never defeated Vernon until that moment. Brookfield had quickly amassed a talented
core of players who were stabilized and unified under the tutelage of Coach
Chanen. Players like Bri Klein at #7, an
eventual USA u19 regular, and Kaissee Weissmueller, who would go on to earn a
Higgins Scholarship to continue rugby in college, were part of a team athletic
1-15. Brookfield’s heart and soul,
though, seemed to revolve around their tough scrumhalf Rachel Santulli. Santulli’s game, a nice mix of passing and
sniping around the fringes, could at times carry her team and could at other moments
just help get the ball in the hands of their other athletes, as any good
distributor should.
Vernon had more
experience in recent state finals and especially playing in Midwest
regionals. Both their props made the
All-Tournament team, and their standout wing, Emily Zemplinski was a strong
defender and athletic finisher. But it was Brookfield's time.
In the match,
Brookfield got up early and were able to punch in two tries. Vernon woke up and fought back. The match, with an unconverted try separating
the teams the last ten minutes, was tense and intense until the final whistle. The victory gave Brookfield its first and
only finals appearance and a trip to the top division of the Midwest
Championships. It also marked the end of
Vernon’s appearances in the Midwest Championship Division.
Fall 2010 CMH v DSHA
The last time
DSHA lost a match in Wisconsin took place at Minooka Park and was eerily reminiscent
of their loss there in 2004. In a match
marked by a great defensive effort on both sides of the ball, the tackling on
both sides left teams with few opportunities.
Crusader junior Maggie Armstrong dominated the midfield
defensively. The Dasher’s leading
scorer, the speedy #13 Ellie Miller, was always dangerous with ball in hand,
and #8 Elizabeth Linnemenstans, who’d also been tried at center some, was a
force on both sides of the ball. DSHA
was oh so close to taking the match as they had a play in the try-zone, only to
have it held up in defense. The game’s
deciding moment was a poor kick by the Dashers fielded by Memorial fullback
Sarah Dillett at pace. She burst through
a gap and raced 60 meters for the deciding score. She converted her own try and then the
Crusaders held out for the last 12 minutes to secure a famous 7-5 victory.
Fall 2012 Kettle
Moraine vs Vernon
A short summary of
the match was provided by one of KM’s former players and it captures the
emotion of the day:
“KM and Vernon have
always had a rivalry, but this is where it came to a head. Vernon had beat KM by a considerable amount a
few weeks before in a mentally frustrating match that even resulted in a KM
yellow card” ( a rare thing in the WGR league).
“This was Head Coach Jeff Noe's last game
with the Knightmares, and we wanted to make him proud. Marching onto the field in our brand new
jerseys, almost a going away gift I guess, we knew this was going to be a tough
and physical game, but we would not let it affect our attitudes. I can't even remember what the score was at
half or who scored what tries but it doesn't really matter because both teams
fought really hard. Our flyhalf Drea
Mertins definitely scored at least once.
With about 5 minutes left we found ourselves winning 10-5, but backed
against our try line with Vernon attacking.
Run the ball in, try held up. Try
held up. Try held up. We held up the score 4 times. On the last scrum our rookie hooker Julia
Scheckel stole the ball and our senior flyhalf Drea Mertins kicked it out to
end the game.”
Then there was a
mad rush to Coach Noe and a big team hug of celebration. It was a great game by both sides.
“This stands as
my all-time favorite game because we left our attitudes at home that day and
just came to play rugby and that for me is what this game is about.”
Fall 2013 CMHS v DSHA State Final
Both their
matches this year were back and forth, but this championship began
ominously. On the opening kickoff Jenny
Baylon, the Dasher #7, suffered a knee injury as Memorial’s captain Maggie
Wesolowski gave her a juke and she planted to react, only to twist her knee up. First sub in, one minute in. The ability of both teams to ‘bounce back’
from this and other adversity is one reason it was a great game.
As play
continued, DS scored a try right off the bat.
An errant pass from Memorial’s scrumhalf got caught in the wind, hit the
grass, bounced up in the air and into the arms of an on-rushing Dasher. Try.
It appeared it could be a long day for the Crusaders.
But they too
bounced right back. The Crusaders put
team red under pressure and spent much of the half camped out in the Dasher
Half. Eventually, Memorial converted
pressure from a five meter scrum into points, and the conversion found both
teams deadlocked at 7-7, and it remained that way going into halftime.
The deadlock
continued and continued. Neither side
gave much ground. For twenty minutes
into the second half it remained tied.
Eventually the Dashers got a penalty.
Their improved goal-kicking this year proved valuable, as they nailed
the penalty conversion to take a tense 10-7 lead. That seemed to “break the seal” so to speak
and the game opened up a little more.
Eventually they dotted down two times in the last few minutes and
emerged with a hard-earned perfect record.
Memorial Captain
Alexa Jaeger was one of the players of the match nominations. Her tackle and poach in the first few minutes
was a sign of things to come from her as she was a defensive force all match
long. Dasher #6, Kayla Pavela was
remarkable as well, earning a player of the match award. She upped her game
even more, in the absence of their regular #7 and made tackle after tackle.
Both flyhalves
got nods as P.of M. They both play great defense and made it hard
on each other as, of course, they are each threats to run and distribute. It was one of the best flyhalf matchups in
WGR history and a testament to how playing better competition pushes the great
players to play even better.
