Gorge week. The mentality was different when preparing against division rivals Rocky Gorge. The men of Severn River marked their calendars after Gorge eliminated Severn in the first round of playoffs in early 2019. The matches have been tighter and tighter as the contests go on. Tuesdays and Thursdays are the precedent for what makes Saturday a rugby day... And this past Saturday felt like a revenge game.

Severn River came out firing as Rich Maldonado retained the kickoff and added an angling run down the defense. A few pick and go's had Severn knocking on the doorstep but solid defense by Gorge kept themselves out from behind their own 22. Things settled down for a bit as both teams kicked for field position. However, Gorge could not secure an early line out with constant disruption from the lifted Nick Stratchko and Aldo Batubara. After back and forth possessions Severn would strike first. It began with a streaking line break at full speed from fullback Colin Gotimer, setting up a pick and go try from the supporting (cousin) Harry Gotimer. After scoring first, Severn turned it on. Within 7 minutes was a 50 yard gain from the back line. In support were wingers Zach Lammers and Logan Reece from an offload by Colin Gotimer. Forward play continued as Dustin Taylor, Brad McCarty, and Will Paul continuously secured the rucks while smash ball was presented. Batubara received the ball at speed and kept his legs churning for another try. 10-0 Severn. The defense of Severn was at its peak, not giving up much ground and making big tackles when needed. A few penalties later Severn was driving up the pitch. Erik "Punchy" Dronberger juked his way through the line of Gorge and laid down a beautiful dribbling grubber from the 22. The ball skipped its way towards the corner of the try zone. Quickly appearing was Colin Gotimer darting down the sideline. Racing past two defenders, Gotimer got under the ball and touched it down for the try. Dronberger converts and the score at half is Severn 17, Rocky Gorge 0.

The second half began with a quick knock on from Gorge played on by the backs of Severn River. Gorge was again on their back foot when Eddie Boyer broke through the back line, stampeding through three tacklers for a 20 yard try. Dronberger converts 24-0. If you blinked, you might've missed Lawrence McClain sprinting onto a crash ball from scrumhalf Dan Wooddell directly after kickoff. McClain took it 60 yards through two defenders and found the corner of the try zone to increase to the lead to 29-0 Severn. Gorge had enough. They would fight back with the weapons they had both inside and on the wing. Through broken play and quick phases, Rocky Gorge mounted a 19 point comeback within 15 minutes of play. Both sides were slowing down and making substitutions yet the next 20 minutes were the most important. Down the stretch Severn was within the 22 of Gorge where Dronberger put down another kick but took a tough hit from two defenders, drawing a penalty. A perfectly executed line out within 5 meters set up a maul and Mike Blimmel would drive it through for a significant try to make it 34-19. The defense of Severn would hold up just enough, giving up one more try and a conversion to make the final score Severn River 34 Rocky Gorge 26.

This win broke a 7 year spell against Rocky Gorge. Severn takes on the 3-1 Washington Renegades next week away.

Man of the Match:

1 - Dustin Taylor

11 - Logan Reece

Tries:

Harry Gotimer, Aldo Batubara, Colin Gotimer, Eddie Boyer, Lawrence McClain, Mike Blimmel

Conversions:

Dronberger 2/6

Roster:

1. Dustin Taylor

2. Aldo Batubara

3. Richard Maldonado

4. Will Paul

5. Brad McCarty

6. Nick Stratchko

7. Lawrence McClain

8. Mike Blimmel

9. Dan Wooddell

10. Erik "Punchy" Dronberger

11. Logan Reece

12. Harry Gotimer

13. Eddie Boyer

14. Zach Lammers

15. Colin Gotimer

16. Steve Long

17. Murphy Lill

18. Derek Swayze

19. Omar Ledezma

20. Sam "Hot Pants" Leone

The Severn River Men's D4 team hosted a makeup match against the Patuxent River Lions on Saturday looking to improve their record to 2-1 in the Fall season. The men were facing a hungry Patuxent River side who were looking to move to 4-0 on the season. It was a perfect day for rugby, with highs in the 60s and the sun shining throughout the match. Both squads took the pitch ready for a hard hitting match.

          Patuxent River started the scoring off early with great play from their backline putting up three tries in the first 20 minutes to take a 0-17 lead. At the 24’ mark, Steve Long put Severn River on the board with a great one step cut to score their first try. Patuxent River’s backs quickly answered with another try to put the score at 5-24. The Severn River machine awoke near the end of the first half with strong mauls and great ball distribution to setup two trys for scrumhalf Milton “I’m Big in Japan” Greenstreet. Going into the second half the Severn River squad was in striking distance, down 19-24. Continued strong play by Sever River had the ball inside the Patuxent River 5 meter mark when Joe “Spaceman” Milluzzo broke the line on a flat pass from Milton for their third score of the day, pulling ahead 26-24.  Sustained strong play by Patuxent River’s backline and tough Severn River penalties saw Patuxent River pull ahead 26-51.  Severn River refused to quit with James “Boomer” Hester breaking multiple tackles to add one last score. In the end, the effort wasn’t enough as Severn fell 33-51.