Triebel Cup 2019: The Cup made it's way back home
The Triebel Cup continues to be a highlight for the entire Severn River and Frederick rugby families. It’s not often that people are able to come together to remember a brave rugger doing exactly what he would want us to do in his memory. Severn River may have come away with the Cup this year, but maintaining the friendly competition and tradition of this important event is what keeps players coming back year after year.
The U-19s had a tough day against a mixed Frederick, Poly, and North Bay team. Having five starters out of commission, they put the best side on the pitch and everyone played well. In the end, the young men came up short, 29-19, but were honored to be part of the day.
Man of the Match: Jake Mearman
The Severn Women don’t seem to lose a step regardless of who is able to make it on to the pitch. With a terrifying pack full of Xena Warrior Princesses, the forwards enjoyed playing with alumni and current members alike. With Jackie Melsopp back to her rucking ridiculousness and Mikey adding three tries of her own, the pack was a force to watch in awe and get the hell out of their way at the cup. The backs had a remarkable boost of energy from Old (don’t kill me) Girl, Devin “The Killer” Compo. With eight tries…that’s right EIGHT tries…saying she was unstoppable is redundant already but I’ll say it again anyway: UNSTOPPABLE. Aly McCarty got into the nitty gritty play of rugby, winning rucks, supporting the ball, and being all over the field as she supported both forwards and backs throughout the match. Seeing Jackie, Devin, Rebekah, Tina, Ruth, and Sloth all on the pitch, going step for step with the new college kids, Colleen and Emmy, made the current team both proud and eager to keep the Cup in the hands of Severn River. The 58-5 victory was a fun one for the Honey Badgers.
Forward of the Match: Jackie Melsopp
Back of the Match: Aly McCarty
The Severn men took part in the annual Treibel Cup competition against Frederick RFC this past Saturday, looking to erase some bad memories in the competition during recent years and recapture the cup for SRRFC. Severn got off to a quick 7-0 lead, due to some hard running from new open-side flanker Eddie Boyer. Frederick answered quickly, dotting down twice within the opening 20 minutes to take the game to 12-7. The teams traded blows for the next few minutes, Severn keeping it close but never regaining control in the first half. Severn's hopes were deflated as the clock wound down in the first period, being shown two yellow cards for separate high tackle offenses and having a try called back on a dubious forward pass call made by a Frederick touch judge all within a span of 7 minutes to end the first half. Undeterred, Severn came out of the gate swinging in the second, Boyer leading the way with two additional scores. Returning lock Lawrence McClain and Number 8 Nick Stratchko both found their way to the score sheet as well, with hard charging runs all day long finally paying dividends. Severn fielded a backline that was a mix of inexperienced and veteran presences, with inside center Harry Gotimer marshaling the two together for the exhibition for most of the day. Severn never led after that initial portion of play until their final breakthrough in the 77th minute, after stringing several phases together inside Frederick's 22, Prop Rich Maldonado found the line to finally put Severn back ahead by 2. Quinn Freeman converted the try and Severn held off for the remainder of the game ending in a 47-43 victory for the men. Given the numerous strong performances by many Severn forwards, Forward/Back of the match awards were eschewed on the day and the entire starting pack for Severn was given the honors.
The Old Boys match consisted of a solid effort from ruggers of all experience levels. From guys who were playing their first match (Spicoli, age 34, first match) to guys who can’t remember how many matches they’ve played, the game was fun and full of learning experiences for both sides. SR Old Boy, Dave White, masterfully chased a ball into touch while accepting a cheap blow to his lower back pushing him out of bounds. Keeping his poise, and his feet, he was able to bring both clubs together on the field in a wonderful display of sportsmanship and camaraderie. The match ended in a 5-15 loss for the Old Boys.
Severn Women’s guest player, Devin Compo accepted the Cup for Severn that day, since her 8 trys assured Severn the point differential to take the cup.
A big shout out to our referees, William Delsing and Jake Klaus, for wrangling the day. Thank you to Frederick Rugby for continuing this tradition with us and to the fans who continue to support both clubs!