By: Scrappy Whiteley

Tape. Check. Mouthguard. Check. Fresh cleats, or cleats barely hanging on by a thread. Check. It was an unusual Friday: vans were being loaded, the rucking pads, rugby balls, and personal luggage stacked in an exhausting game of Tetris. Anticipation crackled through the air; the excitement was palpable. The Severn River Honey Badgers had been working hard all season outscoring their opponents 255-14 with head coaches Dolla Harmse and William Delsing at the helm. They pushed through some adversity, facing cancelled matches, a disappointing performance against Philly, and misplaced jerseys. Yet the feeling that this was going to be the year to get it done was always at the forefront. The Honey Badgers’ road to National-level competition began at the Regional round in Buffalo, New York on April 30th and 31st.

In the weeks leading up to Regionals the Badgers received an outpouring of support for their fundraising efforts from Stan and Joe’s Saloon, the SRRFC Alumni Association, Black Eagle Defense, as well as a number of individual donors, totaling over $4,000.

The first team standing in Severn’s way was the New Haven Old Black Rugby Football Club out of Connecticut. New Haven was a team Severn had never faced, and they had just been bumped from Division 3 to Division 2, playing a more competitive schedule that saw them earning victories over strong teams. That Saturday morning, right out of the gate, New Haven proved themselves to be feisty and quick, hitting hard and pushing back. “We saw a really fast New Haven team. Our offensive game play really started to click, and our defense was strong,” said co-captain Tina Schafer. After a start that required a few adjustments against New Haven’s aggressive defense, Severn started playing their game and piled on the points. Katie Marshall took full advantage of her opportunities to kick while Erin Gallagher and Shelly Freeman made it difficult for New Haven to keep up with Severn’s speed. The Honey Badgers closed the day with a 54-7 victory over New Haven.

“Day one we had a mission; there were so many factors that got us to that day and were motivating us to pull through. Once the game started, we played all 80 minutes as one and showed everyone what Severn River was all about,” said co-captain Kate Todorovich.

After earning the win and a chance to play in the regional championship match, the team spent the night soaking in store bought kiddie pool ice baths, stretching their muscles, and preparing for what the next day would bring.

Rain. Wind. Muddy fields. Day two brought less than desirable conditions that limited speed and the ability to use the full width of the field. Providence was a strong team, and they came out hard. Lolita Galdones and Masha Romanchak lead a solid defense that shut down one of Providence’s leading try scorers. The Severn pack was able to utilize their strength in the maul and break through to score one of the two tries of the whole match. Erin Gallagher-Johnson touched it down for the Honey Badgers.

“It was a tough, brutal, muddy contest. We were executing our game plan well on both sides of the ball, but we fell short due to the impressive poaching by Providence… we played incredibly well, but the score went to them in a very close game,” said Schafer.

Unfortunately, the magic faded too soon, and Providence defeated Severn River 8-5 in a grueling, defensive battle relying on kicks for points to finish it out. “We fought every minute of that game,” said Todorovich, “In the end, it just wasn’t our time… now we have all the motivation to work and push for that win next year!”

STATS:

Saturday, April 30th vs New Haven: 54-7 win

Tries: Kate Todorovich-1, Lenni Ferreira-1, Masha Romanchak-1, Katie Marshall-1, Shelly Freeman-1, Erin Gallagher-Johnson-3

Kicks: Masha Romanchak- 7 for 8

Sunday, April 31st vs Providence: 5-8 Loss

Tries: Erin Gallagher-Johnson- 1

Kicks: Masha Romanchak- 0 for 2