Severn River Women Defeat James River
Last Saturday the Severn River Women took to their home pitch to face James River. With both teams undefeated heading into the match, tensions were high from the start. The quiet warm-up made the coaches a little uneasy, but it turns-out the honey badgers were just harnessing their energy.
The Severn River Fly-half, Charlee, took control from the first whistle. With strong, striking runs that lasted throughout the match, she put up the first points in the first four minutes. With a strong conversion kicking game as well, her performance helped guide the team to the win. THe first-half was a strong team effort from all the starters with quick, supported rucks that kept the ball in play. Scrappy, Todo, Tina, Mikey, and Tiffany all scored in the first half and showcased the versatility of the entire offense. Late in the first half, James River’s wing broke through the defensive line for a try, reminding the honey badgers to keep their focus.
Unfortunately, play in the second half was a bit sloppy as humidity and fitness seemed to get the best of both squads. Severn River added two tries in the second half and James River added another just at the end of regulation, but play was not nearly as dynamic as in the first half. Severn River faced a number of penalties in the second half that prevented them from playing multiple phases and returning to the groove they established in the first forty minutes. With the score at the end of regulation 46-10 in favor of Severn River, the honey badgers maintain their undefeated record in the South!
The women have a bye this weekend, but will return to their home pitch on the 20th to face the Furies for the second time this season. The return of London and continued impressive play from new teammates Shelly, Eggs, Laura, Dallas, Tiffany, and Niki, the future is bright for Severn River.
Tries: C.Bryan (2), K.Todorovich (1), H.Whiteley (1), T.Schafer (1), T.Paul (1), M.Williams (2)
Conversions: C.Bryan (3 out of 7)
A.McCarty (0 out of 1)
Severn River Men Over North Bay
Severn River faced off against North Bay Rugby last Saturday, in what has been a playoff implicating, hard-hitting affair since both clubs dropped down to Division Three. Severn River was able to secure their first win over North Bay in matrix play since arriving in D3, upending North Bay 24-15. Early on, it looked to be a snake bitten afternoon for the men from Annapolis, as Inside Center Matt Baxter came off with a groin injury in the 10th minute. Baxter has been battling to stay fit all season and while River was disappointed to lose him, Jeremiah Batucan came on as a substitute and immediately made an impact, sticking his nose in with the forwards and scoring on a pick and go just minutes after subbing on. Number 8 Mike Blimmel, doubled Severn’s lead with a trot into the try zone in the 35th minute. North Bay got off to a rough start in the second half, when their strong side wing Nick Webb was cautioned by the referee for tackling Fly-Half Erik Dronberger well after a tactical kick. Severn took the opportunity by the scruff of the neck, quickly scoring twice via set plays with the man advantage. Fullback Colin Gotimer and Wing Zach Lammers both found the corner flag inside 60 minutes. Severn looked like they were coasting to an easy shutout win, but North Bay had a few answers late on, scoring 3 unanswered (and unconverted) tries to finish the match. Severn held on for the win, making it two in a row for the green and blues. Man of the Match honors were taken home by Mike Blimmel and Zach Lammers, for the forwards and backs respectively, both were a force to be reckoned with on offense all day long. Severn look to travel to Northern Virginia after their bye, to take on NOVA and make it three wins on the trot, kickoff is at 1pm on 10/20.
Tries: J. Batucan (1), M. Blimmel (1-2), Z. Lammers (1), C.Gotimer (1-3)
Conversions: E. Dronberger (2 of 4; 12 of 14)
Roster:
#1- Taylor, Dustin, #2- Kirk, Brandon, #3- Maldonado, Richard, #4- Paul, William, #5- McCarty, John, #6- Stratchko, Nicholas, #7- Benson, James, #8- Blimmel, Michael, #9- Dondero, Adam, #10- Dronberger, Erik, #11- Lammers, Zach, #12- Gotimer, Harry, #13- Baxter, Matthew, #14- Wygal, William, #15- Gotimer, Colin, #16- Greenstreet, Jr. Milton, #17- Denton, Philip, #18- Reece, Logan, #19- Swayze, Derek, #20- Gavigan, Taylor, #21- Bilger, Cullen, #22- Long, Stephen, #23- Batucan, Jeremiah
Redemption! Honey Badgers Defeat Chesapeake
Redemption. It was the only word on the minds of the Honey Badgers as they prepped for the contest against Baltimore Chesapeake. After a disappointing loss to the long time rival last fall, Severn River knew they had to focus to not let their nerves get the better of them this past Saturday. While missing Captain Lenni and long time player Sweet Dee in the forwards and with Rayne, one of their key backs, out with a knee injury, the Honey Badgers were a little apprehensive heading into Saturday’s match. You wouldn’t know it, however, from the way they played.
The first half began with a strong start from the forwards with Todo once again leading the charge and scoring early off of a penalty. The Honey Badgers added two more tries before Chesapeake would answer in the 35th minute while Tiffany stood in the sin bin for the team after multiple offsides infractions. Severn River answered with a strong series of back line passes that ended in the hands of Scrappy for a try to finish the first half of play. Going into the half up 28-7, the Honey Badgers may have been feeling a little too confident when they retook the field for the second half.
Chesapeake had two quick tries to start the half as the Severn coaching staff started to pace. The team gathered themselves and refocused their rucking and defensive lines to regain control of the ball. Todo added two more tries to the board, one off another penalty and the other from solid offloads. Charlee continued to kick well and Severn began to pull away. Chesapeake added one more try off of a 5 meter scrum and converted to bring the score to 40-24, but that was the last of their offense. With two tries in the final ten minutes from Burris, the Honey Badgers secured their 3 - 0 record.
The team win was speckled with an outstanding try from Aly who kicked the ball to herself, twice and managed to touch it down in the zone. Captain Casey had some excellent defensive plays and Marshall maintained excellent defensive control and communication with her wings. Many forwards stepped up to play the full 80 minutes (and made sure everyone knew it at the end of the match) and without their commitment, this match could have gone a very different way. With composure, camaraderie, and kick ass mentality, the Honey Badgers are making a statement this season.
Tries:
K.Todorovich (3), T.Paul (1), A.McCarty (1), H.Whiteley (1), L.Burris (2)
Conversions: C.Bryan (5 for 8)
Severn Men take down Frederick in Home Opener
Severn River Men finally had their home opener, after starting the season on a two week road trip. And what a difference home field advantage makes. Severn hosted a familiar foe; Frederick RFC and were able to secure their first win of the young season, prevailing 47-10. Severn’s forwards got the scoring started, with some gritty pick and go tries, inside 5 meters from Prop, Rich Maldonado and Number 8, Mike Blimmel. Frederick fought back and answered with two tries of their own, with one a particularly impressive 65 meter run from Frederick outside center Jacob Fields. Those would be the last points scored by Frederick on the day, with Severn following up to score 35 unanswered points. The boys from Annapolis spread the ball around all match long, with 6 different starters finding the try zone. Hooker, Brandon Kirk and Outside Center, Jon Sage scored their first tries in 15’s for Severn, as both had industrious, 80 minute shifts on Saturday. Erik “Punchy” Dronberger kept Frederick in the distance, converting 6 of 7 conversions during the match. Severn’s pack continued their dominance in the second half with tries from Flanker, Nick Stratchko, Maldonado and Kirk. For his brace of tries, Maldonado took home man of the match honors for the forwards, while returning veteran scrum-half, Adam Dondero, received it for the backs. Severn are on a bye this week, but look to make it two in around against North Bay at home on October 6th at 1pm.
Tries: R. Maldonado (2), M. Blimmel (1), J. Sage (1), C.Gotimer (1-2), N. Stratchko (1), B. Kirk (1)
Conversions: E. Dronberger (6 of 7)
Severn River Men vs Western Suburbs
Severn River Men traveled to Fairfax, VA this past weekend, to match up with last year’s D3 central division champions, Western Suburbs. It was another nail biter for the gentlemen from Annapolis, as they kept the match tight all day, but fell in the end, 28-22. Western Suburbs started off the match with a good bit of possession, finished off by a try from their number 8, Phillip Walter. Severn answered right back with some quick hands in the backline leading to Captain Colin Gotimer dotting it down in the 15th minute. The momentum for the match swung with a yellow card in 35th minute for Suburbs’ inside center, Bassam Estwani. And although Erik Dronberger was able to convert the resulting penalty to bring the score to 14-8, Suburbs were the beneficiaries of the swing, as they turned on their engines while down a man and did not relinquish the ball for the majority of their center’s 10 minutes in the bin. Two second half tries by Wing Robbie Wygal and Dronberger weren’t enough to turn the tide, as Suburbs matched river score for score in the second half through 2 tries from Wing Gary Jackson. Cullen “The Bulge” Bilger took home the backs man of the match honors in his first start of the season, Nick Stratchko grabbed it for the forwards. Severn will look to get their 1st win of the season at home against Frederick RFC this Saturday at 1pm.
Tries: C. Gotimer (1), R. Wygal (1), E. Dronberger (1 - 3)
Conversions: E. Dronberger (2 of 3; 4 of 5)
Penalties: E. Dronberger (1 of 1)
Severn River’s B side saw their first action of season against Western Suburbs’s D4 side on Saturday and they faired a little better than their 1st side did against the outfit from Northern Virginia. Although Severn had several men in the starting lineup playing in their very first rugby match, they won in a romp, 53-19. River’s Killer B’s spread the ball all of over the pitch as 8 different players found the try zone. In particular, the backline of Tommy Sitar, Brandon Kirk and Logan Reece proved a large problem for Suburbs, as the trio scored 4 tries on the day. The forwards had a great day as well, with Lock Derek Swayze and Flanker Matt “Farva” Sabol both scoring their first career tries in the match. Swayze and Logan Reece took home men of the match for the forwards and backs, respectively. The Bs look to continue winning ways against Frederick at home this Saturday at 3pm.
Tries: B. Kirk (1), L. Reece (2), M. Sabol (1), T. Sitar (1), R. Wygal (1), R. Maldonado (1), D. Swayze (1), C. Gotimer (1)
Conversions: M. Greenstreet (2 of 5), R. Maldonado (1 of 1), C. Gotimer (1 of 2)
Honey Badgers Maintain Shut-Out Record Against Furies
Another Saturday, another impressive performance from the Severn River Honey badgers. Improving their record to 2-0 for the 2018-2019 season, the ladies secured another shut out against the D.C. Furies Division II side.
Unlike the previous weekend in the humidity and bright sun of Norfolk, VA, Saturday morning was the perfect day for a match. A little humid, but mostly cool from the overcast skies and consistent breeze, the weather helped the ladies keep their composure even as many people were asked to play in different positions to fill-out the roster. The scoring started early with Tiffany Paul touching down after solid hands through the backline followed by two forward tries courtesy of Captain Lenni and Todo off of a strong breakthrough run. At around the twenty-five minute mark, Shanna took a big hit and was helped off of the field looking a bit like Harry Potter after Professor Lockhart tried to fix his arm, she stayed to cheer before heading to set her broken wrist. The final try of the half was added by Marshall and five minutes before the whistle, Sweet Dee exhibited a bit too much strength in a tackle moment and was awarded a ten minute break.
The second half saw more creative offense from the honey badgers and a bit more work on defense as subs were brought on to the pitch. Returning to the pitch after her extended water break, Dee added a try off of a line-out maul, followed quickly by another score from Todo. As the Furies became a bit frustrated and the honey badgers became a bit sloppy, the match became chippy as the second half began to wind down. Keeping her cool, Charlee snuck the ball through the defensive line on a grubber only to be tackled without the ball in the try zone. A yellow card went to the Furies #13 and Charlee was awarded the penalty try. Two more tries added to the total late in the half and the honey badgers came away with a 51-0 win.
While the coaches highlighted the moments of brilliance, there is still work to be done in continuity and field awareness as the season continues. The Honey badgers have set their sights on their home opener against Chesapeake at 11 AM on September 22 and are ready to redeem themselves!
Tries:
T. Paul (2), L. Ferreira (1), K. Todorovich (2), K. Marshall (1), D. Crovo (1), C. Bryan (1), S. Freeman (1)
Conversions:
C. Bryan (3 for 7), A. Jost (0 for 1), K. Marshall (0 for 1)
Severn River Men Face Off Against Gorge
Severn River Men faced off against an old rival to open up their 2018 Mid Atlantic campaign, as they travelled to Columbia, MD to take on Rocky Gorge (D3). The boys in green and blue lost in heartbreaking fashion, as they gave up the lead in the 75th minute, when Gorge converted the final try of the game to go up 19-17. It was a dismal afternoon with intermittent showers throughout the match, but that didn’t stop either team from playing some very polished and hard hitting rugby. The intense tackling began from the first whistle and did not let up for the duration of the match. In particular, Severn center John Sage set the tone early and often in the first half with some bone rattling shots to the Gorge backline. Although, Sage may have been a little too eager in the tackle for the referee, as he was handed a yellow card in 35th minute for his exploits in defense. The scoring in the first half started with a converted penalty from Erik “Punchy” Dronberger from 27 yards out. Dronberger followed that up with a converted try in the corner after several phases of hard work from the Severn pack. Severn went into halftime up 10-7, but Gorge came out flying in the second half, scoring with in the first three minutes, to go up 12-10. Severn did not let up, with some great runs out of forwards Mike Blimmel and Nick Stratcko, Blimmel had a particularly stylish 40+ meter run straight through the heart of the Gorge defense. Severn went back up via a penalty quick tap try at the 5 meter line, Dronberger found the Gorge defense napping and darted in for the score. He converted the kick, to make it 17-12 Severn. Severn injected some much needed pace into the soggy second half via substitution, with wing Logan Reece and hooker Brandon Kirk coming on and providing an offensive boost to Severn’s attack. It was nip and tuck the whole second half, with both teams bending on defense, but not breaking. A probing kick by Gorge found space in the corner, they were able to recover and, through a few pick and go’s by the forwards, find the try zone with just a few minutes to go on the clock. Gorge was able to sneak the conversion kick just inside the left post to go on top, 19-17. Severn made a valiant effort to get some offense going quickly in the last seconds, but were stopped after a knock on in full time. Man of the match for River was a much contested award on Saturday, with several great performances on the day, but Fly-half Punchy Dronberger and Lock Brad McCarty found the top of the heap, splitting the distinction after the game, with Dronberger earning extra plaudits by providing all 17 of Severn’s points. This week, Severn travel to Northern Virginia to take on Western Suburbs RFC in their second league match of the season at 1pm on Saturday.
Tries: E. Dronberger (2)
Conversions: E. Dronberger (2 of 2)
Penalties: E. Dronberger (1 of 1)
Honey Badgers Drown Mermaids in Season Opener
Poised and ready to strike on the hot, humid Norfolk pitch, the Severn River Honey Badgers met their opposition on Saturday and took the first steps towards realizing their team goal of returning to Regionals. With powerful performances by Back of the Match Katie Marshall and Forward of the Match Ashley Chafin, the honey badgers showed their determination from the first whistle.
In the first two minutes, Marshall punched the ball through the back line to Madam President Aly Jost for the first try of the match. The scoring continued with tries from Tina (scrum half), Todo (8-man), and Rayne diving over the line from the wing position (She may have landed on some tree roots and loose rocks, but anything for the team, right?). With excellent kicking from Charlee, the honey badgers found themselves up 33-0 at the half.
The scoring continued in the second-half with tries from Sweet Dee, Madam President, and Chafin. Shelly, our newest rookie, notched her first try by dusting the competition in an 80 meter sprint to the middle of the uprights to finish the match. With a solid conversion from Captain Casey, the honey badgers finished with a 60-0 victory over the mermaids.
The match was not without its blunders as two players received yellow cards for Severn River. The first was a justifiable call after a high tackle, while the second was a bit more suspect when a veteran player received a card for causing two of her teammates to put their hands in the ruck. I have yet to look up that particular rule, but clearly the force is strong with Jedi master Farrah.
Overall, the honey badgers have a lot to be proud of, but also have room to grow. After the match many of the players recognized the need to improve the connection on defense and to be even quicker to the rucks to support each other. Overall, the positive communication kept them focused on each moment of the match.
The Honey Badgers will be away again to face the DC Furies Division 2 side on September 15th.
Tries:
A. Jost - 2, K. Todorovich - 2, R. Trouwborst - 1, K. Schafer - 1, D. Crovo-Denton - 2, A. Chafin - 1, S. Freeman - 1
Conversions:
C. Bryant - 4 for 7
C. Hartzell - 1 for 1
R. Trouwborst- 0 for 2
2018 Fall Preview
2018 Fall Preview
Women’s Side
Captains Casey Hartzell and Leni Ferreria are excited. And by excited I mean over the top, raw meat, baby you’re a firework, dancing pandas, honey badger found a free lunch with many beers, excited. With lofty goals of returning to playoffs and competing for the National Championship, the honey badgers have high expectations for this relatively young squad.
Looking to build from last year’s successes, Casey and Leni are looking to remedy last year’s near miss of a playoff berth. They hope that the strong connection in the back line, positive attitudes, and willingness of people to try various positions will continue into this new season. With this consistency, they also expect to see improvement in defensive toughness and strategy, confidence with decision making, and of course the dreaded fitness.
Like any good program, consistency is crucial. The coaching staff is returning, ready to meet the demands of the captains and players. With Dola’s somewhat complicated drills and Sloth and Fitz’s perhaps overly elaborate explanations, they fully expect to be targets of a new Kangaroo court tradition at the end of each match...players should look out for this as well. The team encourages past players to come out to practice to share their experience and get a few drills in!
With strong numbers at the first week of practice (including twenty players on a TUESDAY!), the honey badgers are poised to return to their rightful place on the national stage. If everyone buys in to the simple concept of always doing the right thing, these women can achieve the goals they have in mind.
Men’s side
Kick ass and win games. It’s that simple for Captain Colin Gottimer and the Severn River Men’s Team. Hoping to capitalize on their quickness and agility, Colin and the coaching staff are eager to push Severn River to be a force in the region.
Above all, Severn River is focusing on consistency this season and working as a unit. The team expects that everyone will show up to practices, games, fundraisers, and social events to build the strong relationships that are indicative of outstanding rugby clubs. If everyone commits to making the team a priority and holding themselves to the same standards as everyone else, then that attitude will translate onto the pitch as well. No one is bigger or more important than the team.
A majority of the returning players now have two or three years on their boots and with some new teammates from various clubs across the US, it will be exciting to see how the level of play improves this season. Like any program, it takes a tremendous amount of work and commitment to succeed and the men’s team is certainly on a strong path with their mindset.
Both the men’s and women’s teams will be away for their first two matches of the season. With the men facing Rocky Gorge on September 8th and the women traveling to Norfolk, both teams need to focus immediately to start their seasons on the right track. The home opener on September 22nd will be a shot at redemption for the women against Chesapeake and another solid test for the men against Frederick.
Let’s pack the pitch on September 22nd and give our men and women the boost they need from the 16th man!
Legends and Heroes: The Fly-halfs
So you might be asking yourself, why are we focusing on fly-halfs for this issue of the newsletter? No idea. Don’t they get enough credit, glory, notoriety, and press as it is? Yes. But, does that make them any less worth our time, appreciation, and affection? Absolutely not. Besides, if I make them look good they might buy my drinks at the happy hour at Stan and Joe’s the night before the gala. I’m a writer with little money and a seven week old...a beer sounds pretty good right about now.
It wasn’t easy to get the four selected fly-halfs to respond, but when they did, their passion for the game and for this club reverberated through all of their responses.
Michael “Bergie” Bergeson had an illustrious rugby career playing for the University of Utah, Gonzaga Law School, the Spokane Rugby Club, and finally coming to Severn River in 1982. He began his career playing wing and center, but eventually found his sweet spot at fly-half. “I really liked to read the defense and exploit weaknesses. I also liked to disrupt the opposite forward play by anticipating breaks from the wing, forwards, and the number 8,” he remembered. With the help of excellent teammates like Marty O’Neill at fullback, Pete Freeman at scrummie, Mike and Chris Posko as well as Jeff Arendt at centers, Bergie could use his dummy pass and know his guys would be there to back him up. For Bergie, this game is all about chemistry with the guys on and off the field. From the photo, it’s pretty clear that he had a strong connection with his scrumhalf and no one was getting in the way of that channel.
Ruth Seerey is a rugger for life. Playing for Severn River on a dare from her friends when the women’s team was just starting to form, she had an immediate impact with the knowledge she brought from her years with Chesapeake and her alma mater, UMBC. WIth her kangaroo leather Diadora cleats and a knack for nailing dropkicks mid-play, Ruth was a dynamic fly-half with a calm confidence that her teammates admired. While the position could be frustrating when she received a tough pass from the scrummie and kept “passing the shit” on down the line or getting nailed by the opposing fly-half after a bad pass, her love of the strategy of the game had her hooked from the start. Reading the field and “orchestrating what might happen three plays from now...I’ve always loved figuring out that aspect of the game.” Ruth continues to promote youth rugby as a Head Coach with the Green Hornets program in Severna Park.
The current fly-halfs are following the path laid for them by these outstanding alumni of the club. Charlee and Punchy seem to be related to Ruth and Bergie...if only by the blood they’ve left on the pitch.
Charlee “Charles” Bryan started playing rugby at Towson University and joined Severn River in 2011. A utility back (like so many rookies), Charlee learned much of the game from fullback before moving to fly-half. Once in the new position, her pension for trickery and love of controlling the opponent was really able to shine. While not a lot of people talk about defense enough, Charlee’s favorite move is to work with her flankers, especially Sweet Dee Crovo, to force the attacking opposition to see a hole in the line that isn’t really there. “We like to turn that into a little game where I feed them right back into the middle where they get blindsided by my more than ready flanker.” With Eminem in her headphones and a family of sisters to support each other, “there's just this feeling that comes with playing the sport- words can't do it justice.”
Erik “Punchy” Dronberger began playing with Severn River in 2001 when he was fifteen. He continued to play in college and returned to Severn in the summers before joining the men’s club in 2009. As another notch in his belt, Punchy played wing in South Africa for Klerksdorp in 2012. With a love of pressure and the adrenaline rush that comes before getting crushed while setting his teammates up for a perfect pass, Punchy loves to be “in control of the giant chess match” that is a 15s rugby match. With a remarkable memory for specific game moments, Punchy is the kind of fly-half who can remember his successes and failures to grow as a cerebral player.
I could go on and on about Charlee and Punchy, but come out to a match and see their dedication for yourself. All four of these flyhalfs made a few things abundantly clear in their interviews:
They relied heavily on their 8-men, Flankers, and Centers for support, but all have a deep appreciation for every player on the field.
They love the pressure of making decisions under fire...even if it means getting wrecked occasionally.
They all have a 6th sense.
They are all fiercely loyal.
But perhaps most importantly, each player stressed that Severn River is their rugby family, the team that they think of most fondly as their own.
Maybe I should buy them a beer.