Match Report: Severn Men D3 and D4
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.
New Sponsor: Proformance Sports Rehab & Nutrition
We are extremely excited to welcome Proformance Sports Rehab & Nutrition as a new sponsor. They will be handling pregame taping and sideline injury assessment as well as physical therapy for the team. This winter Severn River Rugby will be heading into their facility for some nutrition counseling, performance & conditioning programs and injury risk analysis.
The Team: Anthony Acevedo and Branden Cohen
Tony is a local leader in the wellness field. Tony has 2 master’s degree’s along with 16 years of Fitness experience. Tony has demonstrated his knowledge of nutrition, and movement science to his current clients, and backed it up with a highly successful local gym. Branden by trade is a physical therapist, and a movement enthusiast by nature. Branden has spent the last eight years of his career amassing knowledge regarding movement and sport specific treatment.
Catch them on the sideline during the Alumni matches on Saturday, 10/26.
Match Report: What Other River?
Match Report Sponsored by Proformance Sports Rehab & Nutrition
The day started a little chilly; there was a hint of fall in the air. The day ended when the lights came on at the bars; there was more than a hint of beers had. In between, there was rugby, a lot of it! The women were happy to kick off the Severn River double header with a home match against a fellow River team, James River.
The action started quickly with a try from Charlee Bryan four minutes into the first half and it did not slow down after that. Realizing quickly that James River had a lot of their defensive strength in the forwards, the Honey badgers adjusted and the majority of trys were made in the backs. Forwards Erin Gallagher-Johnson and Kate Todorovich put in the legwork with beautiful ball running and connections with the back line.
In the second half, the Honey badgers set a goal to focus on defense. Captain Casey Hartzell explains, “[Defense] is something we have been focusing on for the last couple of seasons, so it’s great to see us finally putting that into action and it working out.” The extra focus on defense paid off as Forward Kate Todorovich noted, “Our defense against James River was strong and it made it difficult for them to make constant forward motion.”
As the game went on, the Honey Badgers tacked a few more trys onto the board. Back Aly McCarty was sent off in minute 44 with a yellow but came back determined, energized, and promising to play by the rules, touching down a try just minutes after her reentry. Back Katie Marshall provided essential support to her fellow backs, being in position for offloads and quick balls out.
The game ended 47-7, improving the Honey Badgers season to 4-0. Back Aly McCarty was proud of the game, especially the defensive push by the team, and explains, “If we can keep that momentum going, we’ll be in a great spot for the rest of the season.”
The Honey Badgers will have a bye weekend on 10/12, and will close out their fall season with an away game against Harrisburg on 10/19.
Final Score: 47 - 7
Women of the match:
8- Erin Gallagher-Johnson
13- Aly McCarty (Big A)
Tries:
Bryan- 1, Whiteley- 1, Romanchak- 2, Paul- 1, Todorovich- 1, McCarty- 3
Conversions: Romanchak – 1 of 9
Roster:
1 Migliorini, Fallon
2 Davidson, Shanna (Blade)
3 Todorovich, Kathryn (Todo)
4 Stocker, Molly (OG)
5 Ferreira, Lena (C)
6 Hickok, Stephanie
7 Whiteley, Hannah (Scrappy)
8 Gallagher-Johnson, Erin
9 Romanchak, Maria (Masha)
10 Bryan, Charlee
11 Paul, Tiffany
12 Hartzell, Casey (C)
13 McCarty, Alyson
14 Lockhart, Marie (Malie)
15 Marshall, Kaitlyn
16 Wachtel, Zoi
17 Chafin, Ashley
18 Priddy, Rachel (Sloth)
19 Morris, Lindsay
20 Murray, Jess
21 McAlister, Meredith
Match Report: Severn River DIII Drops a Heartbreaker to Irish
It was a sunny and 70-degree beautiful day of rugby this past Saturday when the 3-0 men of Severn River hosted the 3-0 Washington Irish. These two teams played in what felt like a playoff environment. The men fought hard but only one team could come out undefeated.
The Irish started the scoring off early with a long phased attack but Severn would eventually answer. After many line breaks and power running offense, Severn pressured the Irish to play defense within their own 22 for much of the match. However, the Irish sent plenty of kicks overhead to force a game of field position. Bend but don’t break defense by the Irish would only work for so long as Richard Maldonado cracked through the defense on a pick and go for the try. Severn had a tough time taking down the prop of the Irish as he broke a run and set up the next try for the backs. Soon after kickoff Severn would find their way into the Irish 22 once again in a game of field position. The field position was fueled by the commanding duo of scrumhalf Dan Wooddell and Flyhalf Erik “Punchy” Dronberger. The rest was left for the athleticism from Aldo Batubara, Lawrence McClain, and Quinn Freeman with several line breaks all day. A quick tap penalty by Dronberger tied the game 10-10 at half.
The Irish came out firing again in the second half with a few breakthrough runs and two tries on the wing plus a conversion making it 22-10. Severn had control over the line outs today and it paid off when Aldo Batubara scooped up a batted ball within 5 meters and touched it down to add to his tallying try total. A few high tackles later and several yards gained from mauls was Derek Swayze with a smashing run at speed for his first try of D3 rugby, making it 20-27 Irish with 5 minutes remaining. The crowd was roaring and the field was shaking as Severn retained position for the last minute of play. Eddie Boyer bullied the defense for a line break and dished it out to Maldonado for a 40 yard try in expired time.... However, beneath the clamor of the fans and the celebrations of the players was a controversial forward pass call, ending the match at 20-27 Irish.
Final score: Severn River 20 - Washington Irish 27
Tries: Rich Maldonaldo, Erik Dronberger, Aldo Batubara, Derek Swayze
Conversions: Erik Dronberger - 0/4
League Leader Notes
Points
(1st) Erik Dronberger – 56, (Tied 3rd) Eddie Boyer – 25, (Tied 3rd) Aldo Batubara – 25
Tries
(Tied 1st) Eddie Boyer – 5, Aldo Batubara – 5
Match Report: Severn River Women Take Down Norfolk
It seems that the Honey badgers always travel to Norfolk on the hottest, stickiest, humidiest (that’s a thing in the Chesapeake Bay area) day of the season. Whether fall or spring, these teams always find themselves sweating it out under the sun, and lately, the Honey badgers have come out on top.
The match started off with a quick score from prop, Kate “Todo” Todorovich in the second minute of the match. As the heat took a toll on the hardworking forwards, the backs started to take control. With nice ball control and some pop kicks, the Honey badgers found their stride early and didn’t see an answer to the scoring frenzy of the backs until the 36th minute when the Storm snuck in a try from their wing. By the end of the first half, Severn River lead Norfolk, 24-5.
The second half continued in a similar manner to the first. In a near repeat of the first try of the match, Todo started the second half with a score in the first five minutes. Norfolk couldn’t seem to find an answer to the organization of the Honey badger pack and struggled to maintain control of their scrums. A few yellow cards were bestowed upon Norfolk for high tackles, but luckily no one was seriously affected.
Throughout the match, the Severn River forwards used their quickness and their strength as a unit to dominate a much more formidable pack than they have seen this fall.
Severn River took the match 43-10.
Tries: McCarty-2, Marshall-2, Todorovich-2, Hartzell-1
Conversions: Romanchak 4 for 7
Match Report: Severn River DIII Men vs Frederick
After two matches in the MAC D3 Central, Severn River Men found themselves atop the table with 2 wins. Saturday, they headed west to visit their Triebel Cup comrade rivals Frederick. From the whistle the match didn’t disappoint, with both teams trying to find their feet, strong runs by Quinn and Aldo gave Severn River the edge. Then 5 minutes into the game, Eddie Boyer smashed his way past the gain line and sped his way 50 meters to touch down under the posts to put Severn up 0-7 after a conversion.
A tone was set, but Severn River didn’t keep the foot on the pedal, and a well placed kick brought Frederick back into the match. 7-7 after 15 minutes, and Frederick stole momentum. Sloppy Severn defense and a relentless Frederick attack, gave Frederick the lead at 20 minutes.
The lead would be short lived, however, as a resilient Severn River side sprung forth on the following kick off. Lawrence McClain inducing a heavy hit, causing a turn over and Mike Blimmel trucking down the field before Erik Dronberger eased through the retreating Frederick defense for a try. Another Dronberger conversion and the score was back even.
With halftime looming, Nick Stratchko came to the rescue with Severn River pinned inside their own 25 meter, as he stole Frederick’s line out. Strong rucks from Dustin, Brad and co, allowed Eddie to break the line and set up a pacing Colin Gottimer as he put on some nifty moves past Frederick’s defense before drawing the full back and passing to Mike Gibson on the wing. Gibson got on his horse and with a determined stride, out ran Frederick’s winger and put Severn River back on top as the half time whistle blew.
HT score: Frederick 14 – Severn River 21
With an inspired speech from Coach Will, the Severn River pack displayed their strength as Blimmel powered his way into the try zone. On the ensuing play, William Paul caught the kickoff and shrugged off three Frederick defenders then tip toed the sideline to gain 25 meters. Then Dronberger found a bit of space and after a hop, skip, jump and a spin through the Frederick defense, popped the ball to a hungry Lawrence, who wouldn’t be stopped as he stiff armed his way into the try zone.
The game should’ve been set after that with the score Frederick 14 – Severn River 33, but Frederick wouldn’t let Severn rest easy, scoring two quick tries and bringing the game to within 7. Excellent defense from Brad McCarty and Aldo allowed Severn River to get the ball back and seal the deal with two more tries from Aldo and Eddie. For some icing on the cake Dronberger added 3 points with a penalty kick.
FT score: Frederick 31 – Severn River 48
Tries: Eddie Boyer (2), Erik Dronberger, Mike Gibson, Mike Blimmel, Aldo Batubara, Lawrence McClain.
Conversions: Erik Dronberger - 5/7
Penalty Kicks: Erik Dronberger – 1/1
Severn River Men’s Rugby D3 remain at the top of the table with 15 points from 3 games, just a point ahead of Washington Irish both having played 3 matches and 5 points ahead of rivals Rocky Gorge who have a game in hand in third place.
This week: Severn River D3 is on a bye, while D4 travel to Loudon for the second match of the season this Saturday 9/28.
League Leader Notes
Points
Erik Dronberger – 51, Eddie Boyer – 25, Aldo Batubara – 20, Michael Blimmel – 20
Tries
Eddie Boyer – 5, Mike Blimmel – 4, Aldo Batubara – 4
Match Report: Severn Women vs NE Philly Irish
After a forfeit from Brandywine last week, the Honey Badgers finally got to open their fall season this past Saturday, on their home field. Severn was slightly unsettled entering the match, since they had yet to face newcomer, NE Philly Irish. Severns’ only knowledge of the team from previous years in the D2 North is that the Irish held their strength in their pack. Knowing they must set the tone early, the Severn forwards, led by Captain Lenni Ferreira, struck first and hard, 2 minutes in. The Honey Badgers forged on putting up 19 unanswered points until the Irish finally answered back with a try. The try resulted in an additional penalty try and yellow card awarded to Severn fullback, Kaitlyn Marshall. Severn suffered another blow at the 35 minute mark when Prop, Mikey Williams took a shot to the nose, but not before she was able to touch it down for a try. Williams’ first comment as blood streamed down her face was true to form: “Did I score?”
After a made penalty kick from scrum-half, Masha Romanchak, the Badgers ended the half, up 29-7.
Hannah “Scrappy” Whiteley wanted to make sure the Irish knew that Severn wasn’t done and touched one down to start the 2nd half. Severn continued to turn up the heat on NE Philly scoring tries and dominating rucks. Dr. Malie Lockhart was able to touch one down for the Badgers as well in her first matrix match with Severn. Although, NE Philly’s size and strength were a challenge for the Badgers early in the match, the Irish eventually ran out of gas and Severn took a 65-12, victory. With a matrix match under their belt, the Badgers are excited about the new additions to their roster this year including forwards, Erin Gallagher-Johnson and Molly Stocker, and wingers, Malie Lockhart and Zoi Wachtel.
The Honey Badgers face the Norfolk Storm in Norfolk, VA, next Saturday, 9/28.
Final Score: 65-12
Women of the Match:
7 Whiteley, Hannah (Scrappy)
9 Romanchak, Maria (Masha)
Tries:
Ferreira- 1
Marshall-1
Williams- 1
Whiteley-1
Hartzell-1
Lockhart- 1
McCarty- 2
Todorovich-1
Trouwborst-1
Conversions and Penalty Kicks: Bryan/Romanchak: 7 for 11
Roster:
1 Williams, Michalann (Mikey)
2 Bottorf, Samantha
3 Davidson, Shanna
4 Todorovich, Kathryn (Todo)
5 Ferreira, Lena (C)
6 Chafin, Ashely
7 Whiteley, Hannah (Scrappy)
8 Gallagher-Johnson, Erin
9 Romanchak, Maria (Masha)
10 Bryan, Charlee
11 Paul, Tiffany
12 Hartzell, Casey (C)
13 McCarty, Alyson
14 Lockhart, Marie (Malie)
15 Marshall, Kaitlyn
16 Priddy, Rachel (Sloth)
17 Trouwborst, Rayne
18 Wachtel, Zoi
19 Elia, Kierstin (Kiki)
20 Stocker, Molly
21 Hickok, Stephanie
Match Report: Severn River DIII Men vs BC
Match Report is sponsored by Fence & Deck Connection www.fenceanddeckconnection.com
The Severn River Men's D3 team traveled to Elkridge on Saturday looking to improve their record to 2-0 in their second league match of the Fall season. The men were facing a hungry Baltimore Chesapeake side who were looking to bounce back from last week's lopsided loss. It was a hot and humid one on the turf of Troy Field as both squads struggled to secure the slippery ball throughout the match.
Severn started the scoring off early with a beautiful maul by the pack and a line break by Collin Gotimer, leaving an offload to winger Logan Reece for a try. Erik "Punchy" Dronberger converts to put Severn up 7-0 in the first 5 minutes. BC put on a strong effort on defense causing a few penalties and turnovers while kicking deep for field position, stalling Severn's scoring efforts until the 20th minute. Great defense led to a loose ball scooped up by center Quinn Freeman who broke free and placed the ball for Harry Gotimer to pick and go for the try. BC marched down the field to set up a penalty kick to make it 12-3. After getting yellow carded for a high tackle Severn gave up a man-down try to narrow the lead to 12-10. But that didn't stop the big man Brad McCarty from breaking his dry (try) spell. Role reversal played its part as Logan Reece set a ruck for McCarty to pick and go into the try zone.
Entering the second half up 19-10 Severn put the hammer down and wouldn't let up another score. Zach Lammers found himself in great positioning all day. Rucking, covering kicks, and getting his 3rd try of the season after Punchy made a nice no look pass to start to scoring run. Steve Long came on and instantly made an impact with big hits, tough running, and setting up the scoring for his teammates. Mike Blimmel scored a try after the pack made a great push in the scrum. Eddie Boyer, the weapon that he is, came on and scored two tries to finish the match at 45-10.
Severn River travels to Frederick this Saturday 9/21.
League Leaders Notes:
Most Points: Dronberger (33)
Most Tries: Batubura, Lammers, Boyer (Tied at 3)
Final Score:
Severn River: 45 Baltimore-Chesapeake:10
Tries:
Eddie Boyer - 2, Logan Reece - 1, Harry Gotimer - 1, Brad McCarty - 1, Zach Lammers - 1, Mike Blimmel - 1
Conversions:
Dronberger - 5/7
Fall Season Preview
Maybe for people in some parts of the country September means cooler weather, apple picking, and leaf peeping. At American Legion Post 175, however, September means viciously humid nights at practice with Megalodon mosquitos on the attack, and hot Saturdays of high scores and cold beers.
With some familiar faces in the Captain and Coaching roles this season, it looks like both the Men’s and Women’s squads are looking to grow from years past, but bring their own sense of style and leadership to the program they are proud to call their own.
This year, the Men’s side of the club is putting up two teams, a Division III and a Division IV. With enough new interest as well as some Old Boys who aren’t afraid to run with the youngins, the Division IV team looks to be an excellent opportunity to develop new talent and provide ample playing time to grow with the game. Coach Dave Egar knows the pressure is on him to help the Men find their next level of commitment and skill on the pitch. By continuing their plan from last year of focusing on the basics, he is confident that the Men will continue to find success in both Divisions as long as they remain committed to the task at hand. Captain Colin Gottimer hopes to see as many people at practice as possible and continues his reputation for understatement adding, “we always play a little better when our rugby family is supporting us.” In other words get out to the pitch and celebrate the season with us!
The Women remain among the top teams in Division II in the MAC Conference and hope to move beyond the MAC Championships this year. By eliminating the North and South designations in the MAC Conference for this year, the women have the opportunity to compete against all of their competition before hopefully making it to the playoffs in the spring. Coach Dolla Harmse is eager to see what the women do with their strong veteran knowledge as well as the rookie energy the women added in the off-season. With only two home games this fall, Captains Leni Ferraria and Casey Hartzell ask the alumni to show-up en masse whenever possible. After a disappointing loss in the MAC Semi-Final last May, the women are looking for redemption this season and to break the “short sock curse” on their way to the MAC Final this year.
Players to Watch -
Men’s Division III - Dan Woodell (Scrumhalf), Quinn Freeman (Back), Nick Stratchko (Forward), Aldo Batubara (Forward)
Men’s Division IV - Derek Swayze (Forward) and Sam (Leone)
Women’s Division II - Kate Todorovich (Forward), Masha Romanchak (Back), and Erin Gallagher (Rookie to us…vet to the Game)
New Sponsor: Fence & Deck Connection
Severn River is pleased to announce it’s newest sponsor; Fence & Deck Connection. They have been proudly serving local communities in Maryland for over 28 years. We would like to personally thank company President, Jim Rubush, who as a wrestling coach has helped to shape some great Severn River rugby players.
Locations:
Millersville: 410-969-4444
Annapolis: 410-757-5511