Beantown vs. Boston goes down Saturday. /// Photo: Lynne Skilken
There were a couple of subtle moves in the lower half of the DI Club Rankings, which could all be shredded after Sunday. Four of five regions are hosting championships to name their representatives to nationals, and by Sunday, the eight-team field will be decided.
The Mid-Atlantic and Red River leagues are holding final four competitions. The MAC semifinals pit South #1 Raleigh against North #2 Philadelphia, and North #1 Pittsburgh against South #2 NOVA. The Venom has banked the most quality game time this spring, and the expectation is that will pay off during the two-game weekend.
Austin is hosting the Red River games and will play Little Rock in the opening round. HARC and Oklahoma Roses face off in the other semifinal. Austin and HARC are favored to win on Saturday, and regardless of what happens Sunday, the finalists are guaranteed a nationals appearance. The Red River champion will compete in the DI national quarterfinals, and the runner-up will move onto the DII national quarterfinals.
Seattle advanced to the BC Premier semifinals but fell 23 points short of Castaway to end its Canadian post-season. The Saracens are now focused on reclaiming its USA Rugby title and will headline the western DI quarterfinals in Tucson.
Southern California and Northeast are contesting finals Saturday. Belmont Shore and Santa Monica ended their regular seasons with big wins against the two other SoCal teams. The duo split games with each other during league. The Northeast will come down to Beantown and Boston, both of which played their final league games to victories. Seven of those eight league games were played in the fall, and the teams filled their springs with a few competitive friendlies.
The Midwest enters its final weekend of league, but undefeated Chicago North Shore has already secured its berth to the quarterfinals. Detroit swapped positions with the Minnesota Valkyries after a 45-28 win last week.
Black Ice is the only DI Frontier team and played a range of college through WPL opponents this spring to mixed results. The Utah Vipers, however, have expressed interest in joining the Rockies region next season, so there should be more competition for the Denver-based side in the future.
The eighth seed will be contested between the Northeast runner-up and Mid-Atlantic runner-up on May 14 in Boston.
DIVISION I RANKING – MAY 5, 2016
New (Old) Team (League Record). Results
1 (1) Seattle (10-6). Lost 47-24 in BC Premier SF vs. Castaway
2 (2) Raleigh (6-0). Defeated James River 54-7
3 (3) Beantown (8-0). Defeated Village Lions 39-21, lost 29-19 to WPL New York
4 (4) Boston (6-2). Defeated Albany 24-5, lost 27-10 to WPL New York
5 (5) Chicago North Shore (5-0). Defeated Chicago 36-0
6 (6) Austin (7-0). Idle
7 (7) Pittsburgh (4-0). Lost 17-13 to WPL DC Furies
8 (8) NOVA (4-2). Idle
9 (9) HARC (6-1). Defeated Dallas twice: 71-0, 31-10
10 (11) Belmont Shore (5-1). Defeated Tempe 51-5
11 (12) Santa Monica (4-2). Defeated Las Vegas 70-17
12 (10) Black Ice (2-3). Defeated Colorado 46-28, lost 72-12 to Twin Cities
13 (13) Philadelphia (1-3). friendly vs. Lehigh Valley
14 (15) Detroit (2-3). Defeated Minn. Valkyries 45-28
15 (14) Minn. Valkyries (3-2). Lost 45-28 to Detroit