Four teams secured their spots in the DI and DII national club championships. The following is a synopsis of last weekend’s play as well as the stakes for this weekend (or in one case, this Tuesday). Stay tuned for more detailed pieces on the champions heading to Tucson, Ariz., and Pittsburgh, Pa., for the DI and DII national quarterfinals.
The Pacific South and Mid-Atlantic named their representatives to the DI and DII national club championships. Arizona teams won both of the SoCal titles, as Tempe overcame reigning champion Santa Monica 26-22 for the DI berth, and O.P. Lightning defeated Pasadena 27-24 with a last-minute try for the DII title. Both victors will have home-state advantage at the national western quarterfinals held in Tucson.
Harrisburg repeated as DII Mid-Atlantic champion, defeating D.C. Furies 22-12 in the semifinals and Brandywine 15-0 in the final. The DI set-up altered with Pittsburgh’s absence, and NOVA and Philadelphia had to play into the final on Saturday, while Raleigh advanced straight to Sunday. NOVA defeated Philadelphia 37-0 on Saturday and Raleigh 14-5 Sunday for the MAC championship. The Venom still has life, however, as there is a repechage for the fourth spot to the eastern quarterfinals.
Additionally, MAC contested a DIII championship and saw Chesapeake defeat Northeast Philadelphia 27-24.
Frontier was supposed to name its champion but weather postponed Saturday’s semifinals until Sunday, and now finalists must sort out a new date and location for the title match. Reigning champion Kansas City Jazz defeated Kansas Bison 26-5 in the semifinals, and St. Louis topped Wichita 17-6 in really muddy conditions. The champion will report to Tucson.
THIS WEEKEND
The higher seeds won their respective DI and DII semifinals in the Atlantic North crossovers. Beantown defeated Village Lions 53-5 in Saturday’s DI semifinal, and Monmouth edged Boston 33-26 for a berth to the title match. In DII, Providence shut down Brooklyn 61-7, and Morris beat Worcester 52-22 in the semifinals. All four victors report to Albany this Saturday to name the DI and DII champions who will then head to Pittsburgh for the national quarterfinals.
In Frontier’s DI, Utah Vipers secured the top seed with a 48-24 win over Glendale Saturday. The Vipers advance directly to the league final on Sunday in Glendale, while the Raptors and Black Ice contest a play-in this Saturday.
Finally, NorCal’s Life West and SFGG will sort themselves Tuesday – per last update – with the winner heading straight to the DI national quarterfinals and the runner-up playing Pacific Northwest champ Emerald City on Saturday in the DII Pacific North final. That victor then advances to DII nationals. Update: The NorCal final was never played so Life West will take the DI seed and SFGG the second seed.
The following regions were inactive last weekend and will name their respective reps to nationals by Sunday:
DI Midwest Final: Chicago North Shore v Detroit (Lemont, Ill.)
DII Midwest Final: Milwaukee Scylla v Buffalo (Lemont, Ill.)
DII South Final Four: Augusta, Charlotte, Ft. Miami, Knoxville (Ormond Beach, Fla.)
DII Pacific North: Emerald City v (SFGG or Life West) (Treasure Island, Calif.)
DI/II Red River Final Four: Austin, Dallas Quins, HARC, Little Rock