Photo courtesy USA Rugby •
Today’s DII college fall championship was a 2015 rematch, but Davenport University put some distance between itself and Winona State on the scoreboard. The Panthers’ brutal scrum set the tone for a 37-0 victory, and flanker Brenna Donahue was named MVP. The 15s season is now over for all fall-based teams, as there will be no national championship contested against the spring champion in May.
Winona captain Lanoira Duhart returned the opening kickoff for a deep run into Davenport’s end. The No. 8 was so influential in every aspect of the game, but was most dangerous on defense. She was so effective in the poach and punished any slowly supported carry. Her high work rate meant that she was disrupting play around the majority of breakdowns but also in cross-field, try-saving tackles.
But Duhart’s opening breakaway wasn’t rewarded, as the subsequent lineout moved to Davenport flanker Hannah Garcia, who sliced through the defense for a long-range try. Hannah Tennant slotted the first of her four conversions.
Tennant was an equally important component to Davenport’s win. Early on, she set the tone for eager fringe defense, as Winona’s forwards took their punch balls from well behind the gain line. When scrumhalf Olivia Ortiz was sin binned, Tennant moved to number nine. And as per usual, her boot added 14 points on four conversions and two penalties.
But perhaps the biggest star of the day was Davenport’s scrum. It hurtled the Black Katts off their own ball and forced Duhart to dig it out in the retreat. The No. 8 was still able to get some success with the pick and connecting out of contact with Lachen Esters, but it was a tough day in the scrum.
Near the 15-minute mark, a poor pass was cleaned up in the back field and moved to wing Madison Sparks, the best wing in South Carolina this weekend. Duhart put in a try-saving tackle but knocked-on in the attempted pickup. From the scrum, No. 8 Hunter Moreland picked off the back, Ortiz continued the drive, and MVP Donahue drove the shifty scrumhalf across the try line. Tennant added the two-pointer, 14-0.
Winona followed with its first foray into Davenport’s end, as flyhalf Cassie Schultz sidestepped defenders. But the brilliance that was the 10-12-13 connection between Schultz, Esters and Megan Wolff in the semifinals, struggled to connect on day two. There were individual highlights, but those fingertip grabs and timed passes into space were absent today. That could easily be attributed to the weather, but there was also some hesitation there.
One thing that didn’t change for Davenport between the semifinals and final was penalty count, most of which occurred in and around the breakdown. Ortiz got her second yellow card of the weekend near the 30-minute mark, and although the Panthers missed her as an attacking threat and tackling beast, Tennant kept it calm. Winona coughed up penalties, too, and Tennant made the Minnesota team pay with two penalty kicks to end the half, 20-0.
Not much changed in the second half. Davenport continued to get go-forward from its powerful forwards – in particular prop Allison Miedzielec. The front row was on fire today and required multiple tacklers every carry. Just before the fourth quarter, Sparks scored her second try (Tennant converted, 27-0), and fellow wing Adriana Martinez nearly followed with a zig-zagging run to the try line. A never-say-die defense caught her at the line and forced a knock-on.
During the final 10 minutes, Davenport outside center Danielle Ordway – who was mostly quiet today – added a penalty, and Garcia scored her second in the same way she scored her first – off a solid lineout and insert into the backline, 37-0 with Tennant’s conversion.
Both teams and the rest of the fall-based programs around the country are now finished with competitive 15s for the 2016-17 season. Unlike last year, Davenport will not have the opportunity to contest a national championship against its spring counterpart, and instead will focus on the 7s championship in May 2017.
Davenport 37
Tries: Garcia 2, Sparks 2, Ortiz
Cons: Tennant 4
Pens: Tennant 2, Ordway
Winona 0