Photo: Bobby Gable
Grandville extended its tradition of winning with a fourth-straight Michigan state 15s championship, defeating Sparta-Rock 17-5 in Saturday’s final. The Bulldogs are now 38-0 against in-state competition.
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The game was a highly anticipated rematch. When the duo met in the regular season, Sparta-Rock led 21-10 before Grandville rallied for the 29-21 win. It was an impactful experience for both teams: Sparta-Rock got a major confidence boost that propelled it to the state final, while Grandville got the gut-check it needed to avoid complacency.
Photo: Lisa Budd
When the teams reunited in the state final, however, Grandville was prepared for a more dominant showing. On a 33-degree, snowy day (which produced great photos – thank you, Bobby Gable and Lisa Budd!), Grandville coach Magdalene Law asked her team for a physical performance. The Bulldogs delivered, with players like Matja Saarenheimo-VanderHorst, Olivia Bowen, Corryn Bush and Addy Ochoa leading by example.
Three minutes into the game, Saarenheimo-VanderHorst offloaded to an on-running Grace Dykla for the first try, which Cici Loew converted, 7-0. Just before the break, the Bulldogs made good use of a player advantage to send Angelina Pollice into the try zone, 12-0 into the half.
Photo: Bobby Gable
“We tried to use our forwards … but two yellow cards from forwards in the first half hurt us. You can’t make mistakes against a team like Grandville,” Sparta-Rock coach Andy Dauser said. “But we weren’t able to get much of an attack going. Grandville had control of the match.”
Ten minutes after the break, Hannah Koorndyk’s grounding attempt was held up, but scrumhalf Loew peeled off the subsequent five-meter scrum for the try, 17-0. Captained by senior No. 8 Sarina Gerke and junior flanker Darby Eck, Sparta-Rock kept fighting, capitalized on a player advantage, and dotted down a try in the final minute of play, 17-5.
Photo: Bobby Gable
Grandville is approaching legacy status and undeniably the team to beat in Michigan, but it wouldn’t be a compelling competition unless the field was up for the chase. Sparta-Rock, which is a combination of Sparta and Rockford high schools, is making moves at home.
“Last year we had 17 players and averaged 10-12 girls at practice. This year, we had 34 out with 28-30 at practice. So after our first big winning season last year, we doubled in size,” Dauser said. “We definitely have more growth coming, and we’re looking into a youth program for the middle school boys and girls.”
Photo: Lisa Budd
Rockford has a dedicated rugby pitch and stadium that draws big crowds; Rockford awarded club varsity letters (Sparta is working on it); both high schools have players on the yearbook staff; and assistant coach McKenzie Koval, a Rockford alumna and former College All-American, is building inroads with the school. Word of mouth has already translated into bigger participation from Rockford, a Division I school, while Division 5 school Sparta still accounts for the majority of the team.
Photo: Lisa Budd
Additionally, Dauser is looking to mimic Grandville’s year-round schedule, and for the first time in the team’s history, the team has been granted access to the school weight room twice/week starting in December. That time together will build into a month of spring rugby, and Sparta-Rock will look toward the Midwest championship’s club division. The single-school Bulldogs made that move last year, and its exposure to the regional and then national level of play realigned the team’s expectations and goals.
Grandville continues to set the standard in the Michigan, and has the trophy case to prove it, and the field, especially Sparta-Rock, is working to close the distance. All told, the competition is good for the popularity and quality of the sport.