It’s still early in the spring-rooted club leagues, but DII Red River is already being treated to a tight race among multiple teams. Last weekend, Austin and Bay Area (BARC) played to another single-digit decision, promising more drama to come in 2020.
RELATED: DII Red River Standings
In mid-November, BARC opened up the season with a 24-19 win over reigning league champion Austin.
“Previously, they were a developing team but this is their year,” DII Austin captain Alicia Fischweicher recalled the teams’ first meeting of the season. “They have a really strong team and a lot of women who are taking it really seriously. They’ve grown a lot.”
Austin traveled with two subs – a sometimes consequence of fielding DI and DII teams in concurrent seasons – but Fischweicher admitted that BARC set the tone initially.
“The Valkyries, historically, unfortunate as it is, start slower than we like to,” Fischweicher lamented. “They were better than we anticipated, and it was a wake-up call.”
BARC led 24-7 until two Austin tries in the final five minutes of the match produced a bonus-point loss for the Valkryies.
“No one was mad at each other – we’re a very supportive group of women,” Fischweicher said. “We just needed to work on our pattern during practices and make sure we were ready to go.”
Austin’s Jan. 11 game resulted in a forfeit win against McAllen, and then BARC traveled to the Valkyries for the Jan. 18 rematch. That time was spent investing in its new pattern, which both the DI and DII teams run.
“It’s something that a lot of DII teams will have a hard time defending,” Fischweicher said. “On offense, we do a couple of crashes and keep working a pod in the center and spread the forwards out side to side. Defensively, we need to push up a little harder and faster. It seems to take our team – and myself included – a few minutes to really push up on defense but once we do, we put a lot of pressure on teams and they drop the ball and make mistakes.”
That lull in the intensity saw BARC score first on Saturday, and the team’s three tries were successfully centered, allowing for easier conversion attempts for flyhalf Stephanie Wood. Austin responded with three first-half tries, which came through wings Jennifer Vancura (2) and Chelsey Arambula on the outside. Flanker Erika Persil centered a try, allowing Zoe Hunter’s conversion. It was back and forth all match.
When BARC’s Veronica Houck scored a second try from outside center, Wood’s conversion drew the teams to within a point of each other: 22-21 Austin. Valkyries prop Brittany McGhee provided some cushion in the 67th minute, and the try ended up being the final points of the match: 27-21 to Austin.
“Erika Persil, who’s been primarily DII, had a fantastic game,” Fischweicher commended standouts. “Our flyhalf, Zoe Hunter, and our scrumhalf, Kristen Karsten are the ones running the pattern, and that was the difference [Saturday].”
This weekend, Austin will travel to San Antonio to face the league-leading Riveters, who have defeated McAllen 122-0, BARC 24-15 and Dallas Athletic 64-0.
“If they come out strong – and I know the will – we’ll have to match them by coming up really hard on defense and making low tackles,” Fischweicher looked ahead. “In DII, San Antonio has always been the one we go up against and the hardest game, but now BARC is, too, so it’s nice to have that development at the DII level.”
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