USA Rugby graphic
Today, the U.S. Air Force Academy is considered the standard, having won back-to-back USA Rugby DI College Fall Championship titles. But as championship MVP Devin Doyle explained, this “favorite” status is still a relatively new experience, one that produced a different pressure. To boot, the Falcons knew that the U.S. Naval Academy is a unique opponent, making the 2019 final anything but a repeat outing.
RELATED: DI Fall Final Play-by-Play • Air Force Preview • Navy Preview
“In years past, we’ve always felt like we were the underdogs and this is the first year that we weren’t,” Doyle said. “It added more nerves, that we had to prove we were meant to be there and didn’t just get lucky in the past.
“Plus, we just didn’t know what to expect,” the senior scrumhalf continued. “The teams we face in our conference, and even in the quarterfinals and semifinals, are very different from what we knew Navy would be. We usually play against bigger girls and know we can have a better second half if we tire them out. But we knew that wouldn’t be the case against Navy and that exhaustion wouldn’t hit them like other teams we play. So we went in with the mindset that we had to play our game and that Navy was going to be very different, and they were.”
Even though Air Force lacked the competitive friendlies it typically plays in the fall, Doyle indicated that the team was confident in its knowledge base. Coaches Amy Rusert, Scott Mears, Chris Kosiavelon and Skip Shackelford armed the players with everything they needed to know to succeed, and it would come down to game-day execution.
Navy had never featured in a DI fall final, and so the Midshipmen had everything to gain in Matthews, N.C.
“That was us last year,” Doyle said. “Davenport had beaten us in my sophomore year [2017] in the semifinals, and then in my junior year, we felt like the underdogs in that [2018 final against Davenport]. We wanted to win so bad, and I’m sure Navy had that drive in their first championship in a while, if ever. I know they wanted it, and it showed in how hard they played. Just constantly picking the ball and poaching and counter-rucking – they showed us they had that drive.”
Navy took the first lead of the game, sending wing Haley Creech into the corner after seven minutes.
“We started this last year, or the year before, that whenever we’re scored on, we look at each other, smile at each other, and flush it. It’s gone. There’s nothing we can do to change it, it’s over,” Doyle said of try-zone conversations. “We said to each other, ‘This isn’t like other teams. Flush it and play our game.’
“I wouldn’t say there was an immediate response,” the scrumhalf continued. “There were still a lot of jitters, definitely for me. We were staring into the sun the whole first half, which is never an easy feat. Getting kicked to was often hard but [fullback Jacqueline] Hamby and the wings [Sarah Stinson and Hannah Bergman] did an amazing job of working that triangle back there and receiving any kicks at us. When Navy broke the line, they made some amazing tackles, which kept us in it.”
Air Force got its first score in minute 25, as Doyle spied a gap from in close and dove over for the try. Hamby hit the extras for a 7-5 lead.
“That hasn’t been a big thing throughout the season; I don’t necessarily look to score that try. It’s come a little bit more toward the end of the season,” Doyle said. “Navy did an amazing job of shutting out the backs and forwards and holding that line. When the defense started shifting over, I saw the opportunity to make a dive into the try zone.”
That score didn’t effect a massive change in demeanor, however. Doyle recounted a try-zone discussion that acknowledged a lot of work ahead.
Photo: Karen Jorgensen Blackford
“That was the 25th minute. It took a lot to work to get down field. It wasn’t an easy task against them,” Doyle said. “I didn’t have a breakaway to score; it was a whole-team effort. So it wasn’t, ‘Hey, we got this,’ but, ‘This is how we’re going to do it.’”
Air Force took the 7-5 lead into halftime and used the break to talk second-half strategy.
“We definitely discussed that Navy did an amazing job of exhausting the field and moving the whole team from one side to the other,” Doyle said. “We saw some weakness when they moved the ball to their wings and we had two instead of three defenders, so reorganizing on defense was a big thing to focus on in the second half.
“Offensively, we discussed taking a breather and getting into our shape,” the senior continued. “[Rusert] mentioned that this would come down to conversions. Two points would make a difference so make sure we were scoring between the posts. As a scrumhalf, that’s what I started looking for when we were getting closer to the try line. I was making sure we got back to the center of the field, even if there was an overload outside. Hamby is a great kicker but obviously it’s easier to make conversions from the center of the field.”
The passes started connecting better in the second half and that desired attack shape started to show itself. The defense also stepped up and helped generate more offense. Adrienne Yoder, the flanker-turned-center, rucked over Navy’s ball at midfield, and Doyle was right there for the pick-up and return sprint to the try line.
“That was a turning point for our team,” Doyle pointed to the defense’s work. “There were a few times when Navy held us at their try line, but we had a good goal line stance and then had a turnover to win the ball back. That’s bigger for us – preventing their try versus us scoring.”
At the 53rd minute, Air Force got its third try through flyhalf Rhiannon Townsend, who also cut back across a sliding defense to score from in close.
“It’s the first time she’s taken it in like that and I’m happy she saw the line,” Doyle said. “I don’t know if Navy had film on us but if they did I’m sure they weren’t expecting us to be the scorers. Yoder, Hamby, Stinson – they all have multiple tries this season. Goes to show that the whole team is a threat.”
Air Force led 21-5 but there was still plenty of time to play and Navy didn’t let up.
“Their kicking game was incredible in the second half. Their flyhalf [Abigail Ebersole] did an amazing job getting good placement with her kicks, and Hamby recovered well and moved us down the field. As a scrumhalf, I adjusted to the kicking game by sweeping more than going in for the tackles in case they kicked. And their eight [Sarah Skinner] was an absolutely phenomenal player and it took two people to take her down. Our hooker, Abby Perkins, had some awesome tackles and was able to hold her.”
Navy linked some great go-forward phases together and sent prop Nicole August into the try zone: 21-10 with just under 20 minutes to play. Air Force looked to its defense to dictate the fourth quarter.
“Especially when making those positive tackles,” Doyle confirmed the rallying effect of an aggressive defense. “When your teammates are making clean, good hits and then jumping up to reset the line, it drives us all to be with them and have that line speed that the coaches are always telling us to play with. We had to keep them from scoring again and get the ball back, and it was working. They were making mistakes – dropping the ball, making passes too far back.”
Doyle highlighted prop Callan Medeiros as the example for fast-up defense and yardage-losing tackles; and No. 8 Kaylee Eskeli for work rate, from covering line-breaks on the wing to flying up the A channel to pressure forward picks. The bench did well to maintain that pace deeper in the game, and sophomore Abby Martinez in particular made an impact with her tackling.
The defense did its job and in the waning minutes, Stinson, Hamby and Doyle connected for a final try, 26-10. The referee indicated that there was time for one more restart but that the next stoppage would end the game. Hooker Perkins got the ball to touch and the final whistle sounded.
“It’s an awesome feeling that we get to bring the trophy home again and put everything we’ve been working so hard for, for four years, together,” Doyle said.
As for the MVP nod …
“I don’t think I’ve ever scored three tries in a game,” Doyle demurred. “It’s incredible for me since it’s my last 15s game at the academy.”
Air Force is currently in the middle of finals week, but once testing settles down, the team will present its trophy to the academy commandant or superintendent in front of their 4,000 fellow cadets. It shines a positive light on the Air Force academy, and beyond.
“One of the biggest things was that we were going against another service academy,” Doyle explained the uniqueness of the 2019 final. “I always consider the academy teams underdogs – which I know sounds funny with our record and championships. But the amount of work you have to do at the academy – military and other things – plus a sport on top of that adds a lot of stress. … It makes me so happy that Navy and Coast Guard made it to [the fall championships]. And then Army made it to their final. It shows me that military teams are putting in so much effort … and that accomplishment shouldn’t be overlooked.”
AirForce #Navy