Wayne State College has 10 National Small College Rugby Organization (NSCRO) championship trophies in its possession: five in 15s and five in 7s. The Wayne, Neb., program is already en route to Marietta, Ga., in pursuit of an 11th NSCRO title, and if the Wildcats succeed, then head coach Darrin Barner is prepared to call this squad the best in his 18 years of coaching.
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Wayne State College started the season in good position, as 13 starters from last year’s championship 15s team returned to the squad.
“We only had two goals for the entire year,” Barner said. “The first goal was to gain more membership with our roster. And we did that. We have a great freshman class, and I’m happy to have 32 players on our roster. The other goal was to be better than we were last year, because of all the returners. And that has nothing to do with wins or losses. We just simply want to be better.”
Senior Anna Fleecs captains the pack, and junior Brook Hoesing is in charge of the backs. They and fellow upperclassmen continue to lead 6:30 a.m. S&C and skills sessions three times per week. That’s in addition to the afternoon training sessions and evening film breakdowns.
“They’re very dedicated, and with so many freshmen, it’s a way of passing the torch of what we’re doing,” Barner said. “They’re just doing what was asked of them a few years earlier. It’s been going on like that for 18 years.
“My two captains have not only stepped up on game day and put on a different face, but they’ve been great leaders at practice,” the coach added. “I’m very comfortable observing practice and letting them do some coaching and critiquing of their teammates.”
With all of that returning experience and an elevated level of trust, Barner and defensive coach Dennis Danielson armed the team with more tools.
“With so many returners – our entire back line is the same – we were able to advance our game and put in some more Xs and Os of a structured and flowing offense,” Barner said. “It’s easy for them grasp, because there’s already so much knowledge in this group.”
The Wildcats had the pieces in place internally, and just needed the competition to test itself. The team bookended its season with games against the Prairie States All-Stars, winning by a combined 133-10, and beat regular-season opponents South Dakota State and University of South Dakota by a combined 192-14. The Wildcats ramped up for Illinois State University, only to return home with an unexpected 149-10 blowout, and then beat a piecemeal Kansas State team 78-22 on home turf.
The marquee match of the fall, however, introduced a new opponent and brought out the best in the Wildcats. Barner had been on a recruitment trip in Manitoba, Canada, when he met the head coach of Brandon University, an institution that would qualify for NSCRO if it was an American program. They got talking and the Canadians agreed to a mid-October fixture in Wayne, Neb., with the promise of a return game in fall 2020. The Wildcats secured the college’s Memorial Stadium for a Thursday night game and heavily promoted the event. When the Canadians arrived after the 13-hour bus trip, there were a thousand spectators in the stands.
“I won’t say they were shocked but probably surprised by the atmosphere that we have,” Barner said. “The crowd noise was an incredible experience; just how many people were vocally involved in the game. It was under the lights, there was the jumbotron – it was one heck of an event.
“We prepared extremely hard for that game and put out a good showing,” the coach said of the match itself. “It was a very hard-nosed, blue collar, slug-out of a game, and we certainly rose to the occasion and challenge to play the best rugby I’ve seen them play.”
Wayne State College won the stadium game 54-5 and then followed with a 50-22 win in the rematch that weekend.
“I was a little shocked how much we stepped up. Everyone played above their best game,” Barner continued. “We were certainly the talk of the town not only the next day but days afterward.”
As the team readied for the NSCRO regional playoffs, Barner traveled to England as one of the Premiership Rugby Scholarship winners (read more). Barner lauded the immersive experience, not only for the exposure to professional club rugby but also the top-notch treatment of the guest coaches.
When everyone reunited in mid-November, Wayne State College readied for the western pool of the NSCRO Round of 16/8, which was held at the national champion’s home pitch. The Wildcats received a bye through the first round after several conferences defaulted on the berth, while the College of St. Scholastica duked out a 55-44 win over UW Platteville. On Sunday, Wayne State College beat the Minnesota team 125-22 in the quarterfinals.
As in 2018, the team will face MSU Moorhead in the national semifinals. Last year, the Wildcats won 51-7.
“Moorhead is way better than last year,” said Barner, who traveled to watch the team play in person. “They have six girls who can run through King Kong, so if we don’t tackle well, then we’ll be in trouble. The whole team is rough, tough, very physical, and we’re certainly not taking them lightly. They’re returning to the final four so something is working right for them.”
That said, defense is a point of pride for Wayne State College, and the Wildcats seek out turnover opportunities so it can launch a quickly resetting and striking offense. Depending on Saturday’s results, the Nebraskans will face either Lee University or Endicott College on Sunday.
“We’re feeling good heading into the final four. Everything’s getting very fine-tuned and we’re totally focused,” Barner said. “This team could be the best I’ve coached in 18 years, but we’ll have to win this weekend to confirm it.”
Wayne State College faces Moorhead at 11 a.m. Eastern, and Lee and Endicott follow at 1 p.m. Click here for the live-stream.