And just like that, the once-fierce Bowling Green/Central Michigan rugby rivalry was no more. The Falcon ruggers whitewashed the Chippewas in a triple header with scores of 105 — 0, 33 — 0, and 15 — 0. BG also edged Ohio State Marion by a score of 27 — 24.
Once one of college rugby most hotly contested rivalries, it is clear from last weekend’s results that the Falcons and Central are two clubs headed in completely opposite directions. Saturday’s victory was the second straight match in which BG had crossed the century mark while shutting out the Chips.
“It’s too bad the way things have turned out,” commented BG coach Roger Mazzarella. “After 10 years of two-and-three-point score differentials, it is kind of sad to see how far Central has fallen. They need to tap into what I’ve always felt was an excellent student- athlete base up there.”
So complete was the Falcon domination of the game, Central was only able to mount only one offensive series during the first-half of the match.
“I’m a little concerned that we will have to concentrate on the defense this week in practice,” stated BG assistant Chris Hopps. “We certainly didn’t have to play any defense against Central. On the other hand, our ball retention was in the high 80th percentile, which is excellent.”
In what had to seem like a video replay of last week’s match to anyone on the sideline, BG buried the opening kickoff receiver, stole the ball, and sent eight man J.D. Ackermann through a defensive seam for a try in an almost unheard of 27 seconds. That was about as good as it got for Central as the Falcons sent a ball carrier over the goal line with an almost clockwork regularity.
Ackermann’s try was followed by tries by flankers, Vince Staropoli and Brian Farrell, centers Ian Gagnon, Ben Fledderjohann and Danny Brandenstein, wings Dave Demings and Ben Gutek, fullback Jake Puhl, prop Scott Holden and scrum half Brian Knaupe.
Piling on the points in the second-half, the Falcons cycled through the roster once again as Ackermann, Staropoli, Puhl, Gagnon and Gutek each touched-down their second tries of the day while Gutek also picked up a third. Fly half Derek Imes made 10 of his 16 conversion attempts and finished the day with 20 points.
With tensions starting to build on the field due to the vast difference in abilities, BG throttled back a bit in the second match, a 33–0 victory for the Falcons. Center Ben Fledderjohann tacked on two more tries to complete his best day ever in a brown jersey. Bowling Green High School grad Eric Nutter added a solo try from the hooker position as did flanker Bryan Kupper. J.D. Ackermann hit on all four of his conversion attempts.
BG finished out the triple-header with its third shutout over Central by a 15–0 score. Flanker Mike Marquis scored two tries and rookie scrum half Mitch Albers got his first career try.
In the final match, BG traded the lead three times with a determined Ohio State Marion squad. Scrum half Jamie Hull and rookie wing Scott Martin both posted a pair of tries, but it took center Allen Allred’s burst up the middle in the closing seconds to seal the victory and give BG a four-game sweep. Lock Ryan Deal kicked BG’s only conversion.
The forays past the century mark will help the Falcons, now 8 — 1, build momentum for this week’s first round of the Midwest playoffs at Miami. Also at stake is BG’s continued dominance of the Mid American Conference club rugby championship. The Falcons have held a death grip on the championship trophy for 23 straight years, a streak that started all the back in the second year of Ronald Reagan’s presidential administration in 1982.
Mazzarella, BG’s captain in that long ago first championship, says that he never envisioned anyone being able to hang on to the title that long when the steak started. “The MAC teams were the top class of U.S. rugby back then. Anyone of us could have beaten any team in the country back then, not to mention each other.”
Led by prop Sean Edwards, the son of the Redhawks late coach Doug Edwards, Miami (8-1) has posted two big victories over Kent State and the University of Dayton so far this season. “Miami plays a ‘three yards and a cloud of rucks’ style of play,” stated Mazzarella. “Great for ball retention but it takes all day to put points on the scoreboard. Our ‘basketball on grass’ style will present an interesting contrast.” The Falcons have posted a 64–1 record over the Redhawks over the past 15 years.
Game time is set for 1:00p.m. at the Doug Edwards Memorial Field in Oxford.
