Health & Fitness
DHS Rugby Club Hosts State Playoffs
The Michigan boys' high-school Rugby playoffs will be at Dexter High School on Saturday.
Originally published: May 17
The Michigan Boys High School Rugby quarter- and semi-finals will be hosted by Dexter High School on Saturday, May 18, with the Dexter Devils, the DHS Rugby Club, sending teams to the first- and third-division quarter-finals. The state playoffs were originally scheduled for Farwell Field, Detroit, but the Michigan Youth Rugby Association was forced to make last-minute changes this week when several of the Rugby pitches at Farwell proved unplayable. It was decided to keep the girls’ playoffs in Detroit, but move the twenty-four teams competing in the three-division boys’ playoffs to DHS. Dexter Rugby Club Head Coaches Paul Burke and Doug Karaska were full of praise for the High School Athletic Department whose quick thinking and flexibility made it possible for Dexter to host the state tournament. Within 48 hours of the first suggestion that DHS could be the host, it was a done deal. Burke thanked DHS AD Mike Bavineau profusely for his support and for his rapid response. Friday will be a busy day for the Devils coaches and families as pitches are prepared for the biggest event of the Michigan high-school Rugby year.
On Saturday the matches begin at 10.30 a.m. Dexter’s A team plays Holland’s West Ottawa HS, reigning state champions, at 10.30 in a Division I quarter-final, and will play again at 1.30, either in a semi-final or a consolation match. Dexter’s B team plays Kalamazoo’s South West Bulls in a Division III quarter-final at 12.30 and then a semi-final or consolation match at 3.30. The state finals will be contested in Holland next Saturday.
The Devils A team was unbeaten in Division I East. In their last two matches, the Devils defeated local rivals Brighton, where the sport has varsity status, 108-0 and then won a hard-fought match away to Dearborn 28-21. The B team, consisting almost entirely of underclassmen, most of whom had not touched a Rugby ball until March, finished second in Division III East, completing the regular season with a 48-0 win over Brighton B and a 27-8 defeat at Division II Okemos.
Both Dexter teams also competed in the Midwest Boys Championship in Elkhart, Indiana, where the A team finished 6th in the Club bracket, losing 19-10 to nationally-ranked Westerville of Columbus, defeating Fishers (Indiana) 15-14 in a thrilling comeback, and losing to Archbishop Moeller (Indiana) 19-5. The loss to Westerville, who defeated Dexter by over 80 points in a friendly just three seasons ago, saw Dexter play some its best Rugby of the season, giving one of the Midwest’s powerhouses a real surprise, with the result in doubt until the very end.
The Dexter B team, depleted by injuries and A team call-ups, lost all three matches to top Midwest JV teams in the developmental pool, but played good Rugby throughout the weekend and ran the Culver Academies JV very close in the final contest, losing by only three points despite having just one substitute available.
Dexter’s squad list, with further details of the Dexter Rugby program, may be accessed here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/p0a7fu4nkfkc3i9/DRFC%20Team%20Sheet%202013.pdf.
For more information on Dexter Rugby, go to the Facebook page for “Dexter Rugby 2013” or to the club web site: www.dexterrugby.com.
Follow DRFC on twitter @DexterRugby.
The Michigan Youth Rugby Association website has more information about the playoffs: http://www.rugbymichigan.com/.
