High-school Rugby: Dexter Devils Beat Troy, Win Division One East; Will Face Reigning Champions in State Quarter-final

Last night Dexter Rugby Football Club, with a 15-14 home victory over Troy, booked its playoff berth as MYRA Eastern Division One champions, setting up a re-match of last year’s championship game, in Saturday’s state quarter-final at Troy’s Athens High School, where the Devils face reigning state champions Grand Rapids Catholic Central (10 a.m. kick-off).

All week in practice the Devils had worked hard on defense and that work paid off last night as they were able to hold off the big Troy pack throughout the match, although they did concede two counter-attacking tries late in the first half. Dexter supported that defense by crossing the opposition try line once in each half, first through centre Derek Wittenberg (Sr) and then through full-back Adam Haas (Sr), with first-half points from the boot of captain Jake Rayer (Sr) making the vital difference.

For most of the week the biggest topic for discussion among Dexter fans had been what the Devils needed to do to secure a top playoff berth: Dexter had nine league points, with two wins, over Dearborn and Genesee, worth four league points each, and a narrow loss to Birmingham that brought a losing bonus point; rivals Dearborn Silverbacks, having completed their league fixtures, had three wins for twelve league points and a losing bonus point, but had scored more game points and more tries than Dexter. If points scored in matches or difference between points scored and points conceded were to form the first tie-breaker, Dexter would need to beat Troy well enough to earn four points for a win and one winning bonus point – that is, the Devils would have to win and score at least four tries, something they had not done in a Division One match all season (the Devils have defended very well all season, but have struggled to convert many of their scoring opportunities). Then, on the morning of last night’s key match at Manly Bennett Field, the league competition committee clarified the order of tie-breakers: head-to-head results would come first. That meant that any kind of win against Troy would place Dexter first in the Division, since the Devils had beaten Dearborn. In fact, Dexter achieved the required win by the smallest possible margin, to give them first playoff slot among Eastern teams (and, nonetheless, a very tough quarter-final against the team that overcame the Devils in a tight championship match last season).

A raucous and enthusiastic crowd – biggest of the season -- greeted the Devils as they took the field in bright sunshine, with a line-up that, after much discussion, was, in fact, little changed from previous matches when a fit squad was available. Because of the season-ending injury to Tyler Smokovitz (Detroit CC, Sr), it was, again, an all-DHS team. In the scrum a front row of Nick Hubbard (Sr), Tyler Even (Jr) and Noah Keen (Sr), replaced after half-time by Spencer Vollmers (Sr), would be asked to punch well above its weight – and did. The engine room of locks Aidan Hochrein (Sr) and Justin Tomshany (Sr) also had to play big – and did. And the loose forwards – flankers Nathaniel Orlowski (Jr) and Erick Leon (Sr), and no 8 Chris Bryson (Sr) – all would have to defend ferociously and generate offense, too – and they did. Neil Makin (So) and Tristin Staebler (Sr) were the half-back pairing, tasked with moving the ball rapidly on offense and, when they were defending, clogging up the opposition’s ball-movement – and they did. Centres Rayer and Wittenberg had to fill the midfield on defense and open it on offense – and they did. Wingers Luke Sagmeister (Sr) and Sean Wakefield (Jr), and Torrin Bates (Sr) and Jared Juback (Sr), who both came in during the second half, had to provide speed and good hands on offense and key tackles on defense, while full-back Adam Haas had to provide the last line of defense, the start of many counterattacks, and, when up in the line, the key extra component of a full-out attack – and every man of that five did all of that, too.

Notwithstanding an excellent team effort, this was, however, a very hard-won victory. Things looked good after four minutes, when an intelligent kick from Staebler revealed that the Troy backs might have some handling issues and led to a kickable penalty, which Rayer promptly put away for three points. But Troy’s powerful pack, led by their massive no 8, then camped inside the Dexter 22 for what seemed like forever and Dexter, led by their determined pack, had to produce some all-out defense, especially after Haas went to the sin bin when penalized for not wrapping up in the tackle. Aided by Troy’s refusal to kick for goal, the Devils, even a man down, managed to keep their opponents out of the in-goal area, and, in one particularly impressive defensive stand, drove the Troy pack a good twenty metres back. After twenty-two minutes the Devils’ versatility manufactured a try that exploited Troy’s problems at the back: Staebler kicked a loose ball forward at midfield, Wittenberg chased the bouncing ball down and, surrounded by Troy defenders, put his own boot to it and then outran the defense, scooped up the ball in a single motion, and ran it in under the posts for an excellent try. Rayer’s conversion made it 10-0, and the Dexter touchline rejoiced. The joy, however, was short-lived, as Troy’s pack responded with power and finally accomplished what had been threatened all half, driving over to touch down; the try was turned into a penalty try after loose talk from a Dexter forward, and Troy converted from under the posts. It seemed that, at least, Dexter would lead by three at half-time, only for an adventurous kick from Troy to find the wing and good ball movement to bring a second try, which Troy again converted as the half-time whistle sounded. Dexter had played well, but generally outstanding defense, led by men such as Hubbard, Even, Bryson, Tomshany, Orlowski, and Leon, and some good attacks from the backs, who had also defended stoutly, had been undermined by a few lapses in concentration. Some harsh words could be heard in the Dexter huddle, as head coach Doug Karaska (working only with his assistants John Merz and Steve Turosky, in the absence of fellow head coach Paul Burke, who was in the UK on business) and Bryson, strong in defense and offense all match, reminded the numerous seniors that this would be their last home match as Dexter Devils and a loss would be unacceptable.

The result was a second half in which Dexter’s defense stood tall and the Devils finally scored the sort of try craved by admirers of the fifteen-man Rugby they aspire to play. The powerful Hubbard, keeping the ball as his fellow forwards advanced him in a maul on the left wing, was able to break out and drive another ten metres forward; Hubbard had the support of other forwards as he went to ground and Makin was quick to the ball, moving it to Leon, who was equally quick to move it on to the backs, who then swept it across field, where Haas joined the attack on the right wing, eluding the Troy defenders to touch down on the wing opposite the point at which the ball had been recycled. It was surely the Devils’ best team try of the season and turned out to be the only score of the second half. Both sides had their chances afterwards, but, as Troy’s big forwards tired and their backs looked hesitant in handling and movement, the Dexter men, strong in open-field tackling and able to resist Troy attacks even when their counter-rucking failed, had ample occasion to thank their coaches for the painful conditioning sessions imposed this season. Later both half-backs had chances to extend the Dexter lead – an excellent counter-attacking run from Staebler in midfield created a fine try-scoring opportunity, but the ball went to ground at a crucial moment and the chance was lost; and very near the end Dexter’s diminutive scrum-half finally got his opposite number where he had wanted him all night – a little lost on the open side from his own scrum, and in acres of space: Makin’s tackle knocked the ball free, he fly-hacked it on, and, encouraged by some of the most enthusiastic cheers of the night, ran on to his own kick near the try-line; a bigger man and a better tackler might have won the ball from the hesitant Troy full-back, but the ball was secured and cleared.

No-side finally came when Dexter took two kicks to find touch from midfield. Touchline and team erupted together in delight. It hadn’t always been pretty and it hadn’t been the big win the Devils had talked of all week, but it was a very satisfying result all the same, and it brought Dexter first place in the Division on the first tie-breaker.

In the playoffs on Saturday, at Athens High School (4333 John R Rd Troy, MI 48085), the Devils meet CC at 10 a.m. in what is bound to be a very tough quarter-final. The club will be hoping that some of yesterday’s enthusiastic support (including a significant number of ex-Devils) will be able to accompany the team on the sixty-mile drive to Troy and give “little Dexter” the sort of lift the team evidently gained from last night’s home crowd.

Dexter’s squad list, with further details of the Dexter Rugby program, may be accessed here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/lsw6yjvxtvhit0h/DRFC%20Team%20Sheet%202015.pdf?dl=0. For further information on Dexter Rugby, go to the Facebook page for “Dexter Rugby” or to the club web site: www.dexterrugby.com. Follow DRFC on Twitter @DexterRugby. Photo credits: Gina Bryson.