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Arkansas State vs. Life
Some have called this the real national championship. While we would go that far, it does represent two of the best teams in the country. The rivalry between the Running Eagles and the Red Wolves needs no real introduction. Both teams have been absolutely dominant in the DI-A South this year and both have wins against one another, both times the home team came out on top. In the aggregate, Arkansas State did come out the better of the two during the conference season meaning that they won the conference title, but Life did win the most recent meeting. In the DI-A quarterfinals Life romped over Army while Arkansas State had a more difficult time with Kutztown but still won comfortably.
For the Red Wolves, they will be relying on their core group of experienced players to see them through. Dean Gericke has had another strong season and looks poised to break into the national team picture at some point. Shaun Potgeiter is one of the best back-rows in the country and will definitely pose problems for Life. In the back Arkansas State have two fantastic players in Zinzan Elan-Putick and Gavin Brown. Of course, any mention of Arkansas State would not be complete without Zac Mizell, who has been excellent for the team since returning from injury. Pat Sullivan leads the team and could contribute valuable points with his boot.
Life have plenty of weapons as well. Cam Dolan returned from injury and was instrumental in Life’s win over Army last week. Although he played out of position out on the wing he dominated his counterparts. His size will pose problems for Arkansas State. Life has the depth to have someone step in and take his place in the back-row. Colton Cariaga provides plenty of experience and Joe Cowley should be able to match any points that Sullivan puts on the board. Zach Walker, who was recently participated in the Eagles mini-camp, should be able to provide enough strength up front.
St. Mary’s vs. Cal Poly
The Gaels and the Mustangs may not get has much press coverage as other top rugby teams in the country, but that should distract from the amount of talent both teams possess and the fantastic seasons they’ve put together. Not much separated St. Mary’s and Cal Poly during the regular season. In their only meeting of the season this year St. Mary’s came away with a 41-31 win but had to come from behind to do it.
Cal Poly come in as the underdogs in the match and don’t have the same recognizable players that St. Mary’s has, but they play together very well as a team and can put up a lot of points. Scrumhalf Thomas Leacox does a fantastic job of leading the offense. The whole team does well at getting into space and taking advantage of their opponents’ weaknesses. However, they do have weaknesses of their own which St. Mary’s will be looking to exploit.
St. Mary’s strength lies in their forward pack. Props Jordan Bouey and Nick Wallace were both called into the Eagles recent mini-camp and should pose a plethora of problems for the Mustangs. In the back the team has flyhalf Garrett Brewer running the show. If the Gaels can physically get the edge, as well as come out to a better start than they did earlier in the season against Cal Poly, they should be favorites to win. If they do win, it will set up a fantastic title match against either Arkansas State or Life.
Overall, it should be a great weekend of rugby. It’s a guess as to who will be in the DI-A final but that’s all part of the excitement. If you can, make sure to head out and attend a match.
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