The Southeastern Collegiate Rugby Conference has announced the 2019 All-Conference team after the conclusion of the 2019 Championship.
Deservedly, the Kentucky Wildcats lead the way with 4 first team selections including SCRC Player of the Year Brendan Esson. Esson repeats as POY having also claimed the title in 2017 while leading the Wildcats to the conference championship.
The 2018 Southeastern Olympic Rugby Championship was be held on April 07 in Knoxville at the Tennessee Rugby Park. South Carolina held off Kentucky in the final 7-5 to take their third title in as many years and claim the automatic bid to the Penn Mutual Collegiate Rugby Championship and the USA Rugby National Championship.
Pool A (1,6,9)
1. South Carolina 2. Georgia 3. Florida
Pool B (2,5,8)
1. Kentucky 2. Mississippi State 3. Auburn
Pool C (3,4,7)
1. Alabama 2. Tennessee 3. Ole Miss
Pool Play
09:00 AM A2 v A3 Georgia 7, Florida 12 09:20 AM B2 v B3 Miss State 0, Auburn 17 09:40 AM C2 v C3 Tennessee 14, Ole Miss 10 10:00 AM A1 v A2 South Carolina 24,Georgia 0 10:20 AM B1 v B2 Kentucky 27, Miss State 5 10:40 AM C1 v C2 Alabama 12, Tennessee 5 11:00 PM A1 v A3 South Carolina 34, Florida 0 11:20 PM B1 v B3 Kentucky 24, Auburn 0 11:40 PM C1 v C3 Alabama 33, Ole Miss 0
Playoffs
1:00 PM Game 1 (#8) Mississippi State 24, (#9) Ole Miss 7 1:20 PM Game 2 (#2) Kentucky 29, (#7) Georgia 12 1:40 PM Game 3 (#3) Alabama 27, (#6) Florida 7 2:00 PM Game 4 (#4) Tennessee 12, (#5) Auburn 5 2:20 PM Game 5 (#1) South Carolina 25, (W1) Miss State 0 3:00 PM Game 6 (W2) Kentucky 14, (W3) Alabama 10 4:00 PM Game 7 (W4) Tennessee 5, (W5) South Carolina 17 4:20 PM Game 8 (L2) Georgia 10, (L3) Florida 29 4:40 PM Game 9 (L4) Auburn 38, (L5) Mississippi State 12 5:00 PM Game 10 (L6) Alabama 19, (L7) Tennessee 15 (3rd / 4th) 5:20 PM Game 11 (L8) Georgia 14, (L9) Mississippi State 0 (7th / 8th) 5:40 PM Game 12 (W8) Florida 5, (W9) Auburn 10 (5th / 6th) 6:00 PM Game 13 SCRC Championship South Carolina 7, Kentucky 5
2018 Final Ranking
1. South Carolina 2. Kentucky 3, Alabama 4. Tennessee 5. Auburn 6. Florida 7. Georgia 8. Mississippi State 9. Ole Miss
Scoring
Ranking Points
3 Pts Win 2 Pts Tie 1 Pt Lose
Rank Determination
1. Total Ranking Points
2. Difference in points scored and allowed during pool play (point differential).
3. Difference in number of tries scored and allowed during pool play.
The Kentucky Wildcats lead the way with a total of 10 players selected as 2017 SCRC All-Conference. Kentucky’s Brendon Esson was selected as the 2017 Player of the Year and UK’s Gary Anderson received the well earned 2017 Coach of the Year. A total of 45 players were honored from 9 conference teams.
2017 Player of the Year – Brendon Esson
Brendon Esson
Brendon attended High School at St Johns College in Harare, Zimbabwe before moving to Lexington in 2015. Since joining the program Brendon has been a standout player and leader on and off the pitch, his leadership led him to be named team captain in 2017. In this year’s SCRC Championship he scored twice including the go ahead score in the final minutes of the game.
2017 Coach of the Year – Gary Anderson
Coach Gary Anderson
Coach Anderson led the Kentucky Wildcats to their 1st ever SEC Championship going 12-0 on the season between the two sides. The key component to the wildcat’s success is the entirety of the coaching staff, Vince Gross, Scott Tungay, Jan DeBeer and Taylor Johnson. The staff does an outstanding job from recruiting quality talent to getting the student athletes to perform at their maximum level.
Kentucky holds off Tennessee for well earned championship
The Kentucky Wildcats continued with an impressive display of rugby for the fall season and capped it off with the 2017 SCRC Championship. The Wildcats defeated Alabama 40-22 in the semifinal and then topped Tennessee in the final 26-22.
Both teams now await the opportunity to compete in the USA D1AA National Championship Tournament which begins on November 18.
Kentucky
1. Prather 2. Van den Berg 3. Donlon 4. Diberonimo 5. Hamlin 6. Butler 7. Canter 8. Mencini 9. Broeder 10. Esson 11. Ra,seu 12. Suber 13. Warfield 14. Mare 15. Lewis 15. Yutio 17. Strasshofer 18. Roberts 19. Guigillia 20. Johnson 21. Binzer 22. Bryant 23. Eatheny
Scoring Summary
1′ – UK TRY (Suber); Score: 5-0 6′ – UT TRY (Roberts); Score: 5-5 26′ – UK TRY (Lewis) / CK (Esson); Score 12-5 34′ – UK TRY (Esson) / CK (Esson; Score 19-5 36′ – Yellow Card Kentucky (Butler) 37′ – UT TRY (Roberts) / CK (Davis); Score 19-12 44′ – Red Card Kentucky (Mencini) 66′ – Yellow Card Tennessee (McAfee) 67′ – UT TRY (Roberts); Score 19-17 68′ – Yellow Card Kentucky (Prather) 78′ – UK TRY (Esson) / CK (Esson); Score 26-17 80′ – UT TRY (Roberts); Score 26-22
Backs Travis Vickers, Tennessee Brendon Esson, Kentucky Shaq Suber, Kentucky Ignacio Guisasola, Alabama Christian Harrell, South Carolina Caleb Strum, Alabama Sean Barnes, South Carolina
Honorable Mention Josh Landon, Tennessee Pat Feimer, Alabama Dirk van den Berg, Kentucky Micah Stewart, South Carolina Bobby Morgan, Alabama Logan Butler, Kentucky Sam Hawkins, Tennessee Eli Warfield, Kentucky Jacob Powers, South Carolina Nick Lewis, Kentucky John Via, Tennessee
Vols over the Gamecocks 27-17 and Wildcats over Crimson Tide 40-22
The 2017 Southeastern Collegiate Rugby Conference Championship opened in exciting fashion as Tennessee and South Carolina battled in the early game and Alabama gave Kentucky a good run in the second. The event was hosted at the Tennessee Rugby Park in Knoxville.
Tennessee Tops South Carolina November 04, 2017 (Knoxville, TN) – The Volunteers used a heavy dose of forward play and the UT backs were able to contain the explosive USC backline to take a hard fought 27-17 victory.
Kentucky Sprints past Alabama November 04, 2017 (Knoxville, TN) – The Wildcats used an expansive attack and seized the slightest of openings to run across 6 tries in route to a 40-22 victory. the Crimson Tide had good attacking ball throughout the contest but just couldn’t keep pace in the scoreline.
Tennessee 27, South Carolina 17
Tennessee
1. Rivas 2. Couch 3. Kayser 4. Janowick 5. Shaw 6. Ransom 7. Craven 8. Roberts 9. Vickers 10. Hawkins 11. Leatherwood 12. Beacom 13. Via 14. Cook 15. Davis 16. McAfee 17. Landon 18. Walker 19. Williams 20. Montgomery 21. Walter 22. Fine 23. Horak
1. Prather 2. Van Den Berg 3. Donlon 4. DiGeronino 5. Hamlin 6. Canter 7. Butler 8. Mencini 9. Broeder 10. Essom 11. Ramsey 12. Suber 13. Warfield 14. Mare 15. Lewis 16. Yoho 17. Andres 18. Johnson 19. Guangula 20. Strasshofer 21. Bryant 22. Roberts 23. Eastherly
Scoring Summary
SCORING 10′ – UK TRY (12) / CK (10); 7-0 14′ – UA PK (12); 7-3 17′ – UK TRY (13) / CK (10); 14-3 36′ – UK TRY (2) / CK (10); 21-3 40′ – UA TRY (12) / CK (12); 21-10 44′ – UK TRY (13) / CK (10); 28-10 58′ – UK TRY (18); 33-10 63′ – UK TRY (13) / CK (10); 40-10 66′ – UA TRY (3); 40-15 78′ – UK Yellow Card (13) 80′ – UA TRY (7) / CK (12); 40-22
7’s Player of the Year Christian Harrell, South Carolina
A junior center from Enola, PA, Harrell is a USC Honor’s College student, double majoring in Finance and Supply Chain Management.
In high school, Harrell was a two-year varsity starter at Cumberland Valley, winning the PA State Championship, while also competing in varsity football during the off season.
While playing for South Carolina, Harrell is a 3-time All-Conference 15’s Team recipient, a 1-time All-Conference 7’s Team recipient, and was one of the top 50 backs of 2016 according to Goff Rugby Report.
Harrell has helped lead the Gamecocks to back-to-back Southeastern Rugby 7’s Championships and has represented South Carolina at the USA Rugby Collegiate 7’s Championship, as well as back-to-back Penn Mutual Collegiate Rugby Championships.
In 2017, Harrell has proven to be an essential asset to the Carolina backline in both skill and leadership, accounting for 26 tries across seven tournaments, to include 11 in the Gamecock’s 10-0 run of conference play, adding to their overall SCRC point differential of 308-41.
During the Penn Mutual Collegiate Rugby 7’s Championship (CRC), Harrell captained the Gamecocks to a Bowl Championship, giving the team its first winning record (4-2) and its first division victory in its three years of competing in the event, with wins over Tennessee, Delaware, Virginia Tech, and Clemson. In fact, the Gamecock’s only losses were to Indiana and Kutztown who finished 4th & 5th overall. Harrell scored two tries, though more importantly, played 80 of the 84 total tournament minutes.
The Gamecocks look forward to having him return for his senior year this fall.
South Carolina played textbook sevens and held firm on defense for the entire day to claim the 2017 Southeastern Olympic Rugby Championship. With the win the Gamecocks earn the SCRC bid to the 2017 Penn Mutual Collegiate Rugby Championship in Philadelphia.
Coach Steve Darnell’s boys controlled the pace and possession in every game on their way to the championship. In the final USC jumped to a two try lead only to have UK knot the score just before the half. The Gamecocks flexed their muscles to begin the second half and finished with a 26-12 victory and the conference championship.
South Carolina now joins Tennessee in competing in the 2017 Penn Mutual Collegiate Rugby Championship in Philadelphia in June while Kentucky and Alabama both have their sites set on the USA Rugby National Championship Tournament set for May 19-21 in Glendale, Colorado.
Results of Pool Play
South Carolina
33
Mississippi State
0
Georgia
0
Alabama
37
Tennessee
12
Auburn
10
Kentucky
32
Mississippi
7
South Carolina
40
Georgia
0
Alabama
31
Mississippi State
5
Tennessee
0
Kentucky
17
Mississippi
17
Auburn
29
South Carolina
24
Alabama
5
Georgia
24
Mississippi State
33
Tennessee
35
Mississippi
5
Kentucky
29
Auburn
0
Playoffs
Bowl Semifinal
Mississippi State
26
Mississippi
19
Georgia
14
Auburn
10
Cup Semifinal
South Carolina
32
Tennessee
0
Alabama
15
Kentucky
19
Shield Championship / 7th
Mississippi
19
Auburn
17
Bowl Championship / 5th
Mississippi State
24
Georgia
14
Plate Championship / 3rd
Alabama
21
Tennessee
7
Cup Championship / Final
South Carolina
26
Kentucky
12
Final Rankings
1. South Carolina 2. Kentucky 3. Alabama 4. Tennessee 5. Mississippi State 6. Georgia 7. Ole Miss 8. Auburn
8 teams compete for the Penn Mutual CRC Bid on Saturday
Eight Southeastern Conference schools compete on Saturday for the Southeastern Collegiate Olympic Rugby Championship in Knoxville. The victor also earns an invite to the 2017 Penn Mutual Collegiate Rugby Championship held in Philadelphia in June along with a possible bid to the USA Rugby National Championship Tournament.
South Carolina enters the championship event as a decided favorite having overwhelmed the competition in the lone qualifying event held in Columbia on April 01.
1 South Carolina 2 Tennessee 3 Kentucky 4 Georgia 5 Alabama 6 Ole Miss 7 Auburn 8 Mississippi State
The first game of the day kicks off at 9 AM and the Championship is slated for 5 PM. This year the championship is hosted by the University of Tennessee at the Tennessee Rugby Park in Knoxville.
Tennessee Rugby Park 8051 Oak Ridge Highway Knoxville, Tennessee
The event will be streamed by Purple Moose Media so check by just prior to the event for details on viewing if you can’t make it to Knoxville to see it live. Updates will also be posted throughout the day on Twitter at @SCRCRugby.
The inaugural SCRC All-Star team competed in the 2017 St Pat’s Rugby Tournament in Savannah, Georgia on March 11 and 12. Playing in the Senior Men’s Division, the team camp together to play some outstanding rugby on the weekend. While only holding one selection camp and no practices the all-stars posted a 3-0 record to claim the division championship.
Coaches Marty Bradley, Tennessee Ken Simmons, Florida Gary Kent, Kentucky Dave Codevilla, Tennessee Danny Depperschmidt, Alabama
Ross Depperschmidt, Center, Alabama Bobby Morgan, Flanker, Alabama Heath Ross, Flanker, Alabama Iggy Guisasola, Flyhalf, Alabama Bobby Collins, Lock, Alabama Shawn Dawley, Prop, Alabama James Puente, Scrumhalf, Alabama Caleb Strum, Wing, Alabama
Roger Williams, Prop, Florida Kyle Burnett, Scrumhalf, Florida Jake Lackovic, Wing, Ole Miss CJ Leadingham, Center, Kentucky Kyle Peterson, Flanker, Kentucky Logan Butler, Flanker, Kentucky Shaq Suber, Fullback, Kentucky Anthony Mencini, #8, Kentucky
Cameron Massengill, Center, MS State Dentay Daniels, Fullback, MS State Ashton Yates, Lock, MS State Josh Landon, #8, Tennessee Dylan Craven, Flanker, Tennessee Kerry Roberts, Lock, Tennessee Keenan Kayser, Prop, Tennessee David Nuckolls, Wing, Tennessee
Over 30 players attended a selection camp on Saturday for the inaugural Southeastern Collegiate All-star team that will travel to Savannah in March for the 2017 St Pattys Day Rugby Tournament.
26 players representing six SCRC teams have been invited to play in Savannah.
Special thanks to Atlanta Old White Rugby Club for hosting the camp and providing the tremendous hospitality. Also thanks to the Atlanta Renegades for providing an opponent for the afternoon scrimmage.
The team is coached and managed by:
Marty Bradley, Tennessee Ken Simmons, Florida Gary Anderson, Kentucky Danny Depperschmidt, Alabama Dave Codevilla, Tennessee
Hotel Courtyard Savannah Midtown 6703 Abercorn Street Savannah, GA
