First Night of Sevens In the Books

Day 1 of the UMRFC’s intrasquad sevens turned out to be a success as more than 60 players took the field. The Bennie Oosterbaan and Mary Sue Coleman teams end the night atop the standings but a long sevens season awaits.

Game 1: Mary Sue Coleman 20 – James Earl Jones 12
The first game of the night got things started on the right foot. Pressure by the Jones boys forced a Brandon Kolk kick which Kenny Andutan gathered and got to Steve Offringa in space. Offringa took it down the sideline and made a nice inside pass to Phillipe Kirschen for the first score of the competition. Offringa converted to go up 7-0. Kolk got on the board with a try of his own down the left sideline. He missed the long conversion attempt. Before the half, Offringa was on the attack again and found Kenny Andutan this time for an unconverted try to take a 12-5 halftime lead. The second half belonged to the boys named Mary Sue though. Matt Pilon broke the line for an 80 yard try to start the second half. Kolk found another try down the left sideline and Karl Boothman got on the board with an opportunistic try off of a James Earl Jones 5m scrum to bring the final score to 20-12.

Game 2: Bennie Oosterbaan 15 – Stephen M. Ross 0
The captain’s match-up turned into a lopsided affair as Stephen M. Ross struggled with ball handling errors and under the subsequent pressure. Mark Borowski got on the board for Bennie with a long try straight up the middle. Grady Bridges added a converted try off a show and go, also through the heart of the Ross defense. The Ross Team seemed to be making some ground in the second half and started to string together phases. This sprung Joel Conzelmann for a long run but lost the ball forward in tackle. Chris Hopfner capped off the scoring by showing his strength near the try line and fighting his way in for the final score. All conversions were missed, leaving it a 15-0 final.

Game 3: James J. Duderstadt 28 – Don Canham 10
The third game turned out to be a high scoring affair. The Dudes were well organized and looked to only give away possession after a score. Ellis Kolber was able to attract some defenders and get the ball to Matt Crabtree for the first score. Evan Noon converted, 7-0 Dudes. The ensuing kick off put the Dons under pressure and forced a return kick which Crabtree countered well with and found Colin Ward for a try. Noon with the conversion, 14-0 Dudes. Ward found another try before half in near identical manner which Noon converted to put the Dudes up 21-0. The second half saw the Canham Team settle in. Ian Etheart was able to pick up a loose Duderstadt ball and go 90 yards for the score. Conversion no good. Evan Noon countered with his own unconverted try. Scott Miller finished the scoring with an 80 yard run up the sideline for the second Canham try. Conversion no good, 28-10 the final.

Game 4: Mary Sue Coleman 17 – Stephen M. Ross 12
Brandon Kolk started his second game of the night where he left off with a beautiful chip and chase for the opening score. No conversion makes it 5-0 Mary Sue. The Coleman Team kept the pressure on allowing Ty Waters to find Nick Marcus for a try. Chad Kelsey got in on the action with a 40 yard try through the Ross defense. Kelsey converted to make it 17-0 at half. The second half saw the first Stephen M. Ross score of the night. Phil O’Donnell was able to offload to Joel Conzelmann for the score. Joel converted. It looked like O’Donnell got on the scoreboard himself but a forward pass was called as momentum was shifting to the Ross Team. Phil eventually got his try to bring the score to 17-12 but the final whistle blew without a last chance for the win.

Game 5: Bennie Oosterbaan 28 – James J. Duderstadt 7
The fifth game saw a match-up of two 1-0 teams. The Dudes struggled in the opening stages, making unforced errors near their try line which allowed the Oosterbaan team to build an early lead. An over throw on a 5 meter lineout allowed Sebastian Harrison to go in easily. Grady Bridges converted, 7-0 Oosterbaan. Dave Hiltzik was the next recipient of pressure near the try line, scoring off a stolen ruck. Bridges converted the Hiltzik try to make it 14-0. Shortly after, Chris Hopfner was also able to dot down a try with another strong run. Bridges also converted to make it a 21-0 halftime lead. The Dudes got on the board in the second half when Ellis Kolber offloaded to Evan Noon for a try under the posts which he subsequently converted. But any chance at a comeback was put to rest when Mark Borowski received a nice Grady Bridges pass out of tackle and raced the 70 yards for the score. Bridges added the last two points to bring the final to 28-7.

Game 6: Don Canham 20 – James Earl Jones 17
A fantastic finish to the night was created by the Canham / Jones match-up. The Dons raced to an early lead with three tries all by new players. Nick Lazurka, Louie Saravolatz, and Forrest Gilfoy all scored their first tries and gave the Canham Team 15 first half points. The Jones Team showed off excellent handling by Phillipe Kirscher and support running by Ben Clemens. Kirschen and Sergio Rocha each got tries. Rocha added a conversion to bring the score to 15-12 Canham at the break. The opening of the second half saw a newcomer for JEJ, Joe Poznanski, scored his first try. The lead now in the favor of Jones, the play on the field also started going their way. They were able to possess the ball for long periods in the Canham half but twice knocked on inside the opposition 22. The final play of the game was a scrum to the Dons from their own 15 yard line. Down by two and needing a score, Ian Etheart broke down the right sideline and out sprinted the Jones defense for an 80 yard winning score which was to be the final play of the night.

Standings