Six boys state champions were crowns Saturday at Rugby Ohio's Finals Day at Fortess Obetz just outside Columbus, with some impressive showings, and two very dramatic finishes.
Drama and All That
In the Boys D1 Club final, Dayton Northern Force played Olentangy. This was a back-and-forth affair with the perhaps more systematic Olentangy team finding ways to wear down an occasionally explosive and certainly unpredictable Northern Force.
The teams traded tries back and forth. Northern Force led early only to see Olentangy piled one over for a 7-5 lead—No. 8 Brock Fisher doing the honors. Northern Force saw flyhalf Tony Mack cut through for a try, and later flanker Ashton Dozier capped off his HS career with a nicely-taken try.
Olentangy came back with their big, talented lock Dylan Radziszewki powering over. That made it 17-14 for Northern Force with time winding down.
Back came Olentangy and they wisely took a shot at goal to tie the game up with about two minutes to go.
Here's where things got really interesting. Mack had been subbed off the Northern Force coaching staff had slid blindside flanker Dakota Faulkner into the flyhalf position. This seems a little weird, but it isn't so much considering that a) the Northern Force had worked on an an approach that their depth could be better managed if all players knew how to play multiple positions, and b) Faulkner had played youth rugby and as an underclassmen as a flyhalf. Dayton also had a wing playing lock, so you see how it all works out.
As Faulkner described the situation, he, as all the Dayton players knew (or should have known), knew that a fast-rushing defense can leave itself vulnerably to a kick over the top. With the ball around midfield and a defense rushing up, Faulkner made the read and popped a kick over and wide to the left.
The kick itself could hardly have been weighted better. It landed a few meters infield and its bounce was more downfield than anything else. Chasing manically was wing Rex Letchworth, with Eric Daniel (prop, flanker, No. 8, or whatever else you need) on his horse in support. Letchworth didn't need it.
He gathered up the ball and curled away from one last desperate tackle to touch down. Try awarded, and the game ran out of time shortly thereafter with Dayton beating a game Olentangy 22-17.
In the Boys Club D2 there was more of the same. St. Charles scored early and also got a nice interception try. Walsh Jesuit, led by hard-running Haniel Fanka at No. 8—he rarely went down on the second hit and it was usually the fourth—and with scrumhalf Michael Lewis operating the attack nicely, mounted a comeback. Fanka, big center Keith Perrotto, and power-running prop Dylan Feisthamel scored to keep pace with St. Charles and it was 17-17 late in the game.
St. Charles scored right up the middle after a long period of not getting much of anywhere. St. Charles now led 24-17 with only a few minutes to go. Franks did his thing and just kep the legs churning and his torso twisting to go over. Kick was good and it was 24-24—overtime.
The overtime was two halves of five minutes. In the opening first Walsh Jesuit put all kinds of pressure on St. Charles. They had a kickable penalty in front of the posts but opted for the tap. The ball went out to Perrotto, who had support outside but instead just barreled ahead to score.
In the second half of overtime Perrotto charged through and around a pile of tiring St. Charles tacklers, and the deed was done 36-24. Franks was outstanding all day but when you have someone score two tries in overtime, he has to get the game ball (or, in this case, a free backpack from the Ohio National Guard).
