2014/2015 News & Headlines
Spring Award Recipients Announced
Columbia, SC - This past weekend, Carolina Rugby held its Spring Awards Banquet joined by several parents, alumni, and Foundation supporters. Attendees enjoyed a full barbeque buffet, along with a speech and picture show prepared by Head 7's Coach Steve Darnell. Following the presentation, the following player awards were announced:
Team MVP
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Best Pack
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Best Back
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Best Rookie
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Most Improved
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Following the awards ceremony, Coach Darnell took a few moments to reflect. "I stand here tonight with a great deal of pride in the student-athletes I have the privilege to coach and mentor here at South Carolina. These awards are the culmination of months of hard work and dedication by our more than 60 student-athletes, and I am honored to recognize a select few who have truly made an impact on our program. I wish all of our graduates and visiting players a successful future, and I look forward to seeing them again next year as Carolina Olde Boys. The future is bright for Carolina Rugby, and Coach Morris I and look forward to a successful fall season."
Carolina Rugby Supports Relay For Life
Columbia, SC - Beginning in 2010, Carolina Rugby began supporting Team Jameson and the American Cancer Society, assisting former player Patrick Lawler in raising roughly $35,000 towards a cure in a little over 3 years.
Lawler and his supporters organized South Carolina’s first Bachelor Auction, designed wristbands with the notorious ‘Cocks against Cancer’ slogan, sponsored percent nights with local area businesses, and auctioned signed merchandise, with all proceeds benefitting the American Cancer Society. This year, the team continued the tradition set by Lawler and pledged to participate in the annual Relay For Life campaign on South Carolina's campus. With the support of the players and their friends, Carolina Rugby was able to achieve its goal of raising over $1,300 for the event. "I am proud of what our players have accomplished, though more so, I am reminded of the brotherhood that exists within the rugby community," comments Head Coach Mark Morris. "Patrick accomplished amazing things in honoring his mother's memory, and I am proud that our players continue to honor those who have lost their fight with cancer, as well as show unconditional support to those who are still fighting today." |
Team Jameson-Cock Rugby - April 2015
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"Team Jameson was founded on one truth: that love and support is in abundance, and by working together to mobilize our efforts we can give and demonstrate all the love and support we have for those who need it today." - Patrick Lawler
Spring Awards Banquet Announced
Columbia, SC - On Friday, April 24th, the team will be holding its Spring Awards Banquet which will be open to all parents, alumni, and Foundation supporters. We would encourage anyone who lives locally or plans to be visiting the Columbia area the weekend of the 24th to please take the opportunity to meet the players, enjoy some Southern cuisine, and show your support for Carolina Rugby. We will have a full barbeque buffet with all the fixins’, as well as an awards presentation and a speech from Head Coach Mark Morris.
"Each season, we make it a priority to recognize the very best of Carolina Rugby, and we gratefully ask our supporters who make it possible to be there to celebrate with us." Mark Morris.
We certainly hope that you can attend, and if so, ask that you please RSVP the Carolina Rugby Foundation by phone at 803-974-0401 or by email at TheCarolinaRugbyFoundation@gmail.com The following are the event details:
Strom Thurmond Wellness & Fitness Center
Bottom Floor South Center
Friday, April 24th from 7:00pm to 8:30pm
Free Parking in Strom WFC Lot
"Each season, we make it a priority to recognize the very best of Carolina Rugby, and we gratefully ask our supporters who make it possible to be there to celebrate with us." Mark Morris.
We certainly hope that you can attend, and if so, ask that you please RSVP the Carolina Rugby Foundation by phone at 803-974-0401 or by email at TheCarolinaRugbyFoundation@gmail.com The following are the event details:
Strom Thurmond Wellness & Fitness Center
Bottom Floor South Center
Friday, April 24th from 7:00pm to 8:30pm
Free Parking in Strom WFC Lot
Southeastern Rugby 7's Plate Champions
Knoxville, TN - South Carolina defeated Tennessee 19-15 in the Plate Final of the Southeastern Collegiate Rugby Conference 7s Championship in Knoxville, TN on Saturday. With the win, the Gamecocks finished third overall and wrapped up their 7s season with a final record of 21-3, including three Cup Championships, a Plate Championship, and a Bowl Championship.
In the final was the Crimson Tide of Alabama who defeated the Mississippi State Bulldogs 24-14 to punch their ticket to the Penn Mutual Collegiate Rugby Championship 7s invitational in Philadelphia, PA.
After finishing sixth in the final standings of the SCRC series, Alabama came out of nowhere to shock the field. The Crimson Tide tied Florida before beating Auburn and Tennessee in pool play. The 2-0-1 record earned Alabama the number one spot in its pool.
South Carolina, which had dominated the field with three tournament victories during the series, uncharacteristically lost a pool play match to Mississippi State. With the loss and an undefeated record for State, the Gamecocks finished second in pool play and met Alabama in the Cup Semis. In a nail biter, Alabama squeaked out a 22-21 victory over the Gamecocks.
In a day filled with upsets, Mississippi State defeated the second-seeded Tennessee Volunteers, 14-10, in the other Cup Semifinal. The Bulldogs defeated LSU and Georgia, as well as South Carolina, to move to 4-0 before the Cup Championship.
“While the result of the SCRC finals tournament was not what we had hoped for, the season is a big step forward for the rugby sevens program at South Carolina,” said Head 7’s Coach Steve Darnell. “With a final record of 21-3 for the season we have built upon our appearance at the Collegiate Rugby Championship in 2014 and our Shield Championship at the USA Rugby Nationals in 2013. We will move forward gaining invaluable experience from the season with both the thrill of numerous wins and the bitter taste of loss at the conclusion of the season.”
This year, South Carolina established itself as the premier sevens program in the Southeastern Conference, though was unable to finish strong at the end. Fortunately, many of the Gamecock’s starting players will be returning next year giving them a solid foundation to build on.
“We look forward to future opportunities to make our mark on the national stage with the return of all players sans one that will be sorely missed. Zac Gorman has been an inspiration in training and in match play; he will not be easily replaced. James Whipper will return for the Fall, so all we need to do is make sure that he cannot bear leaving before the Spring of 2016 for his native Australia. With the return of injured players as well as incoming freshman the next rugby sevens season promises even more success.”
The Gamecocks game plan suffered during the Championship event given the loss of their team captain and wing to hamstring injuries earlier in the day, placing them without their two top try scorers for the bulk of the tournament. South Carolina was also without senior center Michael Rudzinsky who is recovering from surgery and was unable to participate in any of the 7’s competition this season. Thankfully, all three are on track for recovery.
With a renewed focus placed on the 7’s game this year, Coach Darnell contributes his team’s success to the development of individual players along with cohesive team play. “The contributions of all players are essential to a successful sevens team, in training and in match play. I am very grateful for those that gave their time and efforts often with little or no opportunities for match play. Others have had the opportunity to contribute with copious match time, perhaps more than they had wanted. This past weekend, with injuries to key players, several players were called upon to stretch themselves with extended match time. Christian Harrell was key in both forward and back positions, moving from prop, to center, to wing. Sean Barnes played multiple positions as well, along with Zac Gorman, James Whipper, and Thomas Coar. And while Brian Keown played only one position on the day, he played every minute and was our leading scorer. He had his best day yet kicking and sealed the win over Tennessee with a great individual effort.”
With a healthy, returning roster, the future of South Carolina Rugby is on strong footing and the program looks to be early favorites for 2016.
“Endings are bitter sweet and this is no exception. I look forward to a less hectic schedule but I already miss the anticipation of the next training; the next match. Thanks again to all that support our program; this is indeed a special group of young men that deserve the support that they receive. They are a joy to coach and, with the taste of success from this season, I am certain that they are hungry for more!”
In the final was the Crimson Tide of Alabama who defeated the Mississippi State Bulldogs 24-14 to punch their ticket to the Penn Mutual Collegiate Rugby Championship 7s invitational in Philadelphia, PA.
After finishing sixth in the final standings of the SCRC series, Alabama came out of nowhere to shock the field. The Crimson Tide tied Florida before beating Auburn and Tennessee in pool play. The 2-0-1 record earned Alabama the number one spot in its pool.
South Carolina, which had dominated the field with three tournament victories during the series, uncharacteristically lost a pool play match to Mississippi State. With the loss and an undefeated record for State, the Gamecocks finished second in pool play and met Alabama in the Cup Semis. In a nail biter, Alabama squeaked out a 22-21 victory over the Gamecocks.
In a day filled with upsets, Mississippi State defeated the second-seeded Tennessee Volunteers, 14-10, in the other Cup Semifinal. The Bulldogs defeated LSU and Georgia, as well as South Carolina, to move to 4-0 before the Cup Championship.
“While the result of the SCRC finals tournament was not what we had hoped for, the season is a big step forward for the rugby sevens program at South Carolina,” said Head 7’s Coach Steve Darnell. “With a final record of 21-3 for the season we have built upon our appearance at the Collegiate Rugby Championship in 2014 and our Shield Championship at the USA Rugby Nationals in 2013. We will move forward gaining invaluable experience from the season with both the thrill of numerous wins and the bitter taste of loss at the conclusion of the season.”
This year, South Carolina established itself as the premier sevens program in the Southeastern Conference, though was unable to finish strong at the end. Fortunately, many of the Gamecock’s starting players will be returning next year giving them a solid foundation to build on.
“We look forward to future opportunities to make our mark on the national stage with the return of all players sans one that will be sorely missed. Zac Gorman has been an inspiration in training and in match play; he will not be easily replaced. James Whipper will return for the Fall, so all we need to do is make sure that he cannot bear leaving before the Spring of 2016 for his native Australia. With the return of injured players as well as incoming freshman the next rugby sevens season promises even more success.”
The Gamecocks game plan suffered during the Championship event given the loss of their team captain and wing to hamstring injuries earlier in the day, placing them without their two top try scorers for the bulk of the tournament. South Carolina was also without senior center Michael Rudzinsky who is recovering from surgery and was unable to participate in any of the 7’s competition this season. Thankfully, all three are on track for recovery.
With a renewed focus placed on the 7’s game this year, Coach Darnell contributes his team’s success to the development of individual players along with cohesive team play. “The contributions of all players are essential to a successful sevens team, in training and in match play. I am very grateful for those that gave their time and efforts often with little or no opportunities for match play. Others have had the opportunity to contribute with copious match time, perhaps more than they had wanted. This past weekend, with injuries to key players, several players were called upon to stretch themselves with extended match time. Christian Harrell was key in both forward and back positions, moving from prop, to center, to wing. Sean Barnes played multiple positions as well, along with Zac Gorman, James Whipper, and Thomas Coar. And while Brian Keown played only one position on the day, he played every minute and was our leading scorer. He had his best day yet kicking and sealed the win over Tennessee with a great individual effort.”
With a healthy, returning roster, the future of South Carolina Rugby is on strong footing and the program looks to be early favorites for 2016.
“Endings are bitter sweet and this is no exception. I look forward to a less hectic schedule but I already miss the anticipation of the next training; the next match. Thanks again to all that support our program; this is indeed a special group of young men that deserve the support that they receive. They are a joy to coach and, with the taste of success from this season, I am certain that they are hungry for more!”
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Carolina Point EarnersSean Barnes: 1 Try
Thomas Coar: 4 Tries Tim Hamill: 1 Try Christian Harrell: 4 Tries Brian Keown: 6 Tries / 15 Con James Whipper: 3 Tries Georgia (45-0) Tries: Barnes, Coar 2, Hamill, Harrell, Keown, Whipper Conversions: Keown 5 Louisiana St (26-5) Tries: Coar, Keown 2, Whipper Conversions: Keown 3 Mississippi St (14-17) Tries: Coar, Harrell Conversions: Keown 2 Alabama (21-22) Tries: Keown 2, Whipper Conversions: Keown 3 Tennessee (19-15) Tries: Harrell 2, Keown Conversion: Keown 2 |
Three Time SCRC 7's Series Champions
Tupelo, MS - South Carolina claimed its third-consecutive SCRC 7s tournament, sweeping the series with an emphatic 34-0 shutout of Florida in the final in Tupelo, Mississippi. The Gamecocks will look to continue their momentum in the SCRC qualifier tournament this weekend.
South Carolina opened the tournament with a 24-17 victory over Mississippi State. The Gamecocks continued pool play with a 35-10 win over Georgia. As the seeding played out, South Carolina saw Georgia and Mississippi State in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively. With wins over both, the Gamecocks earned a berth in the Cup Finals.
Florida took the unorthodox road to the finals, losing both pool play matches to Alabama and Ole Miss. The Gators took out two-time SCRC runner-up Tennessee in the quarterfinals, however, and then exacted revenge on Alabama to earn a spot in the finals.
Florida had nothing left in the tank, though, falling to South Carolina, 34-0. “We certainly had more gas in the tank than Florida did,” South Carolina 7s coach Steve Darnell told Rugby Today. The Gamecocks pride themselves on their conditioning and believe it is one of the big reasons they have sustained success. “We improved as the day progressed with the culmination in the finals shutting out Florida. We did have some problems with defense earlier in the day, losing our shape several times and allowing line breaks with several leading to scores. Team depth and overall conditioning allowed for little fall off in performance during the five games and we will continue to tweak our conditioning this week.”
The Gamecocks jumped out of the gate early collecting a couple of tries. South Carolina had a few line breaks early and Chris Harrell outflanked the Florida defense for the second score of the game. Harrell had an outstanding tournament, netting at least one score in each game.
Florida turned the ball over several times following the early deficit compounding the problem of limited possession. South Carolina capitalized on the errors, adding a few more scores before halftime “We were very much clicking in that game," Darnell added. "Things were going well. Retaining possession really did starve Florida."
At the start of the second half, South Carolina made a few substitutions and started exploiting some defensive gaps. James Whipper made a big difference, making several line breaks and using his great top speed to seal the game in the second half.
With the victory, South Carolina continues to dominate SCRC play. Darnell attributes much of their success to the team’s cohesive play.
“After a slow start, we were back on track for the remainder of the day thanks in part to the leadership from Captain Tim Hamill. Having the team work as a unit has been very helpful, and when they needed to shine as individuals they were able to do that. Christian Harrell continued his scoring contributions with tries in every match and James Whipper put his mark on the day with several scores including a single handed return from a kickoff that featured a number of broken tackles. Sean Barnes contributed scores as well, but was most effective at ball retention going to the floor numerous times to secure possession. Others made the tackles they needed to make, attacked space when it materialized, and supported their teammates in defense and in the attack with the overall results being a true team effort.”
With a win next week, South Carolina will claim an automatic qualifier berth to the Collegiate Rugby Championship (CRC). After winning all three tune up tournaments, the Gamecocks are heavy favorites to return to Philadelphia next month.
“Our focus will be on defense as we prepare for the SCRC tournament series finals this coming weekend in Knoxville knowing that all of the teams have benefited from the three tournament series with improved play and conditioning. Many thanks to all that have supported our efforts up this point in the season and we look forward to continued support, as well as positive results on the pitch.”
South Carolina opened the tournament with a 24-17 victory over Mississippi State. The Gamecocks continued pool play with a 35-10 win over Georgia. As the seeding played out, South Carolina saw Georgia and Mississippi State in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively. With wins over both, the Gamecocks earned a berth in the Cup Finals.
Florida took the unorthodox road to the finals, losing both pool play matches to Alabama and Ole Miss. The Gators took out two-time SCRC runner-up Tennessee in the quarterfinals, however, and then exacted revenge on Alabama to earn a spot in the finals.
Florida had nothing left in the tank, though, falling to South Carolina, 34-0. “We certainly had more gas in the tank than Florida did,” South Carolina 7s coach Steve Darnell told Rugby Today. The Gamecocks pride themselves on their conditioning and believe it is one of the big reasons they have sustained success. “We improved as the day progressed with the culmination in the finals shutting out Florida. We did have some problems with defense earlier in the day, losing our shape several times and allowing line breaks with several leading to scores. Team depth and overall conditioning allowed for little fall off in performance during the five games and we will continue to tweak our conditioning this week.”
The Gamecocks jumped out of the gate early collecting a couple of tries. South Carolina had a few line breaks early and Chris Harrell outflanked the Florida defense for the second score of the game. Harrell had an outstanding tournament, netting at least one score in each game.
Florida turned the ball over several times following the early deficit compounding the problem of limited possession. South Carolina capitalized on the errors, adding a few more scores before halftime “We were very much clicking in that game," Darnell added. "Things were going well. Retaining possession really did starve Florida."
At the start of the second half, South Carolina made a few substitutions and started exploiting some defensive gaps. James Whipper made a big difference, making several line breaks and using his great top speed to seal the game in the second half.
With the victory, South Carolina continues to dominate SCRC play. Darnell attributes much of their success to the team’s cohesive play.
“After a slow start, we were back on track for the remainder of the day thanks in part to the leadership from Captain Tim Hamill. Having the team work as a unit has been very helpful, and when they needed to shine as individuals they were able to do that. Christian Harrell continued his scoring contributions with tries in every match and James Whipper put his mark on the day with several scores including a single handed return from a kickoff that featured a number of broken tackles. Sean Barnes contributed scores as well, but was most effective at ball retention going to the floor numerous times to secure possession. Others made the tackles they needed to make, attacked space when it materialized, and supported their teammates in defense and in the attack with the overall results being a true team effort.”
With a win next week, South Carolina will claim an automatic qualifier berth to the Collegiate Rugby Championship (CRC). After winning all three tune up tournaments, the Gamecocks are heavy favorites to return to Philadelphia next month.
“Our focus will be on defense as we prepare for the SCRC tournament series finals this coming weekend in Knoxville knowing that all of the teams have benefited from the three tournament series with improved play and conditioning. Many thanks to all that have supported our efforts up this point in the season and we look forward to continued support, as well as positive results on the pitch.”
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Carolina Point EarnersSean Barnes: 1 Try
Thomas Coar: 3 Tries Dana Corcoran: 1 Try Brett DeBoy: 1 Try Tim Hamill: 7 Tries / 2 Con Christian Harrell: 6 Tries Brian Keown: 2 Tries / 13 Con Mike Mahon: 1 Try James Whipper: 3 Tries / 1 Con
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Back-to-Back SCRC 7's Series Champions
