The final weekend of the Upstate New York Collegiate Conference is this coming weekend, but the big questions have already been answered.

In the West, Niagara and Buffalo State have secured spots in the conference playoffs, while Cortland and Oswego are secure as the top two in the East. Oddly, these two pairs play each other this weekend. For Niagara and Buffalo State, the game means little as Buff State has clinched 1st. In the East, it’s still on the line, as 8-0 SUNY Cortland visits 7-1 SUNY Oswego.

Oswego will need to avenge their 24-10 loss to Cortland on September 20, and in the process earn a bonus point and prevent Cortland from getting one. Then they can catch Cortland, but that’s the only way. For Cortland, getting this far has been a supreme victory, but they want more.

The Cortland team has no coach. They are run by club president Joseph Piti, and coached by their co-captains Dean Wilson (who plays fyhalf), and Bryan Carley (who plays lock). And somehow, they have dominated.

“We came together as a team,” said Cortland’s Nick Delicati. “We knew that we had to work together if we wanted to coach ourselves, and that’s been the key. We’ve had buy-in from the guys from the beginning.”

Piti got everyone on the same pack, said Delicati. He organizes the team and makes sure every player knows what the deal is. They can’t afford to have players go off-plan, and they don’t.

“We’re all buddies on the team, and it’s actually worked out great,” said Delicati. “Dean is very smart and a good vocal leader. Bryan runs the lineout and runs the forwards.”

The connection between the two units is important, which is where Delicati, the scrumhalf, comes in.

“We know who has to make the calls and when,” he said. “I work a lot on defensive organization, and offensively if there’s a guy stuck in a ruck I make the call. We’ve got good athletes, and we play a physical game. But the big thing is, we play and train together as a team, and we are always trying to improve everything we do. We’re always pushing our offense to be better, our defense to be better. It’s working out well and we enjoy it.”

Cortland has been outstanding, allowing only 10 points a game - the stingiest defense in the conference. Their points total is behind those of the other three playoff teams, but not by much. To do this in today’s college rugby environment, with no coach, is remarkable, and it may well be enough to see them win the conference.