Going into the Rugby PA championship weekend the Hempfield Knightmares had every reason to wear the favorites’ mantel.

The Knightmares had, after all, won 13 games and lost just the one before Fall Fest in Malvern, Pa. Their closest rivals were likely Doylestown, but a Dowlstown team that had graduated some very talented players and were 9-5 on the season.

So much for the form book. 

The Knightmares were impressive with Bella Vogel combining some tenacious defense with breakaway speed, and the interior backs setting up their teammates nicely. They handles a talented West Pitt side 27-7, but in a harbinger that things might not be so easy, struggled with a Hollidaysburg (Blair United) team that featured Sanaa Lunun, who may have been the best defender in the tournament. The Knightmares got through 12-5.

Doylestown, meanwhile, with Regan King being a linebreak threat up the middle and with Kendall Muday finishing out wide, were building something.

Doylestown beat a tough Conestoga team 31-5 and followed that up with a 33-5 defeat of a physical Downingtown team.

Those two teams battled their way through to the final, but both had to work for it.

So that set up the championship game, a game everyone expected to be close. It wasn’t. Doylestown was physical and didn’t let the Knightmares get the time and space to attack out wide. They got under Hempfield’s skin and two yellow cards were a result of that. Muday scored an early try capping off some good teamwork, and then finished after a quick tap. A break from King set up a chance for Maddy Doyle, and then Muday scored her third.

It was, in the end, a dominant performance when they needed it, 22-0.

Today was funny in @rugby_pa 7s finals because we at GRR made it sound like @DoylestownRugby girls were untouchable and they had lost several times to @KnightmareRugby ... and then of course Doylestown goes and wins the whole thing. Clutch. pic.twitter.com/KxYMoT7mJa

— Alex Goff (@goffrugbyreport) October 31, 2021

"All the girls have been practicing so hard the past couple of weeks," said King. "So it's just putting that into execution and being able to show all the teams out here what we've been working on."

And Hempfield? They aren't going away.

"We've all been playing together for a few years, and as we've been playing we've been learning each other's strengths and weaknesses," said Knightmare Lauren Hoffman. "And our plays we've gotten a ton better at. Doylestown, we love them to death; we love them but they're always hard to beat."