It's weird times in the NEWCRC.
After being touted quite heavily in these pages for its competitiveness top to bottom, the league has in fact split rather dramatically. The bottom half of the standings is now struggling and it's really a case of some teams going through some rebuilding at the same time that others are returning the majority of really good units.
We all (OK, maybe just GRR) got a little excited at the beginning of the season when New Hampshire and UMass-Lowell tied, and Vermont just barely edged Coast Guard 25-22. But few games have been close since then. Yes, UNH and UML are very close to each other, but it turns out they were still chasing the top three. Coast Guard is the only team not in the top three still clawing and scraping and fighting to be there.
This was all illustrated last weekend. While CGA won a tough game against Boston University 20-7 to go from 0-2 to, now, 2-2, the other three games were nowhere near as close. Winners scored 222 points and allowed ... zero. The chasm is real.
So what's going on?
Norwich is nicely positioned with an offense that is clicking. Marius Edwards is having an excellent season, Will Moulton is a handful, and really the Cadets have a ton of young, athletic players who score tries. Despite having had a significant turnover, Norwich rebuilt quickly and part of that is because they challenge themselves. They like to play tough games out-of-conference and aren't afraid to lose those games in the quest for improvement. Now at 3-0 with 170 points for and only 26 against, the Cadets are in excellent shape with some tough games to come.
Maine? Well we just talked about them. They also bring experience to the fore and were not at all intimidated about moving from small college to D2.
NEWCRC Kids on the Block, Maine Black Bears Are Winning
Coast Guard is still chasing, of course.
"I'm impressed with the constant growth of the team and the way they play together," said Head Coach Shannon Heap. "The forwards have been great in set pieces, but I'm most impressed with the guys who have filled in for injured or suspended players. Even in positions that are new to them. The attitude has been great across the board."
Tough games to come? Well that's the whole point.
We talked a whole lot about the Great Midwest here, and one of the games we discusses, Northwestern at Chicago, got played Thursday with Chicago taking the win.
Shock Result Shakes Up Great Midwest
And we talk a little bit more about playoff implications this week also.
Who Is In The Hunt for Men D2 National Playoffs
Ranked vs Ranked include:
Kent State (23) vs Miami (20)
Vermont (5) vs Norwich (4)
Coast Guard (12) vs Maine (30)
Loyola (3) vs Chicago (19)
Villanova 7 vs Bloomsburg (27)
Colorado Mesa (38) vs Montana State (14)
Marist (10) vs Cornell (15)
