GRR: Davenport University
St. Mary’s will meet Life University once again in the USA Rugby DIA final as the Gaels defeated a determined and plucky Davenport University 48-32 Saturday in Moraga, Calif.
St. Mary’s dominated in the first half, but had to weather a furious Davenport surge in the second half.
One thing you have to give Davenport University - they don’t back down from a challenge.
The Panthers have embraced tough competition since they began playing as a quasi-varsity program.
After two DIAA championships, they moved up to DIA, playing in the toughest conference in the nation in the Mid-South. How tough? They didn’t win a conference game until this April.
Davenport University and Army are acquainted, as the two teams met in the DIA playoffs last year; and this year a place in the semifinals is at stake between the two teams.
On October 18, 2014 Wheeling Jesuit visited Davenport University and came away 39-10 poorer in a non-league game.
Now, exactly six months later, we’ve got the same matchup at the same field, only this time it’s a DIA quarterfinal playoff game.
The Mid-South DIA college conference continued its string of very close games, with Lindenwood just getting past Davenport 20-16 Saturday in the Charles Labry Memorial match between the two rivals.
The teams were deadlocked 10-10 before two JP Eoff conversions put Davenport up 16-10 at halftime.