| State Semi Final |
| A win, an ugly one, but a win none the less. Captain Cason White's score in the dying minutes of the game sealed an improbable, but deserved win. On a day full of nerves, unnecessary mistakes and sloppy play, the Black Rose boys finally pulled true and won a spot in the State final. |
| First half |
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The start of the first half definitely belonged to the guests from Wright State. Actually, judging by the scoreboard, the first forty minutes were all about the team from Dayton. However, after giving up 10 points as many minute at the start of the game, the Roses clawed themselves back into the game. The majority of the first half was spend on write state's half of the pitch. The packies batter and plowed, but did not get over the whitewash and the backs got held back short at every attempt. Scrum half Bryan Mulvany eventually scored in the absolute corner after a strong 40 yard solo run from a quickly taken tap penalty.
At the very end of the first half the score was skewed in favor of the visitors with a strong burst of speed of Wright States tighthead prop. |
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| Packing down |
| Second half |
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The story of the second half was much the same as the first half. The boys in black and orange could not find many chinks in the a well organized defense, partly due to missed passes and dropped catches. This clearly was an opponent the likes of which the home team had not faced before this season. As the minutes ticked away, so did Write State's endurance. First it was packy Andrew Stevick who found a whole in the visitor's backline, followed by a try by wing Cory Thatcher. In the mean time our opponents were content with kicking penalties through the posts from what seamed to be anywhere on the pitch. Until the end of the game this the kept the score in their favor.
With a four point gap, and under five minutes to play the Black Rose Backs decided to turn it up a notch. Of off a good line out catch they looped around the defending backline. The excellent move ended with captain Cason White touching down the winning try. The big home crowd, over 150 people, erupted. The party was not spoiled in what remained of regulation time. Really, as it was Halloween weekend, the party did not get spoiled by anything that entire night, except maybe by a quickly approaching sunrise. On 11-8 Xavier will be the host and opponent in the state final play-off. |
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| The joy of winning |