After losing the final each of the last two years, Wayne State College claimed the Division III national championship Sunday, defeating Holy Cross, 27-8, at SaberCats Stadium in Houston, TX. Wildcat tighthead prop Trent Draper was named MVP of the match, leading with several punishing runs and Wayne State ascending in the scrum.
In the opening minutes, Holy Cross lost lock Patrick Halleron simultaneously to injury and the sin bin as the result of a head-to-head tackle. After a pair of scrum penalties during the player advantage, the Wildcats slotted three points from the boot of flyhalf Logan Stevens, taking a 3-0 lead at the 10-minute mark.
With the Crusaders at full strength, Wayne State loosehead prop Aaron Venegas slammed home a pick-and-go score from short yardage after a pair of Holy Cross penalties and impactful Draper carries deep in the attacking end.
The Crusaders caught a break when the Wayne State defensive line was caught offside, and flyhalf Jackson Evarts made it a one-score game, 8-3, with a penalty kick from about 25 meters out.
Evarts then went for a 50-22 from his own 40, but the kick went into the try zone, giving Wayne State an attacking scrum. Seven phases later, openside flanker Diego Stefani slipped over the line from short range for a try. He also made the initial break to get the Wildcats on the doorstep.
The Crusaders responded immediately when Wayne State was penalized for blocking shortly after the restart. Scrumhalf Christian Rosowicz quickly toed through the ball and darted at the try line, setting up flanker Liam Travis for Holy Cross’ first try to cut the lead to five at 13-8.
The Crusaders nearly drew level right on halftime. A midfield Wayne penalty led to an attacking lineout, and fullback Niall McKenna knifed his way to the five-meter line before losing the ball in contact to end the half.
Wayne State took the momentum back with a try eight minutes into the second stanza. Stefani dotted this one down much like his first, burrowing across the whitewash from a couple of meters out.
Holy Cross had its opportunities in the second 40, though none as good as that just before halftime, and failed to convert any into points. And the Wildcats put the game out of reach with another try in the 69th minute from fullback Ricardo Pretorius.
In the consolation game between semifinalists Duke and the Colorado School of Mines, the Blue Devils exploded for a 99-5 victory. Wing Rayan Khwaja led all scorers with five tries. Flanker Owen Hudak scored the Orediggers’ lone try midway through the second half.
Watch the replay on The Rugby Network+.
