The 43rd Annual Cherry Blossom Tournament kicked off at the Rose Croft Raceway on April 4 and 5. The men's college rugby tournament consisted of 18 quality programs yet, in a surprise effort, the final four teams competing for the Cup Championship were Virginia, Binghamton, James Madison and eventual-champion Fordham.
"[The win] gives Fordham rugby the recognition from winning a nationwide invitational tournament against some of the best teams on the East Coast," senior Mike Flynn said. "It has already helped build interest from high school rugby players looking to play in college as many kids came up to our team asking about our school and program."
Fordham kicked off its group play against George Washington. After feeling each other out for the first 10 minutes, FU took control of the game. On the five-meter line, junior lock Will Beller took a crash ball and barreled over the try line. Senior flyhalf and captain Evan Sheha was able to convert the try. Moments later, junior center Joe Kennedy read a skip pass from the opposing flyhalf and intercepted the ball on his way to a 40-meter try. The game was all Fordham from that point on and they would never look back. The final score indicated the dominance with a 28-5 victory.
The next game would test the valor, skill and heart of Fordham as they would be matched up against the defending Division II National Champions, Radford. Radford easily outsized Fordham, and tried to use intimidation tactics before the initial kickoff to rattle Fordham. However, their efforts were immediately thwarted by Fordham's staunch defense and masterful possession of the ball. Fordham was able to slow down the game with constant rucking and slow movement of the ball. Radford let the frustration settle in as it committed penalty after penalty. Sheha took advantage of Radford's mishaps and slotted four penalty kicks during the game. Radford was overmatched in every aspect of the game, and it was clearly a surprise for them. The final score ended with a 19-0 victory for Fordham. After two tough games on Saturday, Fordham was deemed the No. 1 seed for the cup playoffs the following day.
On Sunday April 5 at 11:55 a.m, Fordham squared off against James Madison. JMU was able to defeat Old Dominion earlier in the day 8-0, and moved on to the semifinal matchup. The game was a chess match from start to finish. Fordham jumped out to an early 3-0 lead with a penalty kick from Sheha. JMU quickly responded with a penalty kick from flyhalf Tyler Maccubbin after an infringement around the ruck from Fordham. After 10 minutes of intense play, a JMU player committed a high tackle, giving Sheha the chance to put another kick through the uprights. With the score at 6-3, Maccubbin led his JMU side down the field and was awarded an easy opportunity at a penalty kick. The score remained 6-6 until JMU exposed a few gaps in the Fordham defense and touched down a try. After failing to convert the try, the score at halftime was 11-6. The second half showed the resiliency of the Fordham side, as the Rams kept their heads up and continued to fight JMU. With less than seven minutes to go, senior flanker Kevin Hyland delivered a quick pass to junior wing Rougie Odor, who quickly paced to the corner of the try zone. The game continued at a tie score of 11-11 until the referee blew the whistle to end regulation. The match would enter a sudden death five minute overtime. The tension was high and less than a minute into the game, Fordham was awarded a penalty at midfield. Sheha boldly called for an attempt at the posts and drilled the ball from 50 meters out right through, giving Fordham a shocking and thrilling win.
The final between Fordham and Binghamton kicked off at 2:25 p.m., and it would be an intense battle. Binghamton had defeated Virginia 31-0 in their semifinal and looked to dismantle the magical run by Fordham in the final. Even though Fordham got on the board first with a Sheha penalty kick, Binghamton did not disappoint and controlled the first half. With quick ball movement in the backs, Binghamton swung the ball out wide and often. It paid off when their outside center chipped the ball over the Fordham backs and caught it in the try zone giving Binghamton a 7-3 lead. With some more intense open play, Sheha was given yet another opportunity to slot a penalty and he delivered to make the score 7-6. Binghamton had enough with Fordham's backline defense and the outside center once again broke through the line for his second try of the game. The halftime score stood at 12-6. Coaches Andrew Gheraldi, Jeff Miragliotta and Joe Hill told the Fordham side to pick up its play and stop the consistently moving Binghamton backline. The Rams listened to the advice and implemented it into their gameplay immediately. After about 10 minutes, Fordham marched down the field to put a try in the corner, and put the score at 12-11. Binghamton kept trying to ward off Fordham's attempt at a comeback, but failed in its efforts. Sheha slotted a penalty kick to make it 14-12. Now Fordham could almost taste the victory, but the Rams had to play for another five minutes. Fordham induced Binghamton to commit a penalty from about 30 meters out, and Sheha felt that he could hit the kick. He did just that and brought the score to 17-12. Binghamton's players had one more push in them, and they put a lot of pressure on Fordham in their 22-meter zone. Fordham held strong with its defense, and the referee blew the final whistle to end the tournament. Fordham was crowned the 2009 Cherry Blossom Champions.
"In terms of us as a team, it was a great way for the seniors to say goodbye and pass the torch on to the younger players to build for next year," Flynn said.
Sheha was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, fittingly, as he had led Fordham to an unprecedented victory.
This article is also printed, without quotes or editing, at www.americanrugbynews.com.
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