by Kathleen Richter
Staff Writer
Sewanee’s Purple Haze won the Dixie Cup for the fifth time in a row. The Sewanee Rugby team seems unstoppable, winning against Harding on March 1. Caleb Schaubroeck (C’14) stole the ball in the first half and by an overload passed it to Cedric Djikegoue (C’14). The starting half of the first game was dominated by the Sewanee rugby team with a score of 18-0. Purple Haze finished the game 41-5. On Sunday the Sewanee rugby guys had to face an opponent they never played before, University of North Alabama. Coach Carder commended: “We never played them, but we watched their game today. They have a lot of big guys, but our techniques are far better.”
The weather on March 2 was rainy and cold, and did not make it easier for Purple Haze to lead the game in the first half. Almost until the end of the second half Sewanee was leading the game with 15-0, but they could not detain North Alabama. They scored five points right before the half time and put even more pressure on the Sewanee players.
Jack Colligan (C’15) was the connection between the front and the back. He said about the second half of the game: “We got shortly scared as they scored. The other team came out the second half, ready to go. It felt closer then it actually was as they scored again in the second half…. in the second half we started to control the game, and they were more tired as we were.”
Connor Lewis (C’14) played for the Sewanee football varsity team for two years, but decided to switch to Rugby because, in his own words, “Rugby is awesome.” With his experience as football player he said that the rival players “were a good team, very athletic, most of them were football players they just have been put on the rugby team, but did not had the experience and knowledge about the game as we did.”
Despite the difficult circumstances of a bad referee and the bad weather, Sewanee won the final round with 28-12, and took the Dixie trophy back home. Colligan said, “I enjoyed the game, and I am excited for Pensacola,” where Purple Haze will attend the Deep South Rugby Conference Championships.
The Sewanee Purple Haze will first face the Rubgy team Loyola from new Orleans, when they go down to Pensacola during Spring Break. The team seems optimistic that they will win a game but they are aware that the other rugby players may be stronger than the teams they have faced before, and winning this championship might take more then Purple Haze can offer.