The Men’s Division I-AA final four is set, with Louisville and Bowling Green advancing in the East and Tennessee and Texas A&M winning out West. Dec. 6, the Aggies and Vols will battle in one semifinal in Knoxville, TN, and the Cardinals and Falcons will meet in the other in Butler, PA.
In Atlanta, Tennessee held Sam Houston scoreless in a 20-0 defensive battle. The Vols were paced by the boot of fullback Vincent Keller, who slotted two penalties and two conversions. Leo Bonifacio and Jacob Anton both dotted down tries off the bench.
Bowling Green won big in its quarterfinal, exploding for a 66-24 win over Virginia Tech. The Falcons led 47-0 before leaking a score. Flanker Phil Tracey, scrumhalf Griffin Wilson and wing Gianpaolo Sferrella scored two tries each for Bowling Green, while fullback Joe Apel kicked 12 points from the tee and dotted down once.
Louisville had its hands full with Boston College in Butler, PA. The Eagles led 13-8 late in the second half, until the Cardinals pumped in two tries to win 22-8. Liam Flynn, Jakob Moore and Jack Eberle crossed the whitewash for Louisville, JB Meier slotted a penalty, and Carson Green nailed two conversions.
Texas A&M won a thriller over two-time defending champion Kentucky in Atlanta Saturday, with fullback Carim Daher slotting a walk-off penalty to win, 38-36. Kentucky threatened to pull away in the first half, leading 21-7, but there were still five lead changes in the offing.
The Aggies chipped away with three tries early in the half, taking the lead at 28-26 after 65 minutes. Kentucky regained it three minutes later with a penalty, 29-28. A&M responded with a converted try, going up 35-29. Kentucky scored off a quick tap penalty with less than two minutes to play, nailing the conversion to take a 36-35 lead.
The Wildcats took the kickoff cleanly and kept the ball tight, but A&M flyhalf Nathan Sieberhagen found space for a jackal, winning a penalty with no time left. Daher nailed the kick, sending the Aggies through to the semifinals.
Check out ncr.rugby for the Men’s DI-AA brackets and streaming information.
