Knoxville Rugby Football Club

A “Rooster” got kicked in the head - and the Possums ended up dead.

Greenville, S.C., defended its Dogwood Tournament title in bizarre fashion, scoring on the last play of the game when a kicked ball bounced off the face of a Knoxville player into the try zone where Griffin No. 8 Dan Roberts fell on it for the easy game-winning try.

The tourney was held at Forks of the River Park April 13 and 14, 1996.

Prelims

In opening round play, Toledo, Ohio, struck first against Knoxville when former U.S. Eagle Rich Schurfeld slashed in from his fullback position to score a converted try.

The Possums rallied with tries by Frank Bennett and Jack Geibig, coupled with two penalty kicks and a conversion from fullback Kevin Blalock to pull away for an 18-7 win.

In its second match, Knoxville broke away from a 6-6 tie with Columbia, S.C., to run out to a 30-6 win. Doug Powell tallied a pair of tries and Blalock finished with half of the Possums’ points on a try, two penalties and a couple of conversions.

Greenville punished Chattanooga and then handled Findlay, Ohio, in a rematch of the 1995 Dogwood Tourney final to reach Sunday’s championship contest.

Final

Knoxville pressured early and were rewarded when flyhalf Marty Bradley nailed a penalty kick to put the Possums up 3-0. Greenville scrumhalf Butch Setzer followed with a penalty of his own to knot the scores at 3-3.

The Possums had a terrific opportunity to score a try when wing Pat Dorwin tossed a lineout to himself, dummied with trailing flanker Oscar Doster to slow the defense, then passed long to mid-field but a knock-on stymied the sure score.

Bradley then added a penalty but off the restart Geibig was whistled for shepherding and Setzer’s penalty made it 6-6 at the half.

Both teams threatened in the second stanza, but numerous Knoxville penalties nullified territorial gains.

Bradley and Setzer, whose angled conversion gave Greenville a 15-14 win over Findlay in the 1995 Dogwood Tourney, traded penalty kicks as it was 9-9 with just a minute left in the match.

A poor Greenville cross-kick went to Knoxville wing Mike Weldon, who set up a maul. The ball was spun to Bradley, whose clearing kick bounced backward off the face of retreating hooker Ryan “Rooster” Miller.

Roberts, Greenville’s captain, was behind the play but alertly knew there was no offside law to be broken and beat the cover to touch down the carom for the winning try. Setzer added the conversion and the Griffins repeated as Dogwood champions.

Greenville                                             Knoxville

J. Roberts                    1                           Huskey (C)

Beamann                      2                           Miller

Speaks                         3                            Sandman

Atkinson                      4                            Cerne

Sullivan                         5                           Booth

Van Evera                       6                           Daugherty
Phillips                           7                           Doster

D. Roberts (C)                 8                            Powell

Setzer                              9                          Broyles

Gerezol                           10                         Bradley

Bratys                              11                         Weldon

Howland                          12                         Niekerk

Clardy                               13                        Bennett

Moore                               14                        Dorwin

Cobb                                  15                       Blalock

Ref: Rich Boone, C-2, Mid-South