Quad Rugby/Story - Beast of the East

UNITED STATES QUAD RUGBY ASSOCIATION

November 2003

2003 Beast of the East
By Tom Hamill

The thirteenth annual Beast of the East Quad Rugby Tournament was held on November 8 and 9, 2003 at Carousel House in Fairmont Park in Philadelphia. The Beast is the longest running invitational quad rugby tournament on the east coast. More than fifteen different teams from across North America have previously competed for the Beast championship.

The 2003 Beast was designed as a 7 point tournament in order to test whether a lower point value would provide more playing opportunities to lower point players. Scheduling issues around the country limited this year’s Beast to local entries: Philadelphia’s Magee Rebels; Connecticut Jammers; and the New York United Spinal Jets. The smaller than normal roster of teams created an opportunity to truly test the 7 point format with the teams playing a 7 point round robin on Saturday and an 8 point round robin on Sunday.

The Rebels, who have frequently played with a 7 point line-up over the last several years, had the advantage Saturday as 2.5 Jim Thompson and 2.0 Dan Drach anchored a tenacious defense populated with a rotation of five fresh players classed 1.5 and below. The Rebels beat the Jets 44-35 and the Jammers 43-34. Connecticut, with 2.5 Rich Hearne, 2.0s Rick Famiglietti and Tom “Hoppy” Brachaud and 1.0s Jeff Logan and Dave Cerrutti was only able to play a 6.5 point lineup but pulled ahead at the end of a close game to defeat New York’s 7 point lineup, 35-31. Saturday’s schedule concluded with a closely contested low pointers game. Members of the Morris Barbarians who finished 4th at this year’s Defi Sportif, Mike Nacci, AJ Nannaykarra, Jeff Logan and Brian Yarrusso, played the remaining available low pointers. It was a close, seesaw match throughout the game. Barbarian 1.0 Mike Nacci had to leave the game when his chair broke in the fourth quarter and 1.5 John Harmatv was transferred to the Barbarians side to take his place. In the end, the thrown together side of Anderson, Cerrutti, Del Valle and Hamill came from behind to win 22-19.

Sunday’s 8 point games opened with New York using 2.5s Carlos Guzman and Damon Rosier, 2.0 Nick Springer and 1.0 George Taborsky to switch results from Saturday to beat Connecticut 40-35. Philadelphia then unveiled rookie 2.5 amputee Adam Bencsik, who missed Saturday’s games because of a funeral, to ignite several 8 and 7.5 point lineups. The Rebels beat the Jammers 45-27 and the Jets 49-26. With a 4-0 record, the Rebels won their first-ever Beast championship in their last-ever tournament as the Rebels. With an aggregate one point differential, the Jets edged the Jammers for second place.

Refs Bob Lopez and Tim Davis did ironman work in calling every game of the tournament. Temple and Widener Universities provided volunteers in numbers that exceeded the number of players. As always, Carousel House is as or more accessible than any other gym and the tournament would not be possible without the support of Magee Rehab Hospital. The Beast is the longest running invitational quad rugby tournament on the east coast. More than fifteen different teams from across North America have previously competed for the Beast championship.

Tournament Results

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