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UNITED STATES QUAD RUGBY ASSOCIATION
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5/98 LOW POINTERS ROUNDUP The annual Defi Sportif 3.5 was held again in Montreal, Canada. Eight teams were split into two pools. Last years Champion Tampa Generals were top seeded and joined by Canada, Texas, and a New Zealand entry. The Three time Champion Cannibals would face Switzerland, Quebec and Delaware/California. The Cannibals struggled with the Swiss but eventually put them away to win their pool. Texas gave Tampa a tough battle early, but 1.5 Greg Houck playing in his first low point tourney faded in the second period. Tampa's .5's were neutralizing Texas' main player. The Generals took a commanding lead and used their bench sparingly for the win. In crossover play the Cannibals and Texas went all the way to the final horn. Texas employed a zone defense that Tampa had used on them in pool play. It helped them greatly while allowing Houck to play loose versus chasing down the offense every play. The Cannibal's win was not very impressive as it looked like the Generals had the inside track. Tampa opened their game with Switzerland by jumping to a 6-0 lead. The Generals took out inbounding 1.5 Robert Ramsayer almost every play with a defense trap by .5's Rick Marshall and Peter Schreiner. Early in the second period, Switzerland's Hubert Bameyer gave chase to a loose ball. With Tampa's Dave Ceruti right behind him he tried to pick the ball up in front of his chair but instead flipped over the ball. A deep cut on his chin forced him out of the game. The Swiss did not have a .5 replacement and thus forfeited the game. Bamert came back the next day and helped his team beat Texas convincingly in the 3rd/4th game. In the Championship game the Cannibals came to life playing their best Rugby of the weekend. The Generals had an unforced error at the end of the first period that gave the ball to the Cannibals with 16 seconds left. They scored to go up by two. The General's who were without World team Class 1.0 Norm Lyduch were lacking a three 1.0 line up and offensive punch. The Cannibals played nearly flawless as they withstood Tampa's press. Class 1.0's Dave Hansen, Brad Mikkelsen, and Joby Falk played the whole game as did their reliable .5 Eddie Crouch. Falk commented after the game, "We picked the right time to play our best game of the weekend." Last years MVP Bill Renje said "It seemed like I had two men on me all game long" The 1st Annual North American 3.5 tournament was held in Tempe, Arizona October 17-18. The two schedules were brutal for many players not used to playing a different role and three games in one day. Tennessee which was basically the Cannibals minus Joby Falk were top seeded. They opened against the California team that Falk was now playing for. Tennessee won in close match 23-20. They lost their second game to Texas who featured Steve Kearly, a long time class 2.0 who became a 1.5 at last years USQRA National. Texas won 31-27 to win their pool. The Generals had an easier pool and had no problems with Arizona, and Utah, however Canada gave them a great battle. The four-man Canadian team of Dave Tweed, Mike Bacon, Kirby Kranabetter, and .5 Danny Belanger had a strong effort but the Generals emerged for a semi-final match with Tennessee. Tampa opened a four-goal lead in the first half. Generals' Coach Terry Vinyard tried to use his bench but the Cannibals closed the gap to one. Tampa went back to their starting line up of Bill Renje 1.5, Norm Lyduch 1.0, Peter Schreiner.5, and newcomer Jose Ortiz. Tennessee seemed unsure of who was playing next and even had some infighting on the bench and on the court. The General's took full advantage of this as they reestablished the lead and worked the clock brilliantly down the stretch for a 28-24 win. Texas looked like the team to beat in after a 41-31 semi-final victory over Canada. Their line up of Kearly, Ralph Shadowens 1.0, and Charles Ray .5, and Rob Krows .5 had only one sub in class 1.0 Terry Gumbert. In Sunday's final placing games California overwhelmed Utah in a 35-16 win. Tennessee defeated Canada, but not without a fight. Canada's four-man squad took them to the final horn losing only by two. The title game had all the makings of great game. Tampa took the early lead, but Texas came back. Texas .5 inbounder Ray wasn't effected by a hip he broke in an earlier game. He and fellow .5 Rob Krows gave the Generals problems all game. Texas scored what appeared to be the last goal of the half when they scored a go ahead goal with only three seconds left. The Generals quickly reacted as Texas drifted back to the key. Schreiner launched a long bump that went over half court. Renje who was even with the free throw line caught the ball, he relayed a pass to Lyduch who was just in front of the goal line and he took it in for a buzzer-beating goal. The Generals also had first the possession of the half and retook the lead. Texas came back and the lead changed again in the third period. With time running out in the 4th period the Generals began to take a lot of chances. In their efforts they committed some costly fouls and Texas took full advantage to increase their lead. They went on to win 30-25 for the 1st North American Title. All-Tournament Team
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