The Exiles finished up the fall season on a strong note Saturday by defeating the Pittsburgh Harlequins 40-12 to retain the Pelly Cup for another year. The Pelly cup is in honor of Eric Pelly, a U-19 player for Pittsburgh who tragically passed away in 2006. The game carries a lot of emotion for the entire Pittsburgh organization. In addition to honoring Eric Pelly, Schuylkill River remembers and honors our own Jason “Face” Siddell a promising young player with a never say impossible attitude who battled every game for us, often leading the way with a big hit or important try. Face passed away just before his 25th birthday on Jan 4, 2008.

Jimmy Wolfer got things started off for the Exiles with a try in the 15th minute but a failed clearance allowed Pittsburgh to get the ball back deep in our zone and take a 7-5 lead. Lucas Brickley scored 30 minutes into the match to help us take a 12-7 lead into the half. The second half of the match was a great 40 minute performance from the Exiles. Brian Keown hit a penalty 5 minutes into the half to give us a 15-7 lead followed up by a try from Randy Helsman 55 minutes in to make it 22-7.

Pittsburgh scored a try to make it 22-12 with 20 minutes to go followed by two quick penalties from Keown and a match sealing try from Dan Deal with 7 minutes left in the game to make the score 35-12. To the delight of the home fans the match ended with Matt “The Hawk” Henderson taking flight to score a diving try following an attempted clearance kick from Pittsburgh.

After the match, Coach Burch stated that “on a windy day we seemed to be the first to adjust to the weather. For the better part of the second half our tactical kicking put Pittsburgh under pressure. Lucas Brickley and Brad Volm had outstanding days by constantly causing pressure at the breakdown. We look forward to working hard over the winter and preparing for league play on March 16.”

Lucas Brickley earned man of the match honors for his performance in the front row. Austin Lucas also deserves credit for his hard work in the second half and John McCurdy earned a yellow card against Pittsburgh due to his hard running attack lines which enabled us to put them under tremendous pressure and seal the match.

Scorers:
Tries: Lucas Brickley (1), Dan Deal (1), Randy Helsman (1), Matt Henderson (1), Jimmy Wolfer (1)
Cons: Keown (3)
Pens: Keown (3)

Although the scoreline in a 38-5 loss against Northeast Irish might not show it, Troop also played a pretty strong match on Saturday. Against a team that previously beat us 67-0 this fall the guys came out and exhibited much improved ball retention and physical defense. It just wasn’t enough against a team that went 8-0 this fall and appears headed to the national playoffs as well as a likely promotion to Division 2.

Troop’s try was scored by Richard Casey following a sequence of pick and goes on the Northeast goal line.

Following the match, Coach Burch stated that "for the first 15 minutes we frustrated the Irish with great ball retention and physical defense. A couple long breaks, and the physical play, seemed to wear us down in the second half. Greg Mininger had a great day. His recognition and kicking put some unwanted pressure on the Irish back 3. We hope to solidify this side to make a push for playoffs next spring.

Greg Mininger earned man of the match honors for physical defense in the mid-field and effective tactical kicking throughout the match. Ross McMonigle and Mike Ruggeri also both played well and John “Cat Stevens” Vizzachero deserves recognition for showing up ready to play and making some huge tackles when called on as a reserve.

Scorers:
Tries: Rich Casey (1)

Season Scoring Totals:
Troop:
Tries: Jabari Johnson (3), John Hines Jr. (2), Dave Hilley (2) Michael Bacon (1), Justin Brown (1), James Brunson (1) Cody Bukowski (1), Ed Carter (1), Rich Casey (1), Dave Hockenberry (1), Matt Hughes (1), Ross McMonigle (1), Lake Paul (1), Tom Stenberg (1)
Cons: Ryan Tower (9)
Pens: Ryan Tower (4)

Exiles:
Tries: Sean Barnes (4), Randy Helsman (4), Dan Deal (3), Matt Henderson (3), Brian Keown (3), Joe Midwig (2), Pat Boyle (1), Lucas Brickley (1), Matt Chiaramonte (1), Jeff Hall (1), Dante Jacquet (1) Jabari Johnson (1), Ricky Schneider (1), Brad Volm (1) Jimmy Wolfer (1)
Cons: Keown (15)
Pens: Keown (8)