Blacksburg Rugby

Led by a strong contingent of players from Blacksburg's Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM), Blacksburg made a trip to Philadelphia to contest for the inaugural "A. T. Still Osteopathic Cup" against the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) rugby club. The charity match was played to benefit the Center for Autism and was covered by American Rugby News, RugbyMag.com, and some local media outlets. Although fundraising totals are still being finalized, the amount of money raised for the Center of Autism through donations and t-shirt sales totals more than $1,000 so far. The charity match, organized by the osteopathic medicine students representing each club, was the first of its kind, but it is hoped that the charity match will become an annual event.

Although both clubs made the event a success in its fundraising aims, it was Blacksburg that prevailed on the match ground. Blacksburg sported something of a new-look lineup, resting some regular starters to showcase more of the club's osteopathic school representatives, and the changes worked out for Blacksburg as the side came off victors by a 27-12 margin.

There was some hard going early as neither side managed to get on the board for about twenty minutes, at which point Blacksburg halfback Matt McCarthy knocked over a penalty goal for a 3-0 lead. The points came easier for Blacksburg after that, though, with Blacksburg scoring a try later in the half and three in the second stanza. Loose forward Eric Jackson led the scoring with a brace of tries, while loose forward Dave Merrifield and outside back Mark Seiss got five-pointers of their own. Charging down kicks was a key Blacksburg scoring method, as both Jackson and Merrifield picked up tries on charge downs. McCarthy notched a pair of conversions. PCOM managed a try near the end of each half, converting one of the tries. McCarthy's leadership at the forwards-backs frontier and solid goalkicking earned him a Man of the Match award among a number of strong performances.

Blacksburg thanks the PCOM club for its cooperation and hospitality in the charity match, as well as both osteopathic schools and the Center for Autism for their cooperation and support. Thanks are also owed to the many donors who made the event a success.