JMU closed the fall season Saturday at Delaware with wins on all three sides. The A-side win, 27-17, secured third place in the MARC conference.
The A-side battled through a physical 80 minutes at Frazer Field. Tries came from Andrew Ringel, Logan Edler, Connor O'Hehir, and KJ West (2). Luke Cooney was 1 for 5 on conversions. A freshman defender sealed the result with a late defensive tackle.
Senior Ryan Shaheen missed the final with a broken finger.
Man of the Match: KJ West
Freshman KJ West earned Man of the Match honors with a two-try performance. West played every match for the Dukes this fall, a rare run for a first-year.
B-side keeps the day going
The B-side followed with a 22-0 shutout. Christopher Kerr, Owen Flannery, Max Binder, and Chris Blasone each crossed for a try, and Michael Swingle added a conversion (1 of 4). Owen Flannery stood out across the full 80.
C-side at home
Back at home against Rocktown, the C-side completed an organizational sweep with a 24-17 win. Jamison Katz posted a hat trick and Nate Burch added the fourth try. Matthias Desch and Shane Dobosz split the conversion duties, each 1 of 2.
Coach's read: red zone is the off-season focus
Coach Mark Fowler pointed to red zone execution as the team's season-long weakness, the margin the Dukes left on the field week after week. Turning those visits into points, Fowler said, is where the staff's off-season work is headed.
Fowler also confirmed that Owen Flannery will return next season as an assistant coach, joining the sideline after capping his playing days with his standout B-side performance at Delaware.
Off-season and what is next
The staff will distribute off-season training programs at the team meeting after Thanksgiving. The club heads to Richmond in December for the James River Christmas sevens tournament. Sevens practices start in late January, with local fixtures from late February and spring 15s matches against VMI and UVA headlining the schedule.
Hospitality
Thanks to Delaware for the post-match hospitality.
The win closes the fall season at 6-2.
Watch the A-side archive: YouTube stream replay
