PANTHERS

2005

Host site: Greenville, SC

Participants: Lehigh, Duke, Western Connecticut State University

Semi-finals: Furman 36 Lehigh 7, Duke 20, WCSU 15

Consolation: WCSU 15 Lehigh 10

Championship: Furman 17 Duke 12

Most Valuable Player: Will Brantley, Furman

With 17 minutes remaining in the DIII finals, the prospects of victory for the Furman men's rugby team seemed bleak.

A shoulder injury to center Mikael Jacobs and the earlier loss of Captain Greg Dover, had taken a punch out of the Paladin's backline. Duke, a feisty, smart team was leading 12-0 and had frustrated the Furman offense
throughout the first 60 minutes.

With approximately 800 fans looking on in Paladin Stadium, the men's team staged a furious rally in the final quarter to claim its third consecutive East Coast Division III title.

Scott Greenwood, a sophomore prop, put the Paladins on the board with 16:40 remaining on a designed five-meter line penalty play that the team has rehearsed all year.

With 12 minutes remaining and still trailing 12-7, Furman kicker Michael Parker was preparing to line-up for a 25 meter, straight away penalty that, if successful, would have cut the Duke lead to two.

As Parker, a senior, lined the ball up, seniors on the team implored Coach John Roberts to reverse his call and let the team push ahead for the try. Trusting his instincts and the pleas of his squad, Roberts diverted from the game plan and put the game in his player's hand.

They rewarded him and the enthusiastic crowd with a try at the 11-minute mark when freshman Keith Knowlton burst into the try zone for a try. James Chappell, a junior, put Furman ahead for good with a try at the five-minute mark.

Duke, worn down by the Paladin's greater size, mustered a rally attempt with three minutes remaining, driving to the Furman 15-meter-line. But the Paladins turned back the resilient Blue Devils claim the squad's third consecutive DIII championship.

Will Brantley, a Furman senior, was named tournament most valuable player. The Paladins, who advanced the final game a 36-7 victory over Lehigh Saturday, close the season with a 10-1 record. The team is 27-1 over the past three seasons.