There is a cliché about cream rising to the top in big events.

On a hot day in Yonkers, New York, the crème was curdled by 32 degree temperatures, but it still rose, steadily, mightily, and with authority.

At the end of it all, through sweat and determination, the Baltimore-Washington Eagles took with them a cup signifying their victory at the Eastern Regional Tournament for 2016.

Though the Philadelphia Hawks were the only team with an official USAFL ranking coming into the tournament at number 19, the Eagles had just barely missed out on the Top 20 and the North Carloina Tigers had amassed a number of votes earlier in the season.

There was a time when Baltimore-Washington had Philadelphia’s number, not to mention that of everyone else in the league. 

Over the past two seasons, however, the tables turned, and the Hawks ran off four straight wins over the Eagles before finally losing in Virginia last season. 

The teams had equilibrated, and a good match was in order to kick off the day.

Philly brought just a dozen players up the turnpike to compete, and they were augmented by reserve players from New York and later Boston. 

But in the early going it was they who had the chances going forward and Kris Decker, the Victorian native making his second stint with the Hawks, kicked the game’s first goal.   

The Eagles had an answer, and it was the youngest player to take the field on the day, 16-year-old CJ Adams, who would open his team’s account.

The Eagles had a 12-8 lead at half-time, and the Hawks would continue to control play and push inside their offensive 50. 

Hard working forwards Jon Ginsburg, Greg Glasgow, and Ray Cascella augmented Decker’s play up front, and speedy rookie Trey Thatcher wreaked havoc alongside vets Jon Loring and Dan Greenberg.

For all their bluster, however, the Eagles defensive corps, led by Bort Edwards and Ryan Cartwright, forced the Hawks into jittery kicking. 

The Hawks would finish with just two majors from eight total scores, and the efficiency of the Eagles’ offence led to the winning score, again off the younger Adams’ foot.  

Though Philly got to within one point, their inaccuracy doomed them in a 19-18 Eagles’ win.

Recovery time was at a premium for Philadelphia, because they now had to turn around and play Carolina. 

The odds seemed to favour the Hawks, as they had beaten North Carolina in four of their last five contests.  But this was a different day, and the Tiges had with them some fresh blood to mix in with the old.

Nick Bradley nearly got leather poisoning in the opening twenty minutes, and try as they could, Philly’s defence was helpless to stop him. 

Mike Felland and Pete Capozziello found holes with which to take marks and sped their way to a 16-point halftime lead. 

The curly haired duo of Stu McKenzie and Erik Hanson shredded the middle of Hawks’ attack like a block of Beemster through a cheese grater and peppered shot after shot at the goals. 

 In the end, North Carolina came out on top in a 57-19 thrashing.

That meant the final game of the day in the division, a clash between the Eagles and the Tigers, was a de facto Grand Final.

 The game lived up to that of a Grand Final, with both teams going hard at the footy and the game bordering on chippy. 

The umpiring crew quashed any of that nonsense quickly by sending off players, and the crème that rose to the top in the end was that of a delicious encounter between two long-time foes.

The Eagles played the opposite role of that in the first game, as they were the less accurate to their opponent’s more efficient goal kicking. 

Kit Drury rose to the occasion – almost literally – taking some of the best marks of the day and converting on a couple of scoring opportunities. 

Jay Levesque was equally as good in the middle, and would go on to win Best and Fairest as a result. 

Though Carolina had only had four scoring shots to Baltimore’s nine, they made them all count and were only down ten points.

Hitting picked up and so did the ferocity of the play, with Bradley, Fellend and the North Carolina attack putting the pressure on. 

They were met by veteran Danny Seow, and hard hitting ruck Tracy Williams. 

Though both teams would each get two major scores in the final stanza, the play of the Eagles was slightly more impressive, with individual performances abounding. 

The work rate of Keith Thornburg was impressive, as he was able to get to a ball late that led to Levesque’s game clincher.  

The Baltimore-Washington Eagles eventually triumphed 49-39 and claimed its first USAFL trophy since the Division 2 National title in 2007.

“Coming into the tournament the club looked at it as an opportunity to see what worked and what didn't,” Eagles coach Robert Stankovic said. 

“We tried a few different things. We were obviously happy with the outcome, but more pleasing was the opportunity it gave us to see where we are as a team at this point of the season.

“Moving forward we will work to improve on the identified deficiencies while maintaining and enhancing our strengths. We look forward to a strong showing the rest of the year and at nationals.”

Baltimore-Washington Eagles 3.1.19 def Philadelphia 2.6.18
North Carolina 8.9.57 def Philadelphia 3.1.19
Baltimore-Washington Eagles 7.7.49 def North Carolina Tigers 6.3.39

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