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Show Rugby season ends 'Cats' season ends with playoff loss to rival Utah State University Don't be so upset Cheering for the underdog enhances sports experiences By Braeden Jensen correspondent 1 Ihe Signpost • •' The Weber State University Men's Rugby Team finished off their season with a close game in the Division II playoffs, losing by seven to Utah State, the team heavily favored to win the tournament and go on to play in the national tournament in California. ' Utah State jumped on the Wildcats early, but WSU was able to come back in the second half by holding USU close to their own goal line for much of the second half, but were not able to finish off the comeback. "We did pretty well, all things considered," said Club President Bruno Silva. "We played them really well in the second half. They were back in their end zone the whole time, we just couldn't pull it out." WSU's team featured a lot of new faces this year, with only about five returning players. They played well during the part ofjhe season during fall 2009, winning about half of their games. MS IS Those games kind of a decided the seeding of rebuilding the division tournament, year, only and the five guys results ended returned, and up seeding WSU against the rest were rival Utah State. brand new." "This is kind of a - Bruno Silva r e b u i l d i n g year," Silva club president said. "Only I?1 J. five guys returned, and the rest were brand new." WSU has a tradition of being one of the powerhouse teams in the state, and even on a national level. They gained good experience by playing teams like the University of Utah PHOTO BY CATHERINE MORTIMER | THf SICNPOS1 The Weber State University Rugby Club competes in a game earlier this season. this year, who is ranked number three nationally, and also by playing teams that are in the rebuilding phase along with WSU, like Southern Utah University. The team said they feel like this season was a success, but with the experience they have gained this season, they look to find that winning tradition again. "Over the season, we improved quite a bit," said Steve Bench, a player on the team. "We should have most everybody coming back, and a coach that is really WSU SPORT** going to help us out. We have talked about tradition - the tradition of winning and being a top program. We have kind of let that go and we want to bring back that winning tradition of heart and determination. Our focus is going to be becoming a powerhouse again; we can't lose sight of that tradition." The team saw attendance at their games grow steadily throughout the year, See Rugby page 7 There aren't many things that send chills down the spine quite like a good upset. Watching a team that has been told it isn't as good as its opponent surprise skeptics, analysts, fans and maybe even themselves, makes for a great story. Look at al! ol" the great sports stories. Rarely do you get a tear-jerker that focuses on the team everyone is expecting to win, doing just that. It's when teams and players dig to new depths of competition to defeat the odds that great stories are made. This year's NCAA tournament has been a great example. I was torn while watching the No. 9 seed Northern Iowa face the No. 1 seed Kansas. Yeah, I went with the chalk and took Kansas all the way, but I was excited to see Northern Iowa make it to the next round. The jubilation on the faces of the Panther players was something a person doesn't get to see very often. When UNI's Ali Farokhmanesh drained a seemingly selfish three-pointer to destroy brackets around the nation, he also created history that his family, friends and school will talk about for years to come. Even when your team is the favorite, a good upset is undeniably cool. It was heartbreaking watching the Weber State Men's Basketball Team drop a 20-point halftime lead in the Big Sky Conference championship game. The University of Montana was playing a completely different game than they had all season. It looked like WSU was going to hand Montana a devastating loss. Enter Anthony lohnson. Johnson, a Montana senior and team captain, scored 21 straight points for the Grizzlies and stole the championship from the No. 1 seeded Wildcats. It was indescribably disappointing for the Wildcats, but unbelievably memorable for Johnson and his family. On Saturday afternoon, Butler upset Kansas State to advance to the Final Four for the first time in school history. This came after Butler made it to the Elite Eight for, again, the first time in school history. It was See Upset page 7 Win sends No. 5 Butler to Final Four By Eddie Pells writer I Associated Press vs. University of Nevada, 2 and 4 p.m., vs. University of Utah, 2 and 4 p.m., [den, Utah. ^;,-. fcjcand Field, Cougar Invitational, Provo, Utah. ro^ Tennis vs. Northern Arizona University, 2 , Ogden/Utah. *# fojipenfcTtennis vs. Northern Arizona University, .,Uiah. 7.is vs. University of Northern Colorado, 'en's Tennis vs. University of Northern f&o, 10 I E , Ogden, Utah. ,^. il£. Cowboy Qassic, Scottsdale, Ariz. Golf, Wyoming Cowgirl Classic, e^Ariz. IS" finis vs. University of Montana, noon, vs. Utah State University, noon, SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Every day they walk into practice, they also walk onto a movie set - the one where they filmed the story about the little team that gets its big chance and lives out the unthinkable dream. That's the story of "Hoosiers." That's also the story of Butler - the team that's reminding' everyone that big schools with big money don't have a monopoly on everything in big-time sports. Yes, the boys from Butler did it - getting 22 points from Gordon Hayward to defeat Kansas State 63-56 in the West Regional final Saturday and advance to the Final Four. Next, the Bulldogs take their 24-game winning streak to downtown Indy. Though only five miles from the Butler campus, it's hard to think of many programs that have taken a longer, more unlikely road to get this close to a championship. "It'd be just as cool if we moved it to Hinkle," Butler coach Brad Stevens said of his team's fieldhouse. "I'd be all for that" No such luck." Still, the fifthsqgded Bulldogs (32-4) are writing See Butler page 7 SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS Butler's Willie Veasley (21) puts up a shot over Kansas State's Dominique Sutton during the first half of the NCAA West Regional final College basketball game in Salt Lake City, Saturday, March 27, 2010. |