BOYDS, Md. -- The Kutztown University men's rugby team solidified its status as the Collegiate Rugby Championship National 7s tournament favorite, outscoring Southern Nazarene, Dartmouth and Michigan a combined 89-26, Friday, on its way to a spot in the national semifinals at the Maryland SoccerPlex.

The Golden Bears will face Iowa Central CC in the Premier Cup Semifinals at 5:12 p.m., on Saturday. The winner will face either Babson or Wheeling in the national championship match at 8:30 p.m., with the loser heading to the third-place match at 7:56 p.m. All of Saturday's matches for Kutztown will be streamed live on The Rugby Network.

PREMIER CUP FIRST ROUND
Kutztown 30, Southern Nazarene 7
 
Coming off back-to-back championships at the Fighting Irish Invitational and Monumental 7s CRC qualifying tournaments, Kutztown was out to make a statement in its quest for a second sevens national championship in the last three years.
 
Less than 10 seconds into its opening round matchup in the Premier Cup against Southern Nazarene, the Golden Bears took the opening kick back for an immediate try by Archie Grayson (Bristol, England/Clifton College) for a 5-0 advantage.
 
With just under three minutes remaining in the first half and Southern Nazarene pinned on its heels, Benedict Quinn (York, England/St Peter's School) went in for a try on the right side, extending KU's lead to 10-0.
 
In the blink of an eye, the Golden Bears were back in the try zone as Cameron Thurtell (London, England/Pearson Edexcel) collected a clean take of Grayson's restart and went in untouched along the right touchline. The quick try pushed Kutztown's advantage to 15-0, but the Bears weren't done yet.
 
Just 60 seconds remained in the first half following Thurtell's try but that was more than enough for the tournament's top seed. KU stole the ball away from the Crimson Storm and Aidan Smith (Trumbull, Conn./Trumbull) punched it in for five more to make it 20-0 at the half.
 
Just like in the first half, Kutztown registered a lightning-quick try at the start of the second. It was Quinn doing the honors for the second time as the Bears went up 25-0.
 
Kutztown kept SNU off the board until late in the second half. The defensive effort of the Golden Bears with the Crimson Storm deep in KU territory was valiant but eventually SNU was able to record a try and conversion for its only points of the match with just over two minutes to go.
 
The Bears delivered the final blow in advancing to the second round as Smith scooped up the ensuing SNU kick and blew past everyone on his way to his second try of the day and a 30-7 victory.
 
Lineup:
#3 Archie Grayson (Bristol, England/Clifton College)
#7 Cameron Thurtell (London, England/Pearson Edexcel)
#12 Giorgi Kuparadze (Brooklyn, N.Y./P.S. 162 John Golden)
#13 Mate Kvirikashvili (Kutaisi, Georgia/Monroe Woodbury (N.Y.))
#15 Benedict Quinn (York, England/St Peter's School)
#20 Aidan Smith (Trumbull, Conn./Trumbull)
#22 Chris Cleland (Chalfont, Pa./Central Bucks West)
 
Reserves:
#2 Alex Richard (Somerset, England/Millfield)
#6 Rowan Sierra (Hartford, Conn./Conard)
#10 Lasha Asanidze (Tbilisi, Georgia/Blackrock College)
#18 Andrew Sampson (Crescent, Pa./Moon Area)
 

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PREMIER CUP SECOND ROUND
Kutztown 28, Dartmouth 12
 
The 2022 CRC 7s national championship combatants met up in the second round of this year's tournament.
 
Kutztown, which won its first 7s national title over the Big Green by a 17-12 score in New Orleans two seasons ago, had to sweat that one out to the final whistle. The Golden Bears had no such issues this time around, capturing a 28-12 victory that sent them on to the quarterfinals.
 
A stellar tackle from Thurtell with Dartmouth threatening early forced the ball loose and over the touchline, allowing Kutztown to take possession just outside its own 22-metre line.
 
KU hastily worked the ball across the field and into the hands of freshman Giorgi Kuparadze (Brooklyn, N.Y./P.S. 162 John Golden). Kuparadze steamrolled his way over a Big Green defender and outraced the remaining six Dartmouth players right between the sticks for the Bears' initial try. Archie Grayson (Bristol, England/Clifton College) added the conversion for a 7-0 KU lead.
 
After an extended run of play in the midfield, Smith offloaded to Mate Kvirikashvili (Kutaisi, Georgia/Monroe Woodbury (N.Y.)) around the Dartmouth 10-metre line and the 2022 CRC 7s Tournament MVP danced inside to elude a defender and put down another try inside the sticks uncontested. It set up another routine conversion, which Kvirikashvili finished off himself, for a 14-0 halftime score.
 
Dartmouth took early possession in the second half following a kickoff infraction by the Bears, but Kutztown regained possession just over a minute later. Deep in his own territory, Benedict Quinn (York, England/St Peter's School) beat his defender to the edge one-on-one and found nothing but green grass in front of him. Quinn went coast-to-coast for a third Kutztown try and nailed the conversion, widening his team's lead to 21-0.
 
The Big Green broke their goose egg with three minutes remaining on a try, but the conversion was unsuccessful as the KU lead shrunk by just five, 21-5.
 
Any hopes Dartmouth might have envisioned of a comeback were soon erased. Chris Cleland (Chalfont, Pa./Central Bucks West), a junior transfer who helped Mount St. Mary's to a 7s title in 2023, took the restart and got the ball in play for KU. Great ball movement from the Bears resulted in Henry Thomas (Whitekirk, Scotland/Loretto School) racing in from the halfway line untouched for the Bears' final try of the match. Kvirikashvili added the conversion for a 28-5 advantage.
 
Lineup:
#3 Archie Grayson (Bristol, England/Clifton College)
#7 Cameron Thurtell (London, England/Pearson Edexcel)
#12 Giorgi Kuparadze (Brooklyn, N.Y./P.S. 162 John Golden)
#13 Mate Kvirikashvili (Kutaisi, Georgia/Monroe Woodbury (N.Y.))
#15 Benedict Quinn (York, England/St Peter's School)
#20 Aidan Smith (Trumbull, Conn./Trumbull)
#22 Chris Cleland (Chalfont, Pa./Central Bucks West)
 
Reserves:
#2 Alex Richard (Somerset, England/Millfield)
#6 Rowan Sierra (Hartford, Conn./Conard)
#10 Lasha Asanidze (Tbilisi, Georgia/Blackrock College)
#11 Henry Thomas (Whitekirk, Scotland/Loretto School)
#18 Andrew Sampson (Crescent, Pa./Moon Area)
 

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PREMIER CUP QUARTERFINALS
Kutztown 31, Michigan 7
 
Kutztown marched right through Michigan on its journey towards a national championship, Friday evening. The Golden Bears scored early and often to overwhelm the Wolverines, 31-7, in the quarterfinal round.
 
Less than 30 seconds in, Aidan Smith (Trumbull, Conn./Trumbull) caught Michigan flatfooted and broke away from the halfway line to touch down for a try inside the sticks. Archie Grayson (Bristol, England/Clifton College) added the conversion for a 7-0 lead.
 
The Wolverines were under siege again immediately when Cameron Thurtell (London, England/Pearson Edexcel) went up to snag the kickoff from Grayson. A card to Michigan put the Golden Bears a player up and they struck soon thereafter on a nice pass from Mate Kvirikashvili (Kutaisi, Georgia/Monroe Woodbury (N.Y.)) to Grayson along the left touchline. Grayson did the rest, taking it in to push the lead to 12-0.
 
Michigan got its first possession on the next restart, but the Bears employed a smothering defense that produced a quick turnover when Giorgi Kuparadze (Brooklyn, N.Y./P.S. 162 John Golden) knocked the ball loose from his Wolverine counterpart.
 
Kutztown came out of a scrum weaving and causing whiplash for Michigan, as Benedict Quinn (York, England/St Peter's School) sliced his way into the try zone. Grayson added his second conversion of the match, allowing the lead to balloon to 19-0.
 
The theme of the day was relentlessness, as the Golden Bears produced try after try. By the six-minute mark of the first half, they had their fourth against the Wolverines. This time it was courtesy of Kvirikashvili, who took a deft offload from Chris Cleland (Chalfont, Pa./Central Bucks West) all the way for a 24-0 halftime advantage.
 
Michigan put seven on the board near the midway point of the second half before Kutztown answered in short order with another long run for a try. Cleland drew Wolverine defenders his way and passed off to Henry Thomas (Whitekirk, Scotland/Loretto School) for a try in the 12th minute. Lasha Asanidze (Tbilisi, Georgia/Blackrock College) capped the scoring with the conversion to make it 31-7.
 
Lineup:
#3 Archie Grayson (Bristol, England/Clifton College)
#7 Cameron Thurtell (London, England/Pearson Edexcel)
#12 Giorgi Kuparadze (Brooklyn, N.Y./P.S. 162 John Golden)
#13 Mate Kvirikashvili (Kutaisi, Georgia/Monroe Woodbury (N.Y.))
#15 Benedict Quinn (York, England/St Peter's School)
#20 Aidan Smith (Trumbull, Conn./Trumbull)
#22 Chris Cleland (Chalfont, Pa./Central Bucks West)
 
Reserves:
#2 Alex Richard (Somerset, England/Millfield)
#10 Lasha Asanidze (Tbilisi, Georgia/Blackrock College)
#11 Henry Thomas (Whitekirk, Scotland/Loretto School)
#19 Ben Collison (St Albans, England/St Albans School)