Franciscan battled through cold and rain to claim back-to-back RCS titles
February 25, 2026 by Hunter Lang in Recap
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The second iteration of the D-III River City Showdown brought together Nationals attendees and hopefuls from up and down the East Coast. It’s not often that we get to see early-season D-III tournaments with half the field being ranked within the Top 25 in our Power Rankings. The stage seemed set for a Sunday bracket that would have major bid implications for five different regions and provide some clarification on a crowded middle of the D-III hierarchy.
But after a day (and Friday night showcase game) of fairly chalky results, the New England and Metro East contingent left to avoid the coming snow, sacrificing potential bids (more on that below) and leaving us with a bracket of three teams each from the Atlantic Coast and Ohio Valley, and the #18 Berry Bucks as the lone team out of the Southeast. Though the tournament lost some intrigue ahead of bracket play, the remaining teams came out firing early on a cold and wet Richmond Sunday, where no one could match #8 Franciscan Fatal.
We’re breaking down the major games, players, and storylines from the debut of some of the division’s best.
Franciscan Fantastic in Romp Through River City Showdown Bracket
Franciscan had a fairly uneventful pool play experience, blowing out tournament 12- and 13-seeds Haverford and Christopher Newport, before dispatching semifinalist Berry 13-9. Once the tournament field shrank, Fatal were left with the weakest team left in the bracket: nine-seed Messiah Falcons.
After a 7-3 first half, it seemed like Franciscan was cruising towards the semifinals. But Messiah, who had gotten blown out by Rochester and UNC Asheville the previous day and only notched wins over William & Mary B, were not broken in the second half as they stormed back to make it Franciscan’s closest game of the tournament. With a close win against an opponent they had all but dispatched–a small roster playing its first tournament of the year–and heading into the semifinals against an undefeated and high-energy UNC Asheville team, there were certainly some questions about how Franciscan would react.
Those questions were quickly dispelled, with Fatal securing an easy hold and two breaks to go up 3-0. Though Franciscan would roll, #18 UNC Asheville Mudpuppy did their best to punch back, with a couple of big hucks and effort blocks by Owen Stout and Brandon Bass. Despite the defensive effort by Mudpuppy, Franciscan’s offense was a well-oiled machine, with the handler duo of Justin Wallace and Andrew Carmody easily distributing to star Jude Schmiesing, who often started offensive possessions in the cutter space and would create a huge chunk of yards before staying in the backfield and distributing himself. Schmiesing’s smooth break throws and ability to get open at will in the handler space made it incredibly easy for Fatal’s offense to not rush any decisions; worst-case scenario, they could just find Jude open in the backfield.
This was a theme throughout the tournament: whenever things started to go wrong for Franciscan, whether it was a multi-turn point or a long zone point, Schmiesing would take over and get his team out of trouble with a great throw, a possession-saving grab, or winning an upline in the red zone. Schmiesing may not have ended up with gaudy goal and assist numbers in the semis, but his big break throws directly led to easy assists from his teammates, who seemed happy to find Taylor Lange at the breakside cone constantly. No matter how many highlight blocks Mudpuppy got, Fatal stayed calm, forced a turn of their own, and punched in enough goals to comfortably win.
The final against #14 Richmond Spidermonkeys started the same way semis did for Franciscan: with Schmiesing, Wallace, and Carmody calmly working through a zone, and then the Fatal defense getting key blocks and being stingy with the disc. It was clear the Fatal coaching staff valued a strong start, as Schmiesing crossed over to defense and started points with towering pulls, putting Richmond in trouble before they could even start their offense. Franciscan’s Joseph Duerr made his presence felt early, serving as the deep help in a stingy zone and getting a resounding layout block on Richmond’s Tony Longo in what was a fun battle between skilled cutters.
After a hot 4-0 start by Franciscan, Longo would get one back for Richmond, scoring on a pretty away shot from Sassan Fahim. Despite being down three breaks almost instantly, the Spidermonkeys didn’t fold, securing two holds and a break of their own to make it 6-3 at half. Fatal’s zone gave Richmond fits to start the game, before the Spidermonkeys’ Eric Harnisher, Devon Shepherd, Longo, and Fahim broke through and gave the team some life.
The second half echoed the end of the first half, with Schmiesing and the Fatal offense throwing a punch, and Harnisher and Richmond returning one of their own. Lange scored for Franciscan off a dominator; Harnisher retaliated with a pretty crossfield hammer (which was one of the best throws of the day, given the wet conditions).
After two holds from each team to start the second half, Franciscan showed why they were the top team at the tournament, and this Ultiworld writer’s darkhorse pick for a national semifinal run. A Schmiesing pull pinned Richmond in the corner of their own end zone, and shutdown defense led to a throwaway and a one-throw score by Schmiesing. Another break made it 10-5. Richmond stopped the bleeding thanks to a cheeky Longo break after catching a huck from Gabe Gehtland.
But with hard cap closing in, Franciscan and Schmiesing were looking for a dagger. And after a fairly standard offensive set looked like it was going to result in an errant throwaway at the goal line, Schmiesing showed why he is on the shortlist for D-III Player of the Year. He pulled off one of the most acrobatic greatests I’ve seen in a long time, throwing the disc 25 yards across the end zone for a goal, all but sealing the game and securing a tournament win in dramatic fashion.
When asked about his team’s performance, Schmiesing credited the offense for its stability: “Despite there being a lot of great teams [at the tournament], we didn’t really see any defense that could stop us.”
Stats taken on Saturday by Fatal’s coaching staff back up that assertion: over their three pool play games, Fatal’s offense was on the field for ten minutes, while the defense was on the field for 50 minutes. Those numbers are staggering, and while it helps to win a couple of games via blowout and get more defensive points in the first place, the numbers tell a story of an efficient offense and a defense that makes opposing teams work hard, keeping them on the field and tiring them out.
Schmiesing also noted that, despite the small roster size, the team had the goal of being the best conditioned team whenever it stepped on the field. Needless to say, Fatal accomplished that goal this weekend, and Schmiesing, his offense, and his zero turn semis and final performance will be ready for the next defenses that try and slow down the Franciscan offensive machine.
Big Questions for Other Semis Teams
Richmond is certainly glad to make the final in their home tournament, but there are certainly concerns about the Spidermonkeys’ ability to punch up against the best in the division. Before losing to Franciscan, none of the other teams they played this weekend ranked inside the top 110 in the algorithm (Berry is currently 113, and Richmond beat them on universe 9-8). Richmond even had the added benefit of not having to play a quarterfinal due to Rochester dropping. The Spidermonkeys have long been able to pump out great break throwers, and Harnisher looks to be this year’s iteration, but in order to ease his offensive burden, Richmond needs more from their cutting corps; bigger downfield chunks and cutter-to-cutter connection will make this offense hum, and with young and hungry defense led by Fahim, they should be able to get back to Nationals.
UNC Asheville Mudpuppy were the big breakout team of the tournament (more below). They played an exciting defense based around their athletes’ ability to make big plays. But like Richmond, the Franciscan defense gave them fits. Maybe it was the weather, but Mudpuppy had trouble generating much on the offensive end, relying on heroic individual efforts from Brandon Bass, Owen Stout, and Adam Pohl to move their offense down the field. This defense is certainly Nationals-caliber, and if UNC Asheville can figure out even a slightly above average offense, and have their 17-man roster ready to run, they’ll be an incredibly dangerous and motivated team ready to take down anyone.
This weekend may have created more questions for the Berry Bucks than it answered. The top end of Berry’s roster can compete with almost anyone south of Middlebury: Mikey Curtis should be firmly in contention for All-Region as an offensive engine and defensive block artist, and James Clark has an array of crafty break throws and was a frustrating handler defender. But how much can they reasonably play? And who is going to step up in the cutter space, offensively and defensively? The third-place game against Asheville turned on its head when Mudpuppy started jacking up shots to their athletes; if Berry wants to win their region for a sixth straight season, they’ll need to make major strides in guarding the deep ball.
Best of the Rest
The surprise of the Sunday bracket, especially when looking at it in retrospect, is the Messiah Falcons playing Franciscan the closest out of anyone. In an otherwise difficult tournament for the Falcons, they had the best result against the champion. Maybe it’s regional familiarity, but maybe Messiah tapped into something that can carry them the rest of the season and into an always-exciting Ohio Valley Regionals.
After a gutsy comeback in the Friday showcase game, it was incredibly disappointing to see Davidson DUFF fail to blow out SUNY-Cortland on Saturday and then get blown out by regional rival UNC Asheville in bracket on Sunday. Friday night, Davidson was carried by their deep ball: Wesley Smail and Truman Sandy were maestros in the backfield, and almost brought DUFF back from a multi-break hole. If Davidson can recapture some of that offensive play, they can challenge the deep top of the Atlantic Coast. If not, this senior-heavy DUFF squad will end their season the same way all Davidson teams have since their magical 2017 run to the national final.
Oberlin Flying Horsecows were a dark horse pick to go far in the tournament, and the makings of a nationally competitive team are there. A win against a Wesleyan team that was at Nationals last year is great sign. Losses to Brandeis and Berry, however, point towards being closer to an ever-growing middle of the pack. Jack Ryan looked calm in the backfield, like someone who can lead an offense. The Flying Horsecows’ defense was generating pressure, particularly with their zone. But a tough second half against Berry put an end to them testing themselves against the tournament’s top end. It may be difficult for the Ohio Valley to earn a second bid, so the question for Oberlin is whether they can put it all together and knock off Franciscan at Regionals.
Stock Watch
Up: One-on-One Defense
With the rainy conditions on Sunday, playing offense was a slog. Between pressure zones and slippery conditions making deep shots less viable, strong person defense, and star individual defenders, were highly correlated with deep bracket runs.
Brandon Bass (UNC Asheville) – No player this weekend created more sideline pandemonium than Brandon Bass. Almost every single one of his blocks could be heard from multiple fields away, both by the force with which he would hurl himself at the disc and by the shock and awe coming from both sidelines when he connected. Sooner or later, teams will stop throwing at him, and all of us will be robbed of the highlight blocks that he seems to produce with ease.
Owen Stout (UNC Asheville) – Owen Stout is the heart and soul of a rising UNC Asheville team, and while most may see him as the leader of their offense, he was the best defensive player I saw this weekend. Nobody combined lockdown defense with block-getting quite like he did. He was getting shutdowns in the backfield and big layout blocks downfield, all while being among the highest-touch players at the tournament.
Sassan Fahim (Richmond) – The best way to describe Sassan Fahim is that he’s a pest. Nobody at the tournament stayed closer to their matchup than Fahim. At times, it felt like he was wearing his matchup’s jersey and cleats. Not only did he generate more shutdowns than almost anyone else I watched, he had a knack for accelerating through unders and getting run-through blocks that a football cornerback would turn into a pick-six. On a day when no one was stopping Jude Schmiesing, Fahim did more than anyone else to slow him down and make him work for everything he got.
Joseph Duerr (Franciscan) – Whether it’s winning a jump ball in a pile or getting a monster layout block on an under, Duerr showcased his ability to generate blocks all over the field this weekend. His size alone dissuaded teams from even looking his way for large parts of the tournament, and when they did, he made them pay. Duerr is the prototypical big defender that all teams need to compete on tournament Sundays.
James Clark (Berry) – It’s hard to identify good handler defenders just by looking at block numbers, and Clark’s block numbers for the weekend might not jump off the page, but if you ask anyone he guarded, they would certainly agree that he gave them trouble. Despite playing a lot of offense, Clark frustrated opposing handlers on a turn, both denying them in the backfield and creating problems with his mark.
Gavin Kinch (Messiah) – After losing senior centerpiece Ryan Silvis to injury from a bad bid on Saturday, the Falcons turned to junior Kinch to take on the opponent’s best players. In Sunday’s first round against Franciscan, Kinch was tasked with the Schmiesing matchup. Kinch’s quick feet and a quicker layout trigger were able to push Franciscan’s handler downfield just enough to force Fatal to work through their less-lauded throwers. In a division where one star player can be the difference maker, look for Kinch to try to power Messiah to a strong regionals showing, and maybe even an All-Region ballot.
Down: New England and Metro East Strength Bid Chances
Winter weather has hit the college season particularly hard, and now D-III bid implications may be impacted. Five teams (Wesleyan, Brandeis, Rochester, Haverford, and SUNY-Cortland) left the tournament early, forgoing the opportunity to play Sunday games in order to drive north and beat the coming snow. While that likely ended up being the smart travel decision, it may seriously hurt their regions’ bid chances, especially the Metro East. Wesleyan, Brandeis, and Rochester were all in contention to play in the championship bracket on Sunday, well set up to steal rankings points away from a suddenly deep Atlantic Coast. Wesleyan and Brandeis are scheduled to be at D-III Easterns, so they’ll have another shot at winning some games outside of their region, but their margin for error is now almost nonexistent.
Perhaps the bigger problem is teams not hitting the USAU 10-game minimum for earning a bid. If D-III Easterns has a standard six-game schedule, teams that left River City Showdown will be one game short of bid-earning eligibility. Perhaps they schedule on-off games amongst themselves in order to reach the threshold. But if not, not only will there be fewer Nationals bids in the northeast regions, but expect to see strong teams missing out on regionals altogether due to fewer available bids from sectionals.
Up: UNC Asheville Mudpuppy
No team surprised me more this weekend than UNC Asheville. Going into the weekend, I expected very little from a small roster and a program that hadn’t made a game-to-go since Jacob Warshauer was a Donovan finalist in 2019, and I argued against their inclusion in the top 20 of last week’s Power Rankings.
I will not make that mistake again. Mudpuppy played their hearts out this weekend; no team at the complex was more willing to hit the ground, get up, and do it again. They play a brand of physical defense that we haven’t seen in the ivdision in some time, and while the offense struggled at times in the wet conditions, their ability to generate blocks from out of nowhere kept them in every game. Along with the aforementioned Owen Stout and Brandon Bass, players like Jackson Carawan, Adam Pohl, and Forrest Nottingham were making big plays all over the field.
When they were down late against Franciscan, I couldn’t shake the feeling that one big block at an opportune time would start them on a run that could win them the game. Expect them to make some noise at D-III Easterns, and come Sunday of Atlantic Coast Regionals, the typical top of the AC should be hoping that Mudpupy are on the opposite side of the bracket.
Down: Two-Bid Southeast
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Despite the famous quote originating in the 80s, years before the existence of the People’s Division, the author was actually talking about what it feels like to hope for a multi-bid Southeast. As mentioned in last week’s Power Rankings, the Southeast has never had more than one bid since the creation of the Division in 2011. With a strong Ave Maria team returning to D-III and a Berry team coming off five straight Nationals appearances, this seemed like the best chance in years for multiple bids, especially with both teams having strong algorithm performances at Florida Warm Up.
Saturday was a solid showing for the Berry Bucks, with big wins over Christopher Newport and Haverford, but a four-point loss to eventual champions Franciscan. The story of Sunday, though, was squandered opportunities in the semifinal against Richmond and the third-place game against UNC Asheville. In both games, they gave up multiple breaks late and lost on universe point. Though the algorithm doesn’t care about wins and losses, the late-game collapses resulted in two- or three-point swings, which certainly add up. Berry will have one more chance to salvage the two-bid dream when they, and many other bid-earning hopefuls, travel down to Wilmington for D-III Easterns.
