The time between winning a semifinal game and playing for the championship can be a long, edgy wait -- just imagine what it's like to wait six months.

That's what Notre Dame College had to do before it could be crowned DIAA champion last Saturday. NDC secured its place in the full season final after defeating Bowling Green in the fall title game back on December 4, The Falcons of NDC had to wait until late April to find out who they would play.

"It was challenging," Notre Dame College center Zack Forro said. "It was… different. We had to make sure we had good, challenging opponents to play leading into the final. That gave us a chance to self-evaluate, and then work on that in practices."

Forro said team play and fitness were the things to worry about, and all of the players knew it, so they worked hard to stay in mid-season form. But they pulled together. Talent all over, and depth, too, the Falcons drew strength from the shared workload.

"It's amazing to be a part of this team," said Forro, who got his start in rugby his senior year at Ohio's Mentor High School. "It's in every aspect a family. It started with investing in a culture, and at first I didn't understand what that meant. But the coaches have worked hard on instilling that culture in us, and really it means giving that name on the front of the jersey a value. It means showing up every day and working hard, helping teammates with studying or whatever they need. I know I could call every one of these guys, from Ohio or Scotland or Australia, and if I needed something I could depend on them. It's a very cool experience."

But they still had to execute on the day and take care of a UC Davis team that had won two straight DIAA titles.

"Going into this game, a lot of it was making sure we capitalize on what we're able to do and minimizing our mistakes," Forro said. "But the early going was eerily similar to last year's game; we were doing a lot of positive things, but those little mistakes, things like retaining ball in set pieces, was causing us to fall behind. We needed to make sure our rookies were ready and that they didn't allow the atmosphere or the hype change the way we'd played that got us there in the first place. And the returning guys remember to avoid the mistakes we made last year."

It started and ended with defense, and it was patience, teamwork, and defense that produced a 40-20 victory for NDC. Forro scored the opening try for the Falcons, which, with Logan Weinstock's conversion, put them up 7-6 at halftime. And then a repeat of the fall final, as a period of defense was ended when Roneil Reynolds nabbed a loose ball and was gone for a pick-five and conversion.

The ghosts of the past turned out to be good ghosts for NDC.

The season may now be over for Forro, but rugby and responsibilities are not over. Forro will return for another year at NDC, but he's also got more on his plate. A member of the U.S. Army National Guard, Forro will be playing for the All-Army team this summer. He has been active with his National Guard unit -- the Ohio Army National Guard 371st Sustainment Brigade -- through the season and missed a few rugby gams as a result.

"It's a busy life, and I've grown to handle it and enjoy it," Forro said. "Right now, as I'm wrapping things up and looking ahead to the summer and playing with the All-Army team, it's almost weird now because I have so much time on my hands. The 371st has been very supportive of my decision to play rugby. They've helped me make up drill and have been really flexible. Coach (Jason) Fox at Notre Dame College has also been very understanding when I have missed games."

The 371st is actually leaving on deployment, and Forro, still in school, won't join them. But he continues to send his support. 

In fact, rugby became big for Forro when he himself was on deployment.

"I'd played a year in high school, and I found out I was good at it, but I really started to get it when I was in Kuwait," said Forro, who was in Kuwait with the U.S. Army. "You'd show up to practices, and there are guys in the Fijian Army -- one of them had played for the Fijian national team. There were French helicopter pilots and German schoolteachers. No one spoke the same language, but everyone spoke a rugby language."

Military rugby is interesting in that the ranks go out the window. An enlisted soldier could easily be the captain of the team because he is the best rugby leader.

"We had a full colonel playing who was new to the game, so he deferred to more experienced players and totally understood his role," Forro said. "That's what's great about the game. Everyone on a team knows and understands his role, and then you come together."

Like a family.