News
Thu, Apr 19, 2012 - [Rugby]
Wayne, NE
On April 14-15, the NSCRO PacWest Region Men's Division 3 Championship was held at the magnificent Wayne Rugby Park in Wayne, Nebraska. California Maritime Academy and Wayne State College battled in high winds in the Sunday final. Cal Maritime led all the way to win 29-12 and earn the right to participate in the NSCRO National Championship at Infinity Park in Glendale, Colorado on April 28-29.
On Saturday, the first semifinal match was held under ominous skies, between the host Wayne State Wildcats and the University of Texas-Dallas Comets. Wayne State, the Great Plains RFU D3 Champion, qualified for this event by winning the November NSCRO PacWest Qualifier by beating Colorado College, the Eastern Rockies RFU D3 Champion, in the final. UTD had just finished an amazing inaugural first year of rugby with an improbable Texas RU D3 Championship. Led by long-time rugby coach Tony Wagner, UTD came north to Nebraska as a 'Cinderella' story. Unfortunately the "glass slipper" did not fit and Wayne State scrapped and clawed their way in the first half to take a commanding 34-0 lead. 2 quick tries in the first 7 minutes along with 4 late first half tries. WSC was led by scrumhalf Taylor Foster's 2 tries and the play of flankers Travis Erickson and Justin Johnson. Right at halftime, the ominous skies gave way to lightning and thunder under the key "30 second rule" and everyone - players, officials and fans alike - went to available shelters that were readily available in anticipation of the weather as part of NSCRO's lightning safety protocol. The delay lasted nearly 90 minutes. Both teams returned key to continue. UTD had regrouped and played a very solid second half scoring the first try of the second half on a fine run by center Nathan Sohadaseni. Wayne State however replied with 2 tries of their own including one by standout flyhalf David Synnott. Final score 44-7 to Wayne State.
The next semifinal match found the Loggers of the University of Puget Sound representing the Pacific Northwest RFU facing off against the Keelhaulers from California Maritime Academy representing the Northern California RFU. Despite starting much later than scheduled due to the lightning delay, it was a quick hard-hitting affair from the opening kickoff. UPS was relentless in their attack. CMA defended well but were penalized a few times. Twice within kicking distance, UPS attempted to score but 2 penalty goal attempts failed as did a couple of goalline attacks. CMA responded better as the half progressed with strong running by no. 8 Lonnie Shankling. The match was scoreless until CMA winger and captain Kevin Hawke barely dotted down in the corner as he was driving into touch to make it 5-0 with 8 minutes left in the half. CMA's continued its plan with 10-man rugby in the second to wear down the UPS forwards. The bigger and more athletic Keelhaulers were able to gain ground from pick'n'go attacks around rucks. No. 8 Shankling drove over the goal at the 9 minute mark for a try to make it 10-0. 10 minutes later, No. 8 Shankling scored again. When fullback Will Fitzpatrick kicked a penalty goal with 10 minutes left, CMA held an 18-0. A few minutes later UPS flyhalf Cole McIlvaine made a penalty goal and the match ended 18 to 3 in CMA's favor.
On a sunny Sunday morning, the Loggers faced the Comets for 3rd place. Whoever would have imagined that boys from Tacoma would battle Texans from Dallas and in the Great Plains of Nebraska....and then on a rugby pitch. Wow...pretty cool I must say. Both teams had something to prove after their Saturday losses. They both played inspired rugby and were evenly matched. UTD's flyhalf Vince Dutton kicked a penalty goal 4 minutes into the match while UPS flanker Nick Butterfield answered a few minutes later with a try scored from a lineout at the 5m line. Butterfield would dot down another at the 20 minute mark when he dove over with a rucked ball to give UPS a 10-3 lead. Just before halftime, UTD winger Luke Lewis found the goalline and scored a try. UPS led UTD 10-8 at halftime. Dutton opened the second half scoring with a 50 meter penalty goal and UPS regained the lead 11-10. Both teams began to open their benches and fought evenly until 15 minutes were left when Logger Mike Hammer scored to put give UPS the lead once again at 15-11. In the last 10 minutes, UPS took charge and scored 3 more tries and the match ended in UPS's favor 32-11. Both teams had accomplished a lot this season and should have a lot of pride in their accomplishments. Both teams were ably supported all weekend by fans including parents who made long trips to be there.
For the final, the winds came blowing off the Plains...and more than 'just in song'. Strong winds indeed with 30MPH or higher gusts. It was blowing from one end of the pitch to the other. Both Wayne State and Cal Maritime had to adjust their game plans accordingly. CMA kicked off and Wayne State misjudged the kick in the wind to allow CMA to gain possession. CMA wasted no time and went on attack and pounded the Wildcats goalline but were met with solid resistance. With 4 minutes gone, powerhouse no. 8 Lonnie Shankling picked up a rucked ball and drove over the goalline to give the Keelhaulers a 5-0 lead. Wayne State had trouble gaining ball possession and CMA used ball control to keep the pressure on. The Wildcats hit hard and put up a great defense that CMA could not easily penetrate. So scrumhalf Jason Herring put up a sweet kick that winger Travis Quesenberry gathered and scored giving his side a 10-0 lead about halfway that the first half. A few minutes later Wildcat fullback Taylor Helton took a kicked ball and ran 50 meters through 3 attempted tackles to score a thrilling try and bring the home crowd of nearly 200 fans to their feet. Synnott's touchline conversion added to the Wayne State resurgence. Down only 10-7 as the half was winding down, CMA's Tommy Cropper's try with under 2 minutes left propelled the Keelhaulers into a 15-7 halftime lead which may have taken a bit of the steam out the Wildcats engine. Cropper had just replaced starting center Paul Stetson who left the match with an injured leg.
The second half found Wayne State playing into the wind and flyhalf Synnott was unable to use his strong boot to gain territory. The Keelhaulers continued to dominate set scrummage play when their no. 8 Lonnie Shankling scored on a pushover try. Fitzpatrick's conversion made it 22-7. A few minutes later winger Travis Quesenberry broke through the Wildcat defense to score and Fitzpatrick converted to put CMA ahead 29-7 with more than 20 minutes left. Wayne State never gave up and stopped all further CMA attacks and were able to score a final minute try ending the match in 29 to 12.
The win for Cal Maritime has earned them a semifinal birth in the NSCRO National Championship as they will take on the University of North Florida Deadbirds at 3pm on April 28 in Infinity Park located in Rugbytown USA...Glendale, Colorado. Something about Deadbirds taking on Keelhaulers seems just about perfect for a rugby match...at least in my mind. In the other semifinal at 1PM, Franciscan University will face Salve Regina University.
NSCRO thanks the Wayne State College Wildcats Men and Women's Rugby Club for hosting the event, Terry Wallace, Tim Ellis and others for providing medical care, referees Pete Winkelbauer and Kurt Weederalong with ARs Brian Kaiser and Murray Robinson and "The Cat" Wayne StateCollege's Radio Station...91.9FM...on line at http://wildcat.wsc.edu/thecat/ for radio broadcast coverage of all matches.
NSCRO as well as all of the visiting teams want to thank and salute Darrin Barner whose hard work and leadership has not only produced 2 outstanding teams of student-athletes - the Wayne State College Men's and Women's Rugby Clubs (http://wildcat.wsc.edu/clubs/rugby/) who provided first class hospitality - but also turned a field that that 6 years was a cornfield into one of the premier rugby facilities in the US.
For more information about the NSCRO including our Team and Player Eligibility Policies, go to www.nscro.org.
On April 14-15, the NSCRO PacWest Region Men's Division 3 Championship was held at the magnificent Wayne Rugby Park in Wayne, Nebraska. California Maritime Academy and Wayne State College battled in high winds in the Sunday final. Cal Maritime led all the way to win 29-12 and earn the right to participate in the NSCRO National Championship at Infinity Park in Glendale, Colorado on April 28-29.
On Saturday, the first semifinal match was held under ominous skies, between the host Wayne State Wildcats and the University of Texas-Dallas Comets. Wayne State, the Great Plains RFU D3 Champion, qualified for this event by winning the November NSCRO PacWest Qualifier by beating Colorado College, the Eastern Rockies RFU D3 Champion, in the final. UTD had just finished an amazing inaugural first year of rugby with an improbable Texas RU D3 Championship. Led by long-time rugby coach Tony Wagner, UTD came north to Nebraska as a 'Cinderella' story. Unfortunately the "glass slipper" did not fit and Wayne State scrapped and clawed their way in the first half to take a commanding 34-0 lead. 2 quick tries in the first 7 minutes along with 4 late first half tries. WSC was led by scrumhalf Taylor Foster's 2 tries and the play of flankers Travis Erickson and Justin Johnson. Right at halftime, the ominous skies gave way to lightning and thunder under the key "30 second rule" and everyone - players, officials and fans alike - went to available shelters that were readily available in anticipation of the weather as part of NSCRO's lightning safety protocol. The delay lasted nearly 90 minutes. Both teams returned key to continue. UTD had regrouped and played a very solid second half scoring the first try of the second half on a fine run by center Nathan Sohadaseni. Wayne State however replied with 2 tries of their own including one by standout flyhalf David Synnott. Final score 44-7 to Wayne State.
The next semifinal match found the Loggers of the University of Puget Sound representing the Pacific Northwest RFU facing off against the Keelhaulers from California Maritime Academy representing the Northern California RFU. Despite starting much later than scheduled due to the lightning delay, it was a quick hard-hitting affair from the opening kickoff. UPS was relentless in their attack. CMA defended well but were penalized a few times. Twice within kicking distance, UPS attempted to score but 2 penalty goal attempts failed as did a couple of goalline attacks. CMA responded better as the half progressed with strong running by no. 8 Lonnie Shankling. The match was scoreless until CMA winger and captain Kevin Hawke barely dotted down in the corner as he was driving into touch to make it 5-0 with 8 minutes left in the half. CMA's continued its plan with 10-man rugby in the second to wear down the UPS forwards. The bigger and more athletic Keelhaulers were able to gain ground from pick'n'go attacks around rucks. No. 8 Shankling drove over the goal at the 9 minute mark for a try to make it 10-0. 10 minutes later, No. 8 Shankling scored again. When fullback Will Fitzpatrick kicked a penalty goal with 10 minutes left, CMA held an 18-0. A few minutes later UPS flyhalf Cole McIlvaine made a penalty goal and the match ended 18 to 3 in CMA's favor.
On a sunny Sunday morning, the Loggers faced the Comets for 3rd place. Whoever would have imagined that boys from Tacoma would battle Texans from Dallas and in the Great Plains of Nebraska....and then on a rugby pitch. Wow...pretty cool I must say. Both teams had something to prove after their Saturday losses. They both played inspired rugby and were evenly matched. UTD's flyhalf Vince Dutton kicked a penalty goal 4 minutes into the match while UPS flanker Nick Butterfield answered a few minutes later with a try scored from a lineout at the 5m line. Butterfield would dot down another at the 20 minute mark when he dove over with a rucked ball to give UPS a 10-3 lead. Just before halftime, UTD winger Luke Lewis found the goalline and scored a try. UPS led UTD 10-8 at halftime. Dutton opened the second half scoring with a 50 meter penalty goal and UPS regained the lead 11-10. Both teams began to open their benches and fought evenly until 15 minutes were left when Logger Mike Hammer scored to put give UPS the lead once again at 15-11. In the last 10 minutes, UPS took charge and scored 3 more tries and the match ended in UPS's favor 32-11. Both teams had accomplished a lot this season and should have a lot of pride in their accomplishments. Both teams were ably supported all weekend by fans including parents who made long trips to be there.
For the final, the winds came blowing off the Plains...and more than 'just in song'. Strong winds indeed with 30MPH or higher gusts. It was blowing from one end of the pitch to the other. Both Wayne State and Cal Maritime had to adjust their game plans accordingly. CMA kicked off and Wayne State misjudged the kick in the wind to allow CMA to gain possession. CMA wasted no time and went on attack and pounded the Wildcats goalline but were met with solid resistance. With 4 minutes gone, powerhouse no. 8 Lonnie Shankling picked up a rucked ball and drove over the goalline to give the Keelhaulers a 5-0 lead. Wayne State had trouble gaining ball possession and CMA used ball control to keep the pressure on. The Wildcats hit hard and put up a great defense that CMA could not easily penetrate. So scrumhalf Jason Herring put up a sweet kick that winger Travis Quesenberry gathered and scored giving his side a 10-0 lead about halfway that the first half. A few minutes later Wildcat fullback Taylor Helton took a kicked ball and ran 50 meters through 3 attempted tackles to score a thrilling try and bring the home crowd of nearly 200 fans to their feet. Synnott's touchline conversion added to the Wayne State resurgence. Down only 10-7 as the half was winding down, CMA's Tommy Cropper's try with under 2 minutes left propelled the Keelhaulers into a 15-7 halftime lead which may have taken a bit of the steam out the Wildcats engine. Cropper had just replaced starting center Paul Stetson who left the match with an injured leg.
The second half found Wayne State playing into the wind and flyhalf Synnott was unable to use his strong boot to gain territory. The Keelhaulers continued to dominate set scrummage play when their no. 8 Lonnie Shankling scored on a pushover try. Fitzpatrick's conversion made it 22-7. A few minutes later winger Travis Quesenberry broke through the Wildcat defense to score and Fitzpatrick converted to put CMA ahead 29-7 with more than 20 minutes left. Wayne State never gave up and stopped all further CMA attacks and were able to score a final minute try ending the match in 29 to 12.
The win for Cal Maritime has earned them a semifinal birth in the NSCRO National Championship as they will take on the University of North Florida Deadbirds at 3pm on April 28 in Infinity Park located in Rugbytown USA...Glendale, Colorado. Something about Deadbirds taking on Keelhaulers seems just about perfect for a rugby match...at least in my mind. In the other semifinal at 1PM, Franciscan University will face Salve Regina University.
NSCRO thanks the Wayne State College Wildcats Men and Women's Rugby Club for hosting the event, Terry Wallace, Tim Ellis and others for providing medical care, referees Pete Winkelbauer and Kurt Weederalong with ARs Brian Kaiser and Murray Robinson and "The Cat" Wayne StateCollege's Radio Station...91.9FM...on line at http://wildcat.wsc.edu/thecat/ for radio broadcast coverage of all matches.
NSCRO as well as all of the visiting teams want to thank and salute Darrin Barner whose hard work and leadership has not only produced 2 outstanding teams of student-athletes - the Wayne State College Men's and Women's Rugby Clubs (http://wildcat.wsc.edu/clubs/rugby/) who provided first class hospitality - but also turned a field that that 6 years was a cornfield into one of the premier rugby facilities in the US.
For more information about the NSCRO including our Team and Player Eligibility Policies, go to www.nscro.org.