Pygmies Win Two, Lose One in Socorro Challenge

by Dave Wheelock, NMT Director of Rugby

New Mexico Tech’s student ruggers did themselves proud Saturday at their own Socorro Club and Collegiate Rugby Challenge. The Pygmies hosted five teams from throughout the Rio Grande Rugby Union and won two of their three matches. In defeating Albuquerque’s Brujos and the El Paso Scorpions and very nearly toppling Santa Fe’s Santos in the final match, Tech effectively erased the barrier between their own collegiate status and that of the Rio Grande Union’s open division (club) teams.

Each club played opening round matches against the other two teams in their pool before advancing to the afternoon “challenge round” in which they squared off against their equals from the opposite pool. Pool play kicked off at 9:00 a.m. with NMT flyhalf Robert Harrison scoring two tries to lead the Pygmies over the Brujos for the third time this spring, 26-14. Justin Monroe and Pat Simons also touched down for the Pygmies. In the second match an improved New Mexico State University team gave Santa Fe's men club a spirited run before succumbing, 12-0.

El Paso showed they would be a force to reckon with as they dismantled the Brujos, 62-0 in the third match, before NMSU’s Chiles handled the Las Vegas Vatos 24-14 in the fourth match of the day.

Match five, between El Paso’s Scorpions and the home team Pygmies, opened with a flurry before settling into a defensive battle of wills. Tech’s forwards took the opening kickoff and immediately delivered the ball to Harrison, who launched a long kick into open space near the left touchline. Left wing Ivan Mecimore sprinted up to gather a fortunate bounce, then dished off to outside center Justin Monroe as he was tackled. Monroe broke into open space and with Pat Simons’s conversion kick, Tech took a 7-0 lead over their club side rivals after only 30 seconds.

El Paso stamped their straight-ahead brand on the match just four minutes later through a sustained period of powerful runs, but the conversion kick failed, to preserve Tech ‘s lead at 7-5. Still less than seven minutes into the match, Harrison found Simons with a deft pass after his forwards had recovered the ball from a tackle situation, and the big center sped 40 yards to paydirt and a 12-5 Pygmy lead.

In the second half, the students' brave tackling blunted the Scorpions' pressure game, while El Paso managed to keep the lid on the Pygmies' dangerous kicking and running game. With the unprecedented 12-5 victory over El Paso, Tech was through to a challenge round matchup with Santa Fe, who finished pool play with a 31-7 win over Las Vegas.

NMSU gave further notice of their potency with a narrow 24-19 loss to El Paso in the battle of 1-1 teams, before Tech lined up against Santa Fe in the final match between undefeated sides.

The first half was one of frustration for Tech, who narrowly missed at least four scoring opportunities, including one penalty kick attempt by Simons. Santa Fe took a 3-point lead into halftime on a penalty kick from Cory Micander.

Early in the second spell, Mecimore, once again on the left wing, squeezed between three defenders and the touchline (out of bounds) on his way to a 70-yard try. Disaster struck for Tech as co-captain and dominant back division player Pat Simons suffered a freak leg injury while following through on his successful conversion kick, which put the home team ahead 7-3. Midway through the second half Santa Fe took a 8-7 lead when fullback Greg Smith scored an unconverted try in the corner. Santa Fe's Cory Micander added three insurance points on a penalty kick with scant minutes remaining, and his teammates weathered a last Pygmy assault on the try line to preserve Santa Fe's 11-7 victory.

Santa Fe captured Best of Show team honors for their display of teamwork and sportsmanship. For New Mexico Tech, John Rundberg and Robert Harrison were named to the All-Challenge honorary team, and Phil Turner was named Man of the Day by his Pygmy teammates.

The Pygmies, sporting a spring record of 6 - 2, next entertain the Las Vegas Vatos on Sunday, April 17.