Alumni Ruggers Take Students to School

Photo, right: NMT Rugby Pygmy (student) player Theo Hosemann is pursued by Ancestors (alumni) David Yazzie and Darren Meadows in the Friday, Oct 21, Black and Blue Alumni match. At right is Pablo Garibay, on temporary loan to the old boys. The Ancestors won 24-19.

New Mexico Tech’s rugby alumni team, the Ancestors, set their world right Friday evening by reclaiming bragging rights over the student team with a 24-19 victory. It was a gutsy performance by the hastily-assembled team of veterans which showed their determination to avenge last year’s 29-22 loss, a rarity in this series going back to the 1970s. The match features each year as a popular feature of New Mexico Tech’s 49ers celebration.

Since Tech's 49ers weekend conflicts each year with the High Desert Classic tournament in Albuquerque, the alumni match is held on Friday evening to allow still-active "old boys" to join their current teams in that long-established event. New Mexico Tech's student players traditionally have the weekend free to enjoy what serves as the institution's homecoming.

On Friday the alumni team kicked off to their younger brethren at 4:15 with the bare minimum of fifteen players, although several additional reinforcements arrived and were subbed in as the match progressed. Three periods of twenty minutes were played rather than the traditional two forty-minute format, to allow for the Ancestors' perceived lack of numbers. The Pygmies, meanwhile, squeezed their entire available roster of 25 players into those 60 minutes, including several first-season players.

The students drew first blood after twelve minutes when wing Ivan Mecimore scooped up an errant pass and streaked 25 yards to touch down the first of his team’s three tries. Patrick Simons could not connect on the conversion kick but the students led 5-0 until May 2005 graduate David Yazzie scored the first of the Ancestors’ four tries four minutes later. The conversion kick on Yazzie’s try was also missed and the after Pygmy flanker Matt Nelson's try was converted by Simons, the students took a 12-5 lead into the first break.

The second period belonged to the Ancestors, with Denny Newell and Matt Odle each scoring tries for the old boys. These two and fellow back Darren Meadows effectively shut down the Pygmy midfield attack, isolating the Pygmies' dangerous outside runners. Rob Harrison converted one of the tries and the Ancestors went into the final period holding to a 17-12 lead.

About ten minutes from full time Simons slithered in from a quick penalty tap and pass by Paul Quintana, and Seth Daly's conversion put the students ahead, 19-17. The lead was short-lived, though, as the Ancestors drove to the other end and Yazzie scored his second converted try (by Harrison) for the final 24-19 margin.

"The Ancestors really pulled together and showed their old Pygmy spirit," commented Pygmy coach Dave Wheelock after the game. "They are to be congratulated on a heroic performance." In a break from tradition, the Pygmies bestowed their Man of the Match award on class of 1983 scrum half Bill Tafoya, a native Socorroan.

The Pygmies will try for some revenge of their own this Saturday, Oct. 29, in Las Vegas, NM, as they take on the powerful Vatos Rugby Club, who thrashed the Pygmies 53-15 in Socorro on April 17. Tech carries a win-loss record of 10-3 into their final match of the fall season.

-NMT-