Pygmies Defeat College of Santa Fe 40-24

After tasting victory at home against visiting New Mexico State University on April 3, the New Mexico Tech Rugby football team went on the road Saturday, April 17, to face the College of Santa Fe. Battling fierce winds throughout the entire game, the Pygmies proved their appetite was not yet satisfied, and came away with a 40-24 win.

The Pygmies were captains of their own ship, as coach Dave Wheelock was in Boston providing marathon support for fiance JoAnne Bitsui. The lack of leadership off the field was compensated for on the field with the last minute acquisition of two Tech alumni, prop Richard Soto and scrumhalf John Ellis.

New Mexico Tech elected to have the winds at their backs during the first half, hoping to dig a hole the College of Santa Fe could not climb out of. The game started with powerful play by the Tech forwards. It was as if the game of rugby instantaneously became intuitive to all the Pygmy rookies, who comprise nearly half the team. Riding a wave of impressive ball retention throughout several phases, Tech captain Mark Kelly was awarded a try ten minutes into the game after picking up the ball from a ruck and diving headfirst through several opponents.

CSF could not be counted out; being down by seven points ignited their forwards to play more aggressively, leading to a try by Anil Kamat on the other end of the field only minutes later. Things began looking glum for the Pygmies as Bernard Kenny of Santa Fe was allowed into the try zone not long after.

But Tech's forwards kept plugging away throughout the first half, keeping ball possession tackle after tackle, and consistently carrying for gains. This put the entire Santa Fe team on their heels, and just before halftime it was smooth sailing for freshman center Matt Nelson as he cruised through three missed tackles from twenty meters out to put the Pygmies back in the lead, 12 to 10.

The Pygmy forwards carried their momentum into the second half, and stellar rucking allowed Ellis to get the ball out to the Pygmy backline quickly and accurately. This allowed Nelson to further showcase his explosive running skills and natural ability to spot holes in the defensive line, netting him two tries to complete his hat trick.

Perhaps becoming overconfident, the Pygmies were later surprised by a quick lineout (in bounds pass) some forty meters downfield from where the ball was put out of play. CSF's Greg Smith took advantage of one of rugby law's more nuanced points to easily scoot around the Tech players as they lined up to put the ball back into play further up the field.

The indignity seemed to temper the Pygmies' concentration, and their play resembled more and more one mind controlling fifteen bodies. Quick ball presentation from the forwards allowed freshman wing Josh Hanson (aka Nick Fritz) to outflank the defense for yet another Pygmy try. Scant minutes later, fellow first-year man Tory Tadano was awarded the final Tech try from his fullback position.

Santa Fe's final consolation came just before the final whistle, as Nick Jones managed to cross the line to bring the final score to 40-24, Pygmies. Nelson was named Man of the Match for the Pygmies.

The Pygmies' final spring outing will be May 15 in the Rio Grande Rugby Union seven-man tournament in Albuquerque

-NMT-