Tech Captures Second Rugby Championship in Arizona

Dave Wheelock, NMT Director of Rugby

Sept. 28, 2004 -- The New Mexico Tech Rugby Club won five matches over the Sept. 25 - 26 weekend and captured the Northern Arizona Tens tournament title, their second tournament championship of the fall season.

The Pygmies used a fast-paced attack to score first in all their matches, and never looked back as they outscored their opponents 162-47. Six women’s and 36 men’s teams from the southwestern United States competed in six divisions of the ten-position version of rugby. Tech beat the University of Nevada at Las Vegas 27-14 in the championship of the eight-team small college division.

Scrumhalf Seth Daly opened the Pygmy parade Saturday morning, scoring a try against Thunderbird College of Phoenix just 90 seconds into the Pygmies’ first match. New Mexico Tech held a 19-0 halftime lead via additional tries by Matt Majors and Robert Harrison, both converted by captain Pat Simons. Tech substituted liberally in the second half, and Thunderbird took advantage with two tries, but Paul Quintana and Sage La Torra closed the deal with their own five-pointers for a 31-14 final margin.

Tech again scored within the first two minutes against a team from Arizona State University, this time with David Yazzie doing the honors. ASU was completely befuddled with Tech’s pace and found themselves down 26-0 at the half, which again allowed Tech’s reserves valuable playing experience. Yazzie scored two more tries along the way to a 45-0 New Mexico Tech blitz, joined by fellow lock Matt Majors with two, and hardworking prop Pat Garcia and freshman hooker John Rundberg with one try apiece.

The final match Saturday, against stylish 2003 champions Occidental College of Los Angeles, attracted a sizeable throng. Occidental was also 2-0 on the day, and the winner would advance to Sunday’s medal rounds.

Occidental proved stiffer competition in that they held NMT scoreless for the first eight minutes. Then flyhalf Robert Harrison touched down for five, and the floodgates opened once again, as Tech’s crisp, athletic teamwork wowed onlookers. Sophomore wing Tory Tadano, a graduate of Socorro High School, scored at 12 minutes and Majors tallied another just before the halftime whistle. Seth Daly and Pat Simons combined to convert all three tries for a 21-0 halftime lead.

Occidental battled on gamely and crossed for five midway through the second spell, but Tadano and Simons each replied to complete Tech’s comprehensive 33-5 victory.

Sunday morning the now-Number-One-seeded Pygmies again faced Thunderbird College, who were the fourth-ranked side. As expected, Tech prevailed once again, as Simons, Michael Bauer, and Yazzie all benefited from their teammates’ efforts with tries. Thunderbird scored two tries against Tech’s reserves but Harrison added insult to injury to score on a picked-off pass and the T-birds were eliminated 26-14.

At 11:15 a.m. Sunday, the University of Nevada at Las Vegas kicked off to an emotional Tech side, who, true to form, scored in under two minutes. Tech’s forward players, Dean Freidline, Rundberg, Yazzie, Majors, and Garcia, crashed ahead repeatedly to bring the ball deep into UNLV’s end of the field.

When the ball went wide senior center Michael Bauer was there to score a fine try in the corner. Simons started a perfect game of placekicking and converted for a 7-0 Tech lead.

Tech continued to mount tremendous attacking pressure, and were unlucky not to score again a few minutes later when a finishing pass to Bauer just skipped off his fingertips. At 11 minutes Majors delivered the ball from the lineout throw of Yazzie, and Harrison launched a perfect kick over the defense. The speedy flyhalf followed up to gather the ball on the bounce, scoring a 40-yard try between the posts to stretch Tech’s lead to 14-nil.

UNLV struggled to maintain ball possession against Tech’s urgent tackling, and just before the half the Pygmies stole the ball, and Bauer was able to feed Tory Tadano near the sideline. The speedy wing did the rest as he raced 50 yards to score. At the half it was NMT 21, UNLV 0.

UNLV substituted liberally at halftime and succeeding in slowing Tech’s attack. After five minutes a deceptive backline play brought the Nevadans a converted try, and another three minutes later brought the score to 21-14 with a full 12 minutes to play.

Play intensified up front and Tech’s forwards were largely responsible for forcing a UNLV penalty within the range of Simons’s boot. The captain came through to pad Tech’s lead at 24-14 with ten minutes left.

Play continued at an exhausting pace for several minutes with both sides making dangerous inroads, until UNLV again was whistled for hands in the ruck. Simons coolly slotted the three points and Tech eased further ahead 27-14.

Two minutes later, with Tech again driving the ball up the field, the final whistle sounded and the Tech team was the winner and tournament champion by a 27-14 margin.

New Mexico Tech will host intrastate rivals New Mexico State University this Saturday at 1:00 p.m., following an 11:00 a.m. match between NMSU’s women’s team, the Lady Chiles, and the Atomic Sisters Women’s Rugby Club of Albuquerque.

-NMT-