Pygmies Finish Second in Socorro Challenge

SOCORRO, N.M., April 23, 2007 – The New Mexico Tech Rugby Club won two matches and lost one Saturday, April 21, in the Socorro Challenge Rugby Festival. In weather that alternated between ideal conditions and near-impossible wind, the Pygmies rolled over the Albuquerque Brujos Rugby Club and New Mexico State University before dropping their third match to the El Paso Scorpions. A yet-to-be-named New Mexico Tech team will finish the spring season on NMT graduation day at a seven-man tournament in Albuquerque May 12.

The Socorro Challenge was not staged in 2006 to allow Tech’s playing tour to England last spring. In the renewal, six round robin matches of an abbreviated 50 minutes were played throughout the day. El Paso took top honors by virtue of their 3-0 record, while Tech took second. Finishing third were Albuquerque’s Brujos, who along with El Paso compete in the Rio Grande Union open club division. New Mexico State’s Chiles were relegated to a bottom finish when they were pipped 17-12 in a back-and-forth nightcap by the Brujos.

The Pygmies disposed of the Brujos 33-7 in the morning opener by storming to 21 first-half points via tries by Jay Herrera, Seth Daly, and Matt Nelson. James Fallt added a five-pointer in the second half and fellow wing Sage La Torra followed suit. Daly was successful with four of five conversion kicks. Bobby Sorenson scored the only try for the Albuquerqueans in the first half.

Tech opened sloppily at noon in their 43-0 win over NMSU, dominating ball possession yet wasting scoring opportunities through turnovers and penalties. Number eight forward Matt Nelson finally broke the ice for Tech with a 50-meter gallop for a try converted by Daly and the teams went to halftime with Tech ahead 7-0. The Pygmies cut down on speculative passing in the second half and the result was a massive six-try haul in 25 minutes.

Royce Beaudry opened with a touchdown after only 24 seconds, and soon after freshman Dustin Webb, playing in his second rugby match ever, outlegged the defense for a long try in the corner to make it 19-0. His partner on the opposite wing, Josh Hill, wove his way through at eight minutes and the parade was on. Cody McFarland scored from a scrum near NMSU's line and then Nelson added his third try of the day. Returning veteran Pablo Garibay then iced the cake for the final 43-0 score.

In the afternoon match of undefeated teams, El Paso wore down the Pygmies before exploding for three second-half tries. The Scorpions had beaten New Mexico State 40-12 in their opening match but then were tested by the inside game of the Brujos before pulling away in the second half for a 26-5 win. Number eight Gus Gasca, who had a career day for El Paso, scored the sole first-half try against New Mexico Tech and the Scorpions took a 7-0 halftime lead. Gasca added a second touchdown in the second half, bracketed by tries from Brandon Dubord and then Blake Juarez right at full time. El Paso finished with a 24-0 win and a perfect 3-0 record on the day.

"We always enjoy coming to play at Tech," commented Scorpion coach Doug Park, a New Zealand native who came to the University of Texas-El Paso on a track and field scholarship and later played for the U.S. national rugby team. "The field is always in great condition and we like the town."

Team captain Seth Daly was recognized as Man of the Day for New Mexico Tech. All-day standouts also included number eight Matt Nelson, scrum half Jay Herrera, center Royce Beaudry, and prop Nick McCarthy. Saturday marked the final appearance in the black and blue jersey for Daly, Sage La Torra, and Tom Dotson, who are graduating this spring. The Pygmies finished a fifteen-man season which included a trip to the Western U.S. regional tournament with five wins and six losses.

A seven-man New Mexico Tech team will see action for the last time this spring in the Rio Grande Sevens Tournament at St. Pius Field in Albuquerque on May 12. For details contact rugby director Dave Wheelock at 505-835-5854 or dwheelock@admin.nmt.edu.