Fall 2002 Season
Truman edges KU in Merit Table Match
It certainly wasn't the prettiest win, but it was a
hard-fought "win" nonetheless. Truman rebounded from a 0-12
halftime deficit to post 19 points in the second half to prevail over
a tenacious KU team by a final score of 19-15. The game was slowed by
some "interesting" officiating as both teams fought to
figure out what was being called. KU jumped on the board early as a KU
player stepped into a gap and picked-off an errant pass and took it 50
meters for the converted score (0-7) at just 13 min in. A few minutes
later, Truman wing Chris Bell received a cut above his left eye and
had to leave the match (he got 16 stitches!), and was replaced by
freshman rookie Ben Burkemper, in his "A" side debut. Truman
spent most of the first half inside KU territory and had numerous
scoring opportunities in the first half, but couldn't stop making
silly mistakes and miscues, and never seemed to be able to finish
anything off. KU got on the board again with five min left in the half
when another errant pass hit the deck and was chipped forward for a
charging KU player to gather and carry two Truman defenders over the
try line. The conversion was missed, and the half-time score was 0-12
to KU. Going into the second half, Kevin Orcutt came on at flanker to
replace Brennan Delaney (Kevin Hunn moved from #8 to loosehead prop,
and Brian Wilson moved to #8) and played 40 min of intense "bushwacker"
rugby. Nick Welchert came on at 30 min to go, to provide some more
fresh legs. (See the Match Roster
here.)
In the second half, Truman picked-up the intensity and despite
continued tough KU defense, Kevin Hunn drove over with just five min
gone. Luke Walczewski's conversion was good, and Truman was back in
the match 7-12. Not long after, Truman was banging on the KU try line
again, when instead of running another crash, the ball was spun wide
to fullback Justin Carley who went in untouched. The conversion was
wide, and the score was tied at 12-12 with 22 min to go. Five min
later, KU grabbed a 12-15 lead on a penalty goal, but Truman would not
fold and drove the ball back into KU territory. With 10 min to go in
the match, Nick Welchert drove over from a second phase ruck.
Walczewski's conversion was good for a 19-15 lead. Having lost close
ones before, Truman knew they could not sit on the lead and continued
to attack until the final whistle. Final Score: Truman 19 - KU 15.
This KU team was considerably stronger than the team we played early
in the season with several players who were not present then, and
several young athletes in training. It was a very tough game
defensively on both sides, and both teams were frustrated by the
officiating at times. In the end, it was a good win for Truman because
we had to stick to a plan to come back and win the game, while
adapting to the referee - and that builds character. We will need
these lessons in the spring as we move into the WRFU Collegiate
Championships for 2003. Unfortunately, KU refused to play the
agreed upon "B" periods, and seven Truman players who
traveled to Lawrence did not get a chance to play. These guys need to
play games to learn. Traveling to watch doesn't get them anything.
Special thanks to Alumnus Paul Askeland who traveled to Lawrence to
cheer us on, and to the many parents who came out to support us!
Index
article about the fall Truman Rugby season. We
managed to get a full-color, half-page match photo featuring fullback,
Justin Carley, on cover of the sports section, and a photo of flanker
Brian Wilson on the header of the front page of the newspaper.
Nice coverage, indeed!
Truman Alumni come through to top
the undergraduates
Thirty alumni turned-out on October 12 for Homecoming weekend, with 28
Alumni players subbing in over five periods. They put on a fine
show of running and handling to top the Truman undergrads 39-21. The
weather was cool and drizzly, and the field was sort-of soft!
Truman lead 16-0 after the first two 20-min periods. However, the
Alumni put up 27 unanswered points in the third period to lead 16-27,
as they "schooled" the Truman seconds. Truman was not able
to catch up in the last two periods, as the Alumni held strong to win.
Regardless of the outcome, everyone had a great time, and the alumni
were gracious in victory. Senior Luke Walczewski was voted
"Truman Player of the Match" by the Alumni in recognition of
his hard running and prodigious kicking. The Truman team presented the
"Old Man Award" to Doug Bratcher, while also recognizing all
the Alumni for their excellent play. We had a great post-match feed
(and thank Lloyd's Distributing Co. of Kirksville for their support).
Once again, the Alumni were extremely generous in their on-going
support of the team. Many thanks to all of our Alumni who traveled
from far and wide to participate in the festivities.
As with all Alumni games, there are many funny stories that will be
live on ... such as "Tree Boy", donut relay races, the
"Bryan Lay" call, bat races, "Mr. Uncomfortable",
Bobbo the Clown's show of strength lifting 5 Truman rookies, the
"whirling dervish", our new "Spoons Champion" Sean
Foley, "Zulu warriors and their pal, Captain Donley",
disturbing sights at the Du Kum Out, golf on Sunday morning (only
Dougie and me showed up!) ... and much more!! THANKS to all the
Alumni! See y'all next year!
Truman place 2nd in Heart of America
Collegiate Tournament
Truman posted two good wins on Saturday against a hard-hitting
University of Nebraska side (38-10) and the University of Oklahoma
(18-10) in the Heart of America Collegiate Tournament, hosted by KU in
Lawrence, KS. However, Truman came up well-short in the finals
on Sunday, losing to Iowa State University 41-6. Truman played
with a good rhythm during the first stanza of Sunday's final.
However, several scoring opportunities went begging as Truman was 2
for 5 in penalty attempts (one each for Richard Schuessler and Luke
Walczewski). Iowa State gained momentum through the half, and
put in two unconverted tries at 23 and 28 min, to bring the half-time
score to Truman 6 - ISU 10. ISU reestablished their attack just
3 min into the second half with a converted try to take a 17-6 lead.
They capitalized on Truman being a man down (with a player in sin-bin)
and scored 12 quick pts in the next 10 min to effectively put the game
out of reach. With Truman's defensive pattern in tatters, and
ISU running well, another two converted tries for ISU put the final
score at Truman 6 - Iowa State 41. Truman suffered their
first major set-back of the season. However, we did not play
well in the final, and despite a few good breaks in the second half,
we never seemed to get on-track and we had trouble finishing-off
attacking movements. Defensively, we became tentative and lost
our pattern, and that doomed us. In retrospect, losses like this
one can be a good wake-up call. Physical conditioning was not
the problem, it was mostly mental and reflected a lack of team focus.
It also reflected a strong opponent in Iowa State. ISU are big
and aggressive, and although their Saturday matches were not as
well-played, their Sunday effort was very effective and they ran,
rucked, and tackled very well. Full credit to Iowa State - they
simply outplayed us on Sunday!
On Saturday, Truman played inconsistent, albeit
effective rugby downing Nebraska in the first-round match, in which
Nick Welchert, coming in as a reserve lock, scored two tries in 20
min, the last being a 80 m romp where he out-ran the Nebraska defense.
Also scoring for Truman were freshman scrumhalf Richard Schuessler
(try and 4 conversions), sophomore wing Austin View, and sophomore
wing Chris Bell. Against OU, Truman was faced with a very tough
and quick opponent. OU got on the board first, and lead at the
half, 10-7. Truman's points came on a crashing try by sophomore
prop Kyle Stephens, and a Schuessler conversion. A determined
Truman defense and aggressive running saw Truman take the lead early
in the second half on a try by senior fullback Justin Carley.
Two Schuessler penalty kicks, and a solid defense effort, sealed the
match. Critical in this match was the effort of the pack, who
took several balls against the head to shut-down some OU scoring
opportunities. Read
the brief report from the Index on this event.
Truman over Mizzou
Truman Rugby dug deep to defeat a much-improved University
of Missouri team by a score of 25-7 at home last weekend. It was a
beautiful day in the 'Ville, with clear skies and a nice breeze to
keep everyone cool! In truth, Truman played pretty sloppy for
most of the first 20 min, making many unforced errors. Both teams
played hard and defended well, but it was not pretty! Truman held a
slim 6-0 margin at half-time, on two penalty kicks by Luke Walczewski.
Unfortunately, freshman flyhalf Sean Foley rolled his ankle badly and
had to leave the game at 25 min. He was replaced by freshman lock,
Kevin Jones (Luke Walczewski shifted from inside center to flyhalf,
sophomore Brian Wilson moved frmo #8 to inside center, and Kevin Hunn
moved from lock to #8). Aggressive play near the MU goal line
lead to a try for freshman lock T.R. Dilla at the 16 min mark of the
second half. After several hard charging runs at the goal, the ball
was deflected back to Dilla, who crashed low under the defense to
score in the left corner. Walczewski was good with the sideline
conversion, and the 13-0 line gave Truman some short-lived breathing
room. Five minutes later, MU exploited a defensive lapse, and scored a
nice try and conversion to bring the score to 13-7. Truman picl-up
their intensity and began to take control of the match, scoring two
tries in the final 10 min of the match. Scrumhalf Joe Rothermich
scored when Truman pressured a MU 5 m scrum. MU lost control of
the ball in the try zone, and Rothermich alertly pounced on the loose
ball. Walczewski again converted to take a 20-7 lead with 8 min
to play. Walczewski added to his personal points haul minutes later
when he scored after several hard phases at the MU goal line. The
conversion was wide. FINAL SCORE: Truman 25, MU 7. MU
traveled with only 16 players, and were not willing to play a
"B" side period, and left for home. The Truman players
divided into two 13 man teams for some intra-squad play. The quality
of the play was good, and it is clear that our rookies are starting to
figure out the game, and getting more confidence. Tries were
scored by Chris Bell, Kevin Hunn, Justin Carley, and Chris Conard. Read
the Index Article on this game.
Truman tops the Huskers
Truman Rugby put over 9 tries en route to a 51-7 victory over the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Sophomore outside center, Ryan
Worth, lead the way with 3 tries, and senior flanker Kevin Orcutt added
two tries. Also scoring for Truman were fullback Justin Carley,
inside center Luke Walczewski, wing Chris Bell, and flanker Brian
Wilson. Truman's forwards played very, especially in the loose
where they continually challenged for possession and produced many take-aways.
Sean Foley had a great day at flyhalf, and his effective kicks and ball
distribution created pressure on UNL, while affording good field
position and good attacking opportunities. In the "B"
game, the KCRFC "B" was just too strong for our young bunch,
and they took it on the chin 5-49. However, it was heartening to
see some the improvement in these young players as the game went on.
Index
brief report on this game.
Truman defeats KU in early season
scrimmage
There is a long-standing rivalry between Truman Rugby and our
counterparts at KU, and even though this was a non-merit table,
preseason match, any match against KU is one to get psyched for.
"If you can't get up for a Truman vs. KU rugby match, you need to
take up another sport!" KU traveled short-handed to Truman,
and picked-up some Truman players and Alumni (Turk Satterly and Paul
McQuillen) to fill-out their side. Thanks to to Nick Jansen (KU
captain) and the players who made the trip and honored the scheduled
match. The day was overcast with occasional sprinkles, and a lot
cooler than usual. However, the field was harder than usual, and
desperately in need of some rain!
Because this was an early season match that was intended
to be a tune-up for both teams, we played 4 - 20 minute periods with
substitutions at the breaks. In the end, Truman was able to play 26
players through the four periods, prevailing by a score of 63-0. The
scoring started early, as Truman's posted 5 tries in the first period.
Chris Bell (sophomore wing), Sean Foley (freshman flyhalf), Justin
Carley (senior fullback), Luke Walczewski (junior inside center and
vice-captain), and Joe Donley (senior hooker and captain) touched-down,
with Walczewski slotting all 5 conversions. Three tries were added in
the second period, thanks to the efforts of Ryan Worth (sophomore
outside center, 2 tries) and Chris Bell, who got his second of the day.
Kevin Hunn (senior loosehead prop and #8) scored the last try of the day
for Truman in the third period on a power move from the #8 position.
Truman were held scoreless in the fourth period. Truman scored a
total of 9 tries, with Walczewski converting all 9. Read
the Index Article on this game.
Truman defeats Iowa State in season
opener 24-10.
Truman Rugby began their fall 2002 season with a solid win over Iowa
State University on Saturday in Ames, IA. The game remained close
through the first half. Both Truman and Iowa State looked to be sorting
out their respective games, and looking to establish a rhythm, and each
team attacked and defended well. The half-time score was 3-3. At
the turn-around, Truman got the benefit of a down-field crossing breeze
and played to the kicking game to both relieve and create pressure on
the ISU back three. Five minutes into the second half flyhalf Sean Foley
hoisted a ball to the ISU right wing, who found himself isolated against
outside center Ryan Worth and right wing Chris Bell. Worth made the solo
tackle allowing Bell to scoop up the loose ball and take the ball over
from 30 meters out. Luke Walczewski converted for the 10-3 Truman lead.
Four minutes later, Truman put together one of the nicest tries in
recent memory. From an attacking platform about 30 meters out, no less
than five Truman players used quick hands and good communication to move
the ball quickly in attack before fullback Justin Carley touched down
the converted try (score: 17-3). ISU was not to be counted out, and came
back minutes later to score a very nice try, when the Truman defense
missed an assignment (score 17-10). The heat and fatigue on this first
weekend played a factor, but Truman's defense held firm. Nearing full
time, Truman defenders isolated and tackled the ISU left wing, then
pouched his ball, and began a well orchestrated series of crash moves
that drove the ball well into ISU territory. After passing through
several sets of Truman hands, scrumhalf Joe Rothermich saw the try line
and sliced against the grain to touch down between the posts. Walczewski
converted to close the scoring. Final score: Truman 24 - Iowa State
10. The "Killer B's" took the field and played out of
their rookie skins, making great tackles and good decisions to earn a
13-0 decision. Index
brief report on this game.
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Post-match photo from Iowa State, September 7,
2002
(Click on photo for larger version) |
Ten
Commandments of Rugby
(sent by Alumni Zak Wilson and Christian McKeel; I especially like #5!)
Player
Medical Information Form - To be completed by all Truman
players. Open and complete by hand, print, and sign.
Click
here for a fun little rugby game from Clevercode.
Good luck!
Truman Wins Columbia 10s Tournament
Truman racked-up a 3-0 record en route to winning the Outlaws
10s tournament yesterday. Truman scored 63 points in 3 games, while
allowing none! Fourteen players showed up, and we were able to use subs
to keep up pace while getting terrific performances from all.
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(Click on photo for larger version: (front)
Greg Gallagher, Kevin Hunn, Ryan Worth, Joe Donley, Brian
Wilson, Turk Satterly, Sean Foley, Tony Sauceda; (back) David
Korkoian, Kenton Moorhead, Lyle Stephens, T.R. Dilla, Tom
Tajkowski, Austin View, Bill Sexton) |
ROSTER: The roster included a mix of returning
Truman players, alumni and two players who will be starting Truman this
fall. Both new players, Sean Foley and T.R. Dilla, have high
school and U-19 experience and made the trip to Columbia to play and
meet their future teammate. (I think it was a good introduction to
Truman Rugby!). Alumni: Greg Gallagher, Turk Satterly, and
Tony Sauceda. Players: Joe Donley (captain), Kevin Hunn,
Brian Wilson, Ryan Worth, Kyle Stephens, Tom Tajkowski, Kenton Moorhead,
David Korkoian, and Austin View. Incoming players: Sean
Foley (flyhalf, Kansas City) and T.R. Dilla (lock, Ames, IA).
GAME 1: Truman 15 - St. Louis Ramblers 0.
Kevin Hunn went in for the first try, which was converted by Foley.
Mid-way through the second half, Truman got a penalty to go 10-0.
Captain, Joe Donley closed the scoring to make it 15-0. Truman played
great defense in holding out the Ramblers, adhering to the "one
man, one tackle" philosophy. All 14 players played during this
match.
GAME 2 (Semifinals): Truman 24 - St. Louis Royals
0. Truman scored in the first 2 minutes, when Donley scored his
second try of the day, and Gallagher got the drop-kick conversion from
the touch line! Dave Korkoian took a nice pass into space to score in
the right corner, for a 12-0 lead. With the Royals in shock, Truman
struck immediately when Foley slipped though for a self-converted try -
halftime score: 19-0. The game was pretty tight in the second half, with
Truman holding their defensive line. Turk Satterly got on the board at
the close of the half to seal the 24-0 win.
GAME 3 (Finals): Truman 24 - Kohlfeld Scorpions
0. The Scorpions (from Cape Girardeau, MO) had just come off a
come-from behind win over the St. Louis Hornets, and they had some
quick, aggressive backs and big forwards. However, from the outset,
Truman took it to them with great tackling, excellent support on attack,
and some nifty ball movement. It looked like the Greg Gallagher show, as
Greg notched three tries and 2 for 3 conversions in the final. A Sean
Foley break-away that he dumped off to Joe Donley closed the scoring,
and the 24-0 finals win.
On the day, Gallagher had a total of 21 points (3 tries
and 3 conversions) and Donley scored three tries, as well. Foley had a
try, 3 conversions, and a penalty for 14 points. What was really
fun, was the continuity we showed through phases during the game. There
always seemed to be someone there in support on the attack, and we
challenged at every tackle situation. We were steady in the scrums and
did very well in the lineout. We excelled on defense, shutting out
everyone, with excellent body-to-body tackles. Any time an opposition
runner broke free, we had players chasing them down and taking ball.
Notable were the defensive efforts of Tom Tajkowski and Brian Wilson,
who played and tackled like maniacs. Up front, Kevin Hunn, Joe Donley,
and Kyle Stephens (our only front row guys) played every minute and
never let down in the set pieces or the loose. Kudos to all the Truman
guys for their commitment and effort.
Special mention needs to be made of newcomers Foley and
Dilla. Both are entering freshman at Truman this fall, and displayed
terrific game sense and poise on the field. They will be important
additions to this young team as we continue to develop our fast-paced
style.
Fall training starts SOON! Be prepared. Get out and
begin training on your own. Increase the number of reps, increase the
intensity of your running, and begin getting those jingle-jangles in!
P.S. Thanks to Mrs. Lorraine Wilson and Mr. Tom Foley, our fans!!
Truman Alumnus - John "Tarp"
Tarpoff, USA Eagle
Tarp has now received three "caps" playing for the Men's
National Team in summer 2002. He gained his first cap coming on in
reserve at tighthead prop against Scotland in San Francisco on June
22nd. He has seen playing time in both recent matches against
Canada (in Toronto June 29 and Chicago July 13). Tarp is looking
big (6' 3" and 255 lbs) and very fit. He is solid in the set
pieces, and getting the flow of the game at this new level of
competition. The team has a short break before resuming Rugby
World Cup qualifying matches in early August, when they take on Uruguay
and Chile in home and away matches. Best of luck to Tarp as he
pursues his dream of playing with the USA Eagles! We, as his
former teammates, can be proud of the respect he brings our club.
I will post some photos very soon. Here is write-up from the
official USA Rugby match program (Tarp
Program 2002 - Profile
from GoffOnRugby.com). Photos: Tarp
after USA - Scotland match and in his #1s
headed to team banquet.
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