25 October 2009

Saratoga Stampede Rugby Club Brings Home First Division Title and Moves to Division III


It was almost four years ago when the first meeting to form a Saratoga area rugby club took place. In the main dining room at Andy Bentley's restaurant, Chuck Tempest, Pete Mody, Owen Maranville, Vern Peek, Matt Volke and Bill Ackerbauer, the only attendees, were handed out offices of a club that was still debating a name, colors, practice location, and roster. While many faces have changed over the past four years, the Saratoga Stampede Rugby Club improved with each passing season and, this Saturday, vanquished Monadnock Rugby Club 31-0 to go undefeated in league play and claim its first Division Championship.

Rugby is a physically demanding sport that is growing and gaining a lot of popularity in the area. Saratoga boasts a men's team, a women's team, two high school boys teams and two high school girls teams, and it was quite a year for all of them. All-in-all, about 150 people play rugby for Saratoga now, a remarkable feat when four years ago when no rugby existed in the area.

Saturday, however, was all about the original squad, the Saratoga Stampede Men. Most of the faces that were at that first meeting of officers were not on the field. Tempest, Maranville, and Volke were undone by employment demands. Ackerbauer retired after a shattered collarbone made the drive from Johnstown too much. Mody was sidelined for the fall rehabbing a torn Achilles tendon. It was only Vern Peek, who was elevated to the status of captain for the first time this fall, who was on the field to celebrate.

While the championship did not come overnight, the signs were ever present. More victories with each passing season. Closer margins of defeat by high caliber division teams. Being able to stay in games against teams who were in Division III and even Division II. Higher and higher finishes in tournaments. But it all finally came together this fall under the leadership of Coach Brian White, and Captains James Verseput and Peek. Under their leadership, the team took a leap in development in 2009. Most games were non-contests with Saratoga featuring a high octane offense that toasted previous thorn-in-the-side Berkshire 58-0, slowly developing Equinox 107-7, and perennial Division IV stalwart Mad River/Stowe 48-0. Rutland, a member of Division III last year, was the first victim of the faster, more advanced Saratoga offense, falling 19-7 and showing the club that a move to Division III was now a necessity.

As in many rugby games in the late fall, Monadnock came to a mess of a field that had standing water reminiscent of the club's first ever home game against Albany Law. Perhaps it was appropriate that conditions mimicked the club's birth as its goal has continually been to establish a storied, successful, and community conscious organization that the area can be proud of. After 80 minutes, despite spirited and commendable play by the men from Monadnock, Saratoga showed, try after try, why they deserved to make the move. Ball control, quality passing, and speed proved too much for any league opponent this season, and Monadnock was no different, with Saratoga having five different people score and Peek converting 3 of 5 two-point conversion kicks.

When the whistle sounded and the champagne flew, all of those who played a role in Saratoga's beginnings and development could take pride in what the 25 dedicated men who played on the field Saturday accomplished: the New England Rugby Football Union (NERFU) Division IV Championship.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Great story, well done Pete! - but I`m not sure I believe the champagne flew!
I`m looking around for people to tell about my site
www.rugby-sidestep-central.com
I hope some of your club members may enjoy a visit.
Best of luck for the future.
Peter Dawson