Saratoga Rugby Blog

Mustang Boys End Road Set with Victory

2011-05-15T21:34:00.002-04:00

Friday, May 13th marked the last of three straight scheduled road matches for the U19 Mustang boys as they traveled to Poestenkill to take on the Rensselaer Dragons. The Dragons, coached by CDYR president, Rob Sliwinski, have had a storied season thus far, and were expected to put up a technically sound and competitive match against the Mustangs, who were coming in after a solid team match against the Bulldogs of Albany (last Saturday).
Kick-off was held a bit past five, as the Mustangs arrived a little late with the unexpected traffic. After kitting up, the Mustangs felt that lag as they took the field. The Dragons played in the Mustang half for the first several minutes of the half. Unusual for the Saratoga squad over the past couple weeks, they were on their heals early and often over those first several minutes. In the tenth minute, however, it was captain and fly-half, Chris Heckman (12th, Ballston Spa) who stopped the lethargic behavior and sliced through the Dragon defense for the first points on the day.
This score woke the Dragons up a bit more as they pushed back into the Saratoga end with spirited ball movement, but Heckman got his backs working for him as his centers continued building their familiarity with the game plan as a switch to the outside center, Jack Guba (11th, BHBL), gave them five more points at the 15th minute mark.
Sliwinski's Dragons came back with vigor, though, as they continued to push into the Saratoga end. Their resurgence was helped in part by the plethora of Mustang penalties for being offside at rucks (an attribute expected to be resolved in the upcoming practices!). The Mustangs slowed things down, though, and returned to play on their toes as scrum half Tyler Krastins (12th, BHBL) began driving and working the forwards from phase to phase. Hooker, Zach Besserab (11th, BHBL), capitalized on the surge in the 30th minute as he pushed through for a try. With a conversion by inside center, Race Viedt (10th, BHBL) and a try a few minutes later by eight man Joe Russell (12th, BHBL), the Mustangs went into half time up 22-0 on the Dragons.
At the intermission, the Mustangs changed things up as fullback Ryan Manning (10th, BHBL) went to scrumhalf and Tylor Peragine (12th, BHBL) came in to govern things at the back at #15. A few other substitutions were made to vary the line up as the whistle came to start the second half.
It wasn't long before Manning took over the game as he embodied the furry little animal from the battery commercials as he kept on going and going and going... At the 40th minute, Manning sliced and diced (and forgot to get tackled) for his first try; Viedt converted to make the effort worth seven points. After battling back and forth over the next several minutes, Manning took charge again off of a pick and go and blew through the defense for another try (and another conversion by Viedt).
Manning and Heckman then orchestrated some of the best back line dominance of the season for Saratoga, while the forwards rucked over and over to maintain possession and progress the ball into the opposition's field. Notable in the solid forward play was flanker August Amirault (10th, BHBL) who embodied "will" and "determination" almost every phase. That, along with solid back line play allowed for outside center, Tom Esmann (12th, BHBL), Heckman and Viedt to weave through the Dragon line with shifty moves and the will to succeed to score three more tries for the Mustangs. All were converted by Viedt and the proverbial opposition backbone had been broken.
The staff made a few more positional changes at this point to experiment with line-up; although the line-up was still solid, it was obvious that the Dragons were defending their home field as they drove deep into the Mustang territory looking to points on the board. With the Mustangs' backs against the wall, the pack took charge with a defensive scrum and regained possession and moved the gain line out of danger. Russell swung momentum back for Saratoga at the 60th minute and Manning got his third score on a penalty try at the 65th minute. Viedt used both legs to scamper through the defense for score of his own at the 67th and second row, Dylan Thompson (11th, BHBL) blew around the outside of the defense at regulation for the final score.
In the end, the Dragons fought with poise in this spirited match and competed to the end. The Mustangs, though, traveled with the full roster to play to the highest level they could.

Final score: Mustangs 77, Rensselaer 0. Man of the match - fullback/scrumhalf Ryan Manning.

Next week marks the end of the regular season as the Mustangs host the Berkshire United U19 Rugby Club on Sunday, May 22nd. Coached by a seasoned veteran crew, Berkshire will be coming in just a game out of the CDYR top spot. If Saratoga wins, they will be going to the State Championships over Memorial Day weekend. Please come out and show your support and help these Mustangs make it to the next level.

Mustang Boys Continue Winning Ways

2011-05-09T21:49:00.003-04:00

This past Saturday marked the debut of the Saratoga Mustang Boys U19 Team. Strange, you may say, as they are nine weeks into the season and this was their fourth match. True, but up until now, there was group effort from the forwards or the backs, but the side of 15 struggled to show the unity required for seamless team play for an entire match.

That was not the case this past Saturday. Saratoga traveled to the campus of UAlbany to take on the Albany Bulldogs - the Mustang's longest rival thus far in the five year history. The skies cleared out in the early afternoon and the sun shined down to help showcase this match-up. The coaching staff had been on the boys about setting the tone and stepping up the intensity over the past couple weeks since spring break. This last week of practice was a step in the right direction, but the path continued upon the first whistle.

Albany kicked off to the start the match just a few minutes after three. The ball was fielded by shifty fullback, Ryan Manning (10th, BHBL) who darted up the right sideline for a big gain. Strong rucking set the pace by the forwards as the gain line moved steadily up the field. At the three minute mark, it was the Mustang's shiftiest of players sneaking in for the first try of the match, as four year veteran scrumhalf, Tyler Krastins (12th, BHBL) placed the ball for 5 points. Inside center, Race Viedt (10th, BHBL) converted to put the Mustangs up 7-0.

Saratoga received the ball on kick-off and worked back down the field in similar fashion with solid phase play. Rucking over and over again got Saratoga within five meters when prop Max Alberts (11th, BHBL) shoved through for the Mustangs second score at the sixth minute mark. Less than ten minutes later, the forward play earned another score as eight man Joe Russell squeezed through traffic for five more points. After the Viedt conversion, Saratoga found itself up 19-0 just fifteen minutes in.

Saratoga began opening things up with a little lead as captain and fly-half, Chris Heckman (12th, Ballston Spa) took over with his backs. With Krastins' great out passes, Heckman led the back line with quick ball movement and key play calling as his centers ran switches down the field to make large gains. In fact, rookie outside center, Jack Guba (11th, BHBL) took advantage of spot-on passing and line running to touch the ball down twice in a matter of three minutes over half way through the first 35. Shortly thereafter, the forwards pushed through for another hard fought rucking try as prop, Shawn Whitaker, punished the opposition for five. All three were converted by Viedt and the Mustangs took a 40-0 lead to halftime.

The staff worked in all fresh legs early in the second half to keep the pressure on. Although Albany was down on the score board, they never backed off. In fact the first half ended with Albany playing a good bit in Saratoga's end. However, the Mustangs kicked off to start the second half; that was the only time they would need to for the rest of the match. Guba got his third score a few minutes in and eight man and forwards captain Robbie Marshall (12th, BHBL) worked Albany forwards over to gain a try several minutes later. With Viedt conversions on both, Saratoga had a 54-0 lead.

As mentioned, though, Albany kept fighting back and never backed down. In fact, a few bad penalties were taken by the Mustangs and Albany had a couple chances to put points up on kicks. Fortunately for the Mustangs, the wind aided them and after each kick, the score remained the same. That did not stop Albany as they kept pounding the ball in the Mustang half of the field. Mid way through the second half, Albany found themselves with a line-out on the Mustang five meter line. With their most powerful prop touting he was getting the ball and going to charge forward, the undersized Mustangs stepped up and defended their goal-line with their hearts and kept Albany off the board.

The Bulldogs kept pushing forward, but found themselves chasing a good portion of the length of the field in the 58th minute as Heckman found himself dicing through the fly-half/center gap for a 60 meter run and five more points. This, with the Viedt conversion, put the proverbial dagger in the comeback attempt on the day. Although the Bulldogs were back on the doorsteps of the Saratoga try line as time was winding down, the Mustang goal-line defense would not let the Albany forwards or the backs advance the gain line any closer as they held on to preserve the shut-out.

Final score: Saratoga 61, Albany 0. Man of the Match: Saratoga Mustangs

Please continue your support as the Mustangs travel to play the Dragons of Rensselaer this Friday, before ending at home on Sunday, May 22nd, against the Berkshire United. Parents, friends and the Saratoga Rugby Community in general are encouraged to come cheer the boys on as they continue elevating their game.

Mustang Boys Finish Home Set Strong Before Hitting the Road for Three Straight

2011-04-18T20:37:00.002-04:00

The Schenectady Chargers bolted into Fireman's Grove on Friday, April 10th, for a match-up with the Saratoga Mustang Boys U19 Rugby Club. The Chargers were poised for their first match of the season, while Saratoga was looking at its second match in six days. Both sides were lean for kick-off as spring break and early season injuries claimed several players from both sides. As such, the match kicked off for Saratoga with rookies at key positions in the pack as Shawn Whitaker (BHBL, 10th) stood in at front row and Nate Sawyer (BHBL, 10th) came in the back at eight-man. The rest of the starting line-up was filled out with veterans including this week's forwards captain and second row, Dylan Thompson (BHBL, 11th) and team captain and fly-half, Chris Heckman (Ballston Spa, 12th). This line-up was key in getting the Mustangs trotting to an early lead. In fact, in the second minute, it was early dominant forward play and shifty ball movement that allowed inside center Race Viedt (BHBL, 10th) to charge through traffic for the first score of the game. Much of the first half was played in the Saratoga offensive end as three more tries followed with aggressive pack play and good ball handling to the line. In the 19th minute, Sawyer bullied his way for five points, followed by Viedt at the 23rd minute, who, yes, Raced his way for 30 plus meters for his second score of the match. In the last minute of the half, flanker Shayne Briaddy (BHBL, 10th) squeezed his way in for a hard-earned try and put the Mustangs up 20-0 at the whistle. At half time, the Mustangs made personnel changes in the backs but kept things the same up front. The punishing runs from the forwards continued into the second half as Whitaker and Sawyer barreled into and through defenders and the spark-plug hooker Joe Russell (BHBL, 12th) got underneath defenders several times on his own for big gains. These runs allowed Sawyer to get his second try of the match at the 40th minute. Schenectady responded to the final Saratoga try as they began crafty and punishing runs of their own; however, this was not enough to overcome the Saratoga lead. Regardless, the Chargers neven showed an ounce of quit as they kept driving and pounding as hard as they could. They counter-rucked superbly in the second half and began gaining momentum. Schenectady exhibited significant character on the day and it was truly an honor to match up against them. In the end, though, it was Saratoga 25 - Schenectady 0. The man of the match, as elected by the Chargers, was hooker Joe Russell. Saratoga now hits the road for three straight before returning home May 22nd against Berkshire United.

Mustang Boys Kick-off 2011 Season

2011-04-10T21:27:00.002-04:00

On Sunday, April 10th, just past noon, Fireman's Grove began filling with cars as the Saratoga Mustang Boys rolled in to prepare for their first match of the year. The coaches called for the early arrival to work out some last second bugs and finalize a few details from practices. It paid off, as things really clicked for the young Mustang team - a team that the coaches announced at registration meetings was a "rebuilding team." With so many of the club's long-standing members from its first year in 2007 having graduated last year, the staff was unsure of how things would unfold back in February.

When the Kingston Mad Dogs Rugby Club made it to the Grove, Saratoga knew the build-up was legitimate. Last year, Kingston was a powerhouse in CDYR and through communications with their coaches early this season, Saratoga expected them to start this season where they left things last year.

At kick-off, Saratoga received with a line-up of all veterans, but most of which had only one year of experience and several were donning a new jersey for this season. The tone was set early for eight-man Rob Marshall as he tanked his way for many large gains. This culminated with a score at the 15th minute. The try was converted by new inside center Race Viedt to give the Mustangs a quick 7-0 lead. As the half drew on, those eight man runs were more and more independent as the Mustangs forwards endurance began to fade and support was longer in getting there. This demise in endurance allowed Kingston to drive through with their own score to cut the lead to 7-5.

At half, a few changes were made to the pack as Coach Ristau needed to get fresh legs into the mix. This worked to the Mustang advantage as it was able to draw a penalty in the 39th minute that had Viedt put another 3 points on the board with clutch kick. The remainder of the game was scoreless, but hard fought the entire way. With a single Kingston try to tie and a conversion to take the lead, Saratoga knew strong defense was the key. Many critical weak side tackles were made by veteran scrumhalf, Tyler Krastins, as he knew he was last line of defense before big runs. Additionally, it was a very successful line-out strategy and execution that allowed Saratoga to win over 80% of its own line-outs, as well as steal half on Kingston's, as second row Dylan Thompson was relentless in his quest to turn the ball to his side, regardless of who was throwing.

Final Score: Saratoga 10, Kingston 5. Mustang Man of the match, as named by Kingston - Flyhalf and team captain - Chris Heckman

With the Saratoga roster too big for a single team and too small for two teams, the coaches were able to secure a developmental half for those hungry Mustangs that were unable to make the regulation match. Although only playing 14 on 14, Saratoga was able to showcase some of its up and coming rookies and veterans. Key runs on the wing by outside center Brian Kuczek and outside tackling by wing Rob Dussault allowed Saratoga to keep it close. In the end, Kingston grabbed a 5-0 victory. That was a small loss in comparison to the experience gained by many of the rookies as they got their first game experience - something I have said for over 12 years - you only think you know the sport with practice - you come to know the sport the first time you play it.

After Sunday's performance, the coaches are now wondering if 2011 is a rebuilding year or just a reloading year.

Please come support the Mustangs on Friday, April 15th at 5:00 as they host the Schenectady Chargers!

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

2009-10-25T08:25:00.012-04:00

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.

Saratoga Men Romp Monadnock to Take Title and Move to Division III

2009-10-24T18:30:00.002-04:00

Just a quick post to let people know that the Saratoga Stampede are NERFU Division IV Champs after defeating Monadnock 31-0. The Stampede will be promoted to Division III for next season .

Saratoga R.F.C.'s Lends a Hand at Habitat Build

2009-08-31T19:08:00.009-04:00

Members of Saratoga Rugby have long claimed the desire to distance the team from the less-than-savory stereotypes many hold of rugby players. On Saturday, August 15th, members of the Mustangs, Stallions, and Stampede again showed their strong commitment to the Saratoga Community by helping out at a Habitat for Humanity build project in Porter's Corners, New York.

Stampede members Mike "Shortstack" Pelella and "Aussie" Steve Ristau at the Porter's Corner site.

Mustangs players Joya Clark, Heidi Pastor, and Shannon Dowdle show off their carpentry skills at the August 15th build.

When asked to help out with the project, the local Habitat coordinators hoped that Saratoga Rugby could provide 8 to 10 volunteers to the project. When the call went out to the clubs, however, 30 volunteers answered the call.

Over the course of the day, the front and rear doors were installed on the house , the electrical rough in phase was started and the vinyl siding installation began. Work also continued on the front porch.While several crews worked on the siding, another crew had the lesenvious task (not fun) of installing the insulation on the concrete walls in the basement.

The entire day was not spent hard at work. The volunteers were treated to a fantastic lunch by members of the Stallions and their assistants.

Thanks again to everyone for all of your hard work. We look to see you at the 2009 Polar Plunge in Lake George, New York, to benefit Special Olympics. Last winter, Saratoga Rugby led all teams and raised almost $5,000 for a very worthy cause. Visit the Polar Plunge website to join or to make a donation!

Mustang Boys Move to State Championship for the First Time in Club History

2009-05-31T21:21:00.003-04:00

On Saturday, May 30th, the Saratoga Mustang VT boys hosted its first round playoff match in VYRA play. The opponent was Rutland U19 RFC. Similar to the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals, this match up was a rematch from the year before. Last year, the Mustang boys traveled to Rutland midweek for the VYRA first round playoff match and were sent packing.

After the playoff seedings were announced, during this past week's practice, captains Greg Manning (11th, BHBL) and Ryan Jones (11th, Saratoga Springs) reminded their team of the burning feeling they experienced from last year's loss and how they did not want to nor would allow that to happen again. As the week grew on, the intensity picked up, as did the nerves of the young squad. After all, the team is just three years old, and they were hosting the first round playoff match of the Vermont State Championship. It should also be noted, though, that the boys counterparts, led by Coach Mody, were slated to host the first round playoff match for the second straight year - congratulations girls!

Kickoff was the earliest of the season for the boys; the first whistle blew at 10:00 am. Just minutes before, the coaching staff had some last second roster changes as some players were injured from the NY game held the night before (Saratoga victory over Berkshire!). Once they got everything worked out, Manning (wing) and Jones (fly-half) took control of their team. It was not long before their team took control of the game.

Eight man and forwards leader, Mike Matrazzo (12th, BHBL) used his typical I-am-going-to-run-and-not-let-you-tackle-me technique and fought in for the score at the 10th minute. Unfortunately, it was his hard running that stood him out and caused some foul play to occur at the 15th minute. Matrazzo, although defending himself, lost his cool and ended up with a yellow card and ten minutes to cool off, as did the infracting Rutland player. Playing 14 a side did not hurt Saratoga as they kept the ball in the Rutland half and five minutes later were up 10-0 on an Alex Pulling (inside center, 12th, Ballston Spa) try. The Saratoga backs, led by Jones, played very well throughout the first half. At the 27th minute, Jones kept the ball on a pass from squirrelly and unorthodox scrum half, Matt Bynon (11th, BHBL) and scored his own try. Just before half time, though, Rutland got on the board and started to steal the momentum away.

Coach Tempest was concerned about the momentum shift, especially with the loss of hard hitting and the sure tackling flanker Chris Heckman (10th, Ballston Spa) to a shoulder injury. The captains refocused the team and got them mentally ready again.

At the kickoff for the second half, Saratoga started out like they did in the first half. Hard hits, solid rucking, sure handed passing and proper tackling, along with plain old fundamental play, put Saratoga in the driver's seat as they began to run away with the match. At the 45th minute, outside center and rising star Mike Gonzalez (11th, Saratoga Springs) jaunted in on the far side and then took care of his kicked by sprinting to the middle before touching the ball down. Just two minutes later, Pulling sprinted down the near side before being taken down just shy of the try line. Great support was given by wing Ryan Bobbitt (11th, Saratoga Springs) as he picked the ball and dove in for a 25-5 lead. With the Jones conversion, Saratoga was confident at a 27-5 edge. They did not let up, though, as Pulling continued running like a tank and scored at the 53rd minute. The Jones conversion capped off the scoring at 34-5.

Although no more points were scored, Rutland fought hard and was still pressing Saratoga. The Mustangs were relentless in keeping the ball in the Rutland end. On a kick into Mustang territory, wing Travis Bradley (12th, BHBL) used some fantastic foot work to march a good 20 meters back into Rutland territory. Late into the second half, wing Justin Sarsick (12th, BHBL) used some of his own dance moves to advance the ball deep in the Rutland zone. Impact plays like this, advancing position, kept Rutland off the scoreboard and kept Saratoga churning hard. The final score was Saratoga 34 and Rutland 5.

Looking back at the game, no Saratoga individual stuck out as the game changer. Matrazzo had several big runs and poached the ball like a champ. Bynon played his territory and did not give an inch. Flankers Chris Card (11th, Saratoga Springs) and Cory Baird (11th, BHBL) carried the ball north-south spectacularly and the backs performed very well with key tactical kicks by Jones and fullback Dylan Gandy (12th, Waldorf). All in all, every player that donned the black and red Kooga this weekend was an impact player and a game changer. As atypical as it may be, the game ball went to Saratoga numbers 1 thru 22 for this match.

The Mustang boys will be joining the girls in traveling to the Vermont State Championships this upcoming weekend. Details are still being finalized, but signs are pointing towards a Saturday late afternoon match in Rutland against Essex high school rugby. If possible, please show your support for these young ruggers!

Mustang Boys Outlast Older, More Veteran Barkeater Squad

2009-05-10T19:08:00.002-04:00

The Saratoga (VT) Mustangs hosted both boys and girls U19s this past weekend at Shenantaha Creek Park in Malta. The boys' game kicked off shortly after the girls posted an eight point victory on the more veteran Adirondack girls team (more to come on that match). Not to be outdone by their peers, the boys knew what they had to do.

Ailing with injuries from the Friday night match against Schenectady, many of the boys gained composure and kitted up for the match, including flanker Chris Heckman (Ballston Spa, 10th), who Coach Tempest asked for about 10 minutes to make an impact and then he would most likely be subbed out. At the start, Adirondack's side looked cocky and confident as they strutted on the Saratoga field, with their older, more experienced side.

Field captain and fly-half, Ryan Jones (Saratoga, 11th) got the Mustangs focused with a pre-game speech to let his team know that this was their field and they'll not put up with the outsiders coming in and thinking they are going to dominate. Shortly after kick-off, Jones backed up his words with a hard fought score on the left side and then converted his own try for the 7-0 lead at the 6th minute. After some solid, back and forth play, eight man and forwards' captain, Mike Matrazzo (BHBL, 12th) ripped the ball and propelled past the try line for the 12-0 lead at the 20th minute.

After allowing Adirondack on the board at the 29th minute, Jones utilized some dazzling runs by inside center Alex Pulling (Ballston Spa, 12th) and outside center Mike Gonzalez (Saratoga, 11th) and got himself into position to score again just before half to give the Mustangs a 17-5 lead.

The second half opened up with much of the same as scrum half Matt Bynon (BHBL, 11th) picked the ball and fought for the 22-5 lead at the 41st minute. After that, though, the Mustangs seemed to start playing on their heals. Adirondack was fighting hard for every meter and was getting the best of the Mustangs. After some significant injuries for the Mustangs and substitution errors by Coach Tempest, the Mustangs were just trying to stay solid. At the 59th minute and again at the 64th minute, the Barkeaters scored, closing the lead the 22-15. In the end, though, the Mustangs stood tall and prevented Adirondack from closing in anymore. At the final whistle, it was Saratoga who came out on top (22-15) for a 4-1 record in VYRA. Oh, by the way, flanker C. Heckman played hurt, yet solid the entire game, even though the coaching staff kept asking for only ten more minutes...

The game was hard-fought by the undersized and much younger Mustangs. The coaching staff is very proud and excited about the will and effort that team put forth on Saturday. Upon review of the key elements to the success and victory, the coaching staff has chosen eight man Mike Matrazzo as the man of the match for the Mustangs. Usually known for spectacular runs up the field, his offensive presence was not the factor this week. Rather, it was defensive posture that neutralized the much larger and much older opposing eight man for Adirondack. This opponent definitely appeared to have some significant rugby days under his belt, but Matrazzo matched up and contained him throughout the match. Kudos, Mike.

Saratoga travels to face North Country at the Essex fields this upcoming Saturday, May 16th. With a victory against North Country, Saratoga will have a good chance at hosting the first round playoff game on May 30th. Let's go Mustangs!

Mustang Boys Beat Mad River 5-0...Well Sorta...

2009-05-04T22:31:00.002-04:00

Apparently, Saturday, May 2nd was a big day for the SAT's. The Saratoga coaching staff knew that the Mustangs were being affected by it, as it had six players pulled away for the big, nervousness-inducing test. What the staff did not realize was that over in Vermont, the SAT's were on the same day. Luckily for Saratoga, they were hosting and it was Mad River that was forced to travel. Unfortunately, Mad River was hit a bit harder by the SAT's and only came down with six players and their coach. This, in and of itself, though, is remarkable given the travel time and commitment of those members of the organization. Job well done, Mad River.

Okay, enough for background on the match. Saratoga was fortunate that the NY league had a bye week and many players were available. 28 players for Saratoga took to the pitch on Saturday, and 11 of those 28 donned the green and gold stripes for Mad River. The coaching staff, needing to continue development, set the roster for the black and red Mustangs based on needs and had to move personnel around into some unfamiliar positions. Others, stepped up in their roles to play a bigger part of the game. On the other side, the 11 boys that were wearing the unfamiliar green and gold jerseys did both, all while having six new teammates and seeing their peers on the other side.

Scoring for the game yielded the following:
Tyler Krupa, lock (11th, BHBL) - 2 tries (2nd minute, 61st minute)
Mike Matrazzo, 8-man (12th, BHBL) - 6 tries (5th minute, 11th minute, 31st minute, 46th minute, 51st minute, 65th minute)
Justin Sarsick, wing (12th, BHBL) - 1 try (17th minute)
Alex Pulling, inside center (12th, Ballston Spa) - 1 try (22nd minute)
Dylan Gandy, fullback (12th, Waldorf) - 3 tries (27th minute, 29th minute, 57th minute)
Ryan Jones, flyhalf (11th, Saratoga) - 1 try (36th minute), 1 conversion
Nate Heckman, outside center (12th, Ballston Spa) - 6 conversions

Final score: Saratoga 5 - Mad River 0

The co-men of the match are (1) the Mad River players for living up to the commitments they made and traveling the three plus hours each way in a non-ideal situation and (2) the "Mad River Mustangs" for their willingness to don the opponents jersey and fight against their own team. To wear the opposite jersey of what you know and love is difficult. The coaching staff recognizes and personally knows these feelings. However, if these boys had not overcome this, not only would the weekend have yielded no games for the boys overall, it would have set back the development as a whole of the U19 program. Job well done.

Saratoga Mustang Boys host the Schenectady Chargers this Friday at 6:00 pm and the Adirondack Barkeaters this Saturday at 12:30 pm; both games are at Shenantaha Creek Park in Malta. Please come show your support.

Scrum-Halves Lead the Way to Weekend Routs for Both Mustangs Girls Teams

2009-05-03T16:39:00.003-04:00

Saratoga played both host and guest this past weekend, but the results were the same. Lopsided wins that were led by the legs, tackles, and passes of two relatively new players at the scrum-half position.

In a Friday night showdown that served as Saratoga Mustangs Girls NY League team's home opener, Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake sophomore Lian Connor, a rookie, showed blinding speed and and aggressive defense, leading her team to several tries and a shutout victory over the short handed Albany Bulldogs, 42-0. After dropping their first match of the season to Kingston, the Mustangs Girls NY, comprised almost entirely of rookies, has come together quickly under Head Coach Rick Babson and his assistant coaches to post back to back victories. Connor, a soccer player in the fall, has shown a natural talent for the game and has quickly picked up scrum-half to help lead her team. Helping in the scoring on the night were were freshman wing Kaita Albanese, freshman fullback Emily Nikolski (who also converted several kicks), and sophomore second-row, Shayna Myers, all of Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School. Connor was Coach Babson's selection for Rugger of the Match for the second consecutive week.

For the Saratoga Mustangs Girls Vermont League team's side of things, the early season got off to a difficult start. Already smarting from the loss of several graduating members of a very powerful pack that helped lead the Mustangs Girls to the state finals, Saratoga found itself very thin in a former area of strength when a significant portion of this year's junior and senior pack players opted for employment and academics over playing rugby. These loses depleted experienced replacements for last year's graduates but the addition of rookie junior Cassie Steele (Shenendahowa) and the conversion of senior Sara McFadden (Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake) from fullback to second row helped solidify the pack quickly.

After spending half a season as fullback, NRU All-Star Joya Clark (Scotia-Glenville) made the transition to scrum-half in the early season to replace graduated Mustang Emily Wexler. Clark, known for her brutal tackles, blazing speed, and plus foot, has not disappointed in her debut. After difficult travel conditions to Essex, VT left the Saratoga with only 25 minutes to dress and warm up, a see-saw battle with the perennial playoff bound Essex Girls which ended in a 12-12 tie and cost the Mustangs their Co-Captain, Senior Flanker Jordan Scacchetti (Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake) for what hopefully amounts to only half of the season with a knee injury.

On Saturday, it was the Mustangs Girls VT 's chance to set loose their offense which had been very rusty against a fleet footed Essex team. Despite spirited play from Colchester, which featured a powerful pack that was able to dominate scrums and rucks, it was Clark's feet and aggression that led the way for the Mustangs. The Scotia-Glenville Junior bashed, bolted, and blew by would be tacklers amassing an astounding team record of 33 points by scoring five tries and converting four kicks. One of her kicks even managed to snap one of Colcherster's goal post uprights before ricocheting through the middle for two points.

In other set pieces, juniors Shannon Dowdle and Brianne Briggs, Co-Captain senior Tiffany Neach, and sophomore Melayna Weaver (Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake) were also a dominant force in the line-outs, winning all of Saratoga's thrown ins and disrupting several of Colchester's. Weaver also had a punishing and then evasive penalty run through the heart of Colchester's defense which set up Clark's second score.

While Clark's running was dazzling to see, it was not the only scoring of the day. Featuring a spread offense to maximize running lanes, Saratoga also had tries scored by junior outside center Sam Coluccio (Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake), senior eightman Eva Meier (Ballston Spa), senior inside center Quennah Holt (Colonie) and senior wing Autumn VanderVeer (Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake). Coluccio added an impressive interception and 30 meter return of Colchester's inside center to cap a solid day by the outside center. As the game ended, Saratoga ran away with a 53-5 victory.

A special hat tip to freshman Kaita Albanese, Allie Harkins, sophomore Maranda Rotondo, (Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake) and senior Bridgette Bryan (Shenendahowa) who logged their first playing time for Mustangs Girls VT League squad. Another hat tip to Colchester who fought hard the entire match and played some of the cleanest rugby the coaching staff has seen. The final score was not indicative of how much closer a match it was. Colchester's head coach, Julie Conrad, has her girls playing physical, fundamentally sound rugby and they should be a tough match as her club continues to gain experience.

It was no surprise that an exhausted Joya Clark was awarded Rugger of the Match for the Mustangs Girls VT, who improved to 1-0-1 on the season. Come see the girls take on arch rival and defending State Champ Adirondack in a rematch of last season's State Finals this Saturday at Shenentaha Creek Park in Ballston Spa. Kickoff is at 11:00 A.M.

Mustang Boys Gain First Ever Victory over Rutland

2009-04-25T22:12:00.002-04:00

After having an unexpected weekend off last week (4/18/09), the Saratoga Mustang Boy U19's headed to Rutland, VT for an 11:00 am kickoff on Saturday, April 25th. The travel, though, was a little more lean than the coaching staff expected as only 19 boys made the commute. Of those 19, one Mustang, Connor Young (BHBL, 11th), was simply going up to support his team when the coaching staff requested he be ready for game play based emergent needs (special thanks to Connor's dad for 'speeding' through Burnt Hills and Glenville to get his kit to the carpool!).
The match started with the boys seeking retribution for last year's VYRA playoff beating. This focus took over the Mustangs from the outset of the match as they received the initial kick-off and played solid rugby from the start. At the 13th minute, ingenius play by the Mustang scrummie (Matt Bynon, BHBL, 11th) yielded the first points of the day as he dove across the try line for a 5-0 lead. After Rutland fought back and pushed the wing, the Mustangs corrected issues with the back line cheating in and finally started playing smart defensive back line play.
This change allowed the Mustangs to stop the fighting Roosters and turn the ball back into Mustang hands. At the 25th minute, good back play yielded field captain and outside center Greg Manning (BHBL, 11th) the opportunity to over power the opposite line and touch the ball down beyond the try line again. 8-man and forwards' captain Mike Matrazzo (BHBL, 12th) then converted the try for a 12-0 lead.
Using momentum, the Mustangs received the kick-off and marched right back down the field and at the 29th minute, Bynon scored again for Mustangs. Then, right before the whistle for halftime, fly-half, Ryan Jones (Saratoga, 11th) chipped the ball to the wing and charging wing, Mike Gonzalez (Saratoga, 11th) caught the ball on the bounce and scored the fourth try of match on what was most likely the best offensive play of the young season.
During halftime, Manning warned his team to keep their composure and ensure pressure is applied, as Rutland will come out firing. Manning was right as Rutland scored and converted within the first five minutes of the second half. Shortly after, though, Matrazzo scored and converted and Bynon scored again, yielding the Mustangs a 34-7 lead. After flanker Chris Heckman (Ballston Spa, 10th) came out of the game due to injury, the Roosters pushed through and scored another try in their comeback attempt.
This was thwarted, though, by solid play by the remaining starters and reserve Young, who was thriving at flanker, after being proficient really only at second row during training and previous matches. It was in fact, plays like Young's key tackles and hard, short runs, that defined the success of the Saratoga forwards on the day. This success put Matrazzo back into position for another fantastic run late in the match as he capped the scoring with his second try of the match and a 39-12 final score.
In the end, the coaching staff identified co-men of the match as Bynon (scrum-half) and second row, Tyler Krupa (BHBL, 11th). Bynon's quick thinking on penalty plays and command as the 'general' on the field gave Saratoga great scoring opportunities through out the match, including three of his own. Krupa's unselfish, blue-collar like play had him at nearly every breakdown and coming up in proper defensive position 'posting' throughout the match. Although the staff has been driving for everyone to play in this way, Krupa exemplified the strategy throughout and was a key element in the team's success on Saturday.
Saratoga hosts Mad River next Saturday, May 2nd, at noon in the Shenantaha Creek Park in Malta, NY.

Saratoga Stampede Strong in Season Opener

2009-04-19T18:44:00.002-04:00

The first match of the Spring 2009 season saw Saratoga returning a veteran core but with new faces at several key positions. As with any season opener, there were many questions to be answered and the Stampede sought to build upon last fall's successes.

From the opening kickoff, Saratoga completely controlled the outmatched Utica Klubs, driving the ball deep into their opponent's end before turning the ball over. This change of possession, however, did little to slow Saratoga's attack as phase after phase Utica was driven backwards ever closer to their goal line. When the Utica fly half received a pass deep in his own try zone, he was harrassed by two Stampede players as he attempted to kick the ball to safety. The resulting kick hit the back of one of his teammates and fell to the ground where Stampede second row Sean Bayliss fell upon it to open the scoring.

From that point on, the floodgates were opened. Inside Center Jamie Merritt repeatedly pounded the Utica line with punishing runs and Fly Half Doug McCluskey knifed through the opposing defense with seeming ease. Rookie wing Larry Chong proved a solid addition to the team's line as he made tackle after tackle, preventing Utica from probing the Stampede's outside. The Stampede flew into ruck after ruck and kept possession deep within the Utica end of the pitch. The pack continually dominated set play in scrums and lineouts, with jumper Adam DeGeorgio throwing the opponents into confusion; and the line remained unstoppable. Saratoga continued to pour it on, with McLuskey adding two tries and Merrit contributing a third. Fullback Vernon Peek converted three kicks and added a penalty kick to give the Stampede a 24-0 halftime lead.

The second half saw more of the same as the Stampede refused to let their foot off of their opponent's throat. Rucks remained a strong point for the Stampede and newcomer Chris Lord added some punishing hits as the Stampede pack were shocked to see a wing in a ruck! A lone Utica drive midway through the half did see Saratoga back on its heals. The Klubs were able to take advantage of a couple Stampede mistakes to drive down within the five meter line. There, the Stampede's defense stiffened and Utica runners were repeatedly repulsed as they attempted to cross the try line. Finally, under constant pressure, the Utica pack knocked the ball on and Saratoga regained possession, shut-out intact.

The goal line stand saw one scary moment for the Stampede as scrum half Nick DeFilippo lay injured beneath the goal posts. Despite team captain Steve "Aussie" Ristau's calls for a stretcher, the fragile DeFilippo finally got to his feet. With their scrummie back in action, the Stampede continued the attack. After a Utica infraction, Peek let go a brilliant free kick that landed just past the Utica pack but well in front of the opposing wing. The placement of the kick caused confusion within the Klubs and DeFilippo, fresh back from death's door, scooped up the loose ball and sprinted fifty meters for a try that seemed to break any remaining spirit that Utica had. Saratoga added a final score as eventual man-of-the-match McCluskey added his third try of the game with Peek adding his fifth conversion of the day.

Final score, Saratoga 43 - Utica 0.

Utica remained unable to stop Saratoga in the teams' B-side match. The highlight of that contest being a fantastic sixty meter scamper by rookie wing Ben "Sticky Fingers" Yamane, who outraced the entire Utica team and sprinted sixty meters into the try zone, where he proceeded to drop the ball as he attempted to place it on the ground. Undeterred, Yamane added his first career score on a similar dash down the right sideline into the try zone. Veteran newcomer to the Stampede Tim Smith added a cagey score on a penalty run.

All in all, it was an excellent start to the spring season and the team looks to build upon this success going into next weekend's tournament in Potsdam, New York.

Essex HS Too Much for Mustang Boys to Start Season

2009-04-12T13:47:00.003-04:00

The Saratoga Mustang Boys U19 RFC - Vermont side - traveled to Essex Junction, VT on Saturday, April 11th to kick off the 2009 season. With high school spring break and family vacations in place, along with some miscommunication between players and the coaching staff, the side traveled lean with only 18 bodies to the match, 1/3 of which were kitting up for game play for the first time.
The game kicked off around 15 minutes later than expected, but Saratoga was ready to go at the first whistle. Play stayed mainly within the 22 meter lines throughout much of the first half with both teams progressing up and then turning the ball over. It was obvious at the beginning that the long off-season had taken away the fluidness that made Saratoga strong late in the 2008 season. Throughout the first 35 minutes, Essex was able to capitalize on overloads on the wing twice to take a 12-0 lead into the half. However, great leadership skills by captain and scrumhalf, Greg Manning (BHBL, 11th) and flyhalf, Ryan Jones (Saratoga, 11th) kept the players aware and re-focused on roles and responsibilities.
No personnel adjustments occurred at the start of the second half, but Jones, Manning and forwards captain and eight-man, Mike Matrazzo (BHBL, 12th) reminded the Mustangs that the deficit was essentially nothing and that the jitters were gone and it was time to play rugby. Five minutes into the second half, though, Essex took that message and put the ball in goal again for a 17-0 lead. Throughout the second half, Essex had a yellow card and red card to give the Mustangs a chance, but it was lack of fitness and inexperience that kept Saratoga from finding the scoreboard.
Matrazzo, flanker Chris Heckman (Ballston Spa, 10th), lock Bryan Harrington (BHBL, 12th) and prop Tony Fusco (BHBL, 11th) all had some monstrous runs throughout the second half, but there was not enough support from ruckers to maintain possession and the balls were lost. When the final whistle blew, Essex won the match 37-0 over the traveling Mustangs.
All in all, though, the head coach stands by the fact that the game was much closer than the posted score. Much of the points given up were on overloads and players caught out of position - these are all attributes that can be trained and corrected. For the first game of the season, the coach was very satisfied with the trouble shooting and decision making that his players were doing on the field. As the coaching staff has stated throughout the young season, its goal is to have 15 decision makers out on the field at any given time and Saturday was definitely a step in the right direction.
The Vermont side heads back towards the Lake Champlain area this weekend (April 18th) to face South Burlington.

Fund Raising Clock Winding Down

2008-12-11T16:13:00.002-05:00

On Saturday, participants from the Saratoga Rugby Community will be taking the Polar Plunge Challenge to help raise money for the Special Olympics of New York. Over twenty members of Saratoga Rugby have been raising money for this event and with the help of their supportive friends, relatives, and co-workers, are currently ranked second in terms of total team fund raising.

The event consists of people agreeing to jump into Lake George this Saturday, no matter what the temperature, in hopes that the stunt will help generate amusement and donations from people that they know. Students were lining up at Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School to put spare change in a coffee can to get rugby coach and German teacher Kelly Canavan deeper and deeper into the water. "It's for a great cause," Canavan said. "I was a diver when I lived in Cleveland, so this should be like a mid summer swim for me. I told kids that I would get deeper in the lake with every $50 that was collected." Many students wanted to see if that was the case and agreed to put their money where her mouth was.

If you have interest, visit the team's Polar Plunge Page and make a donation. Each donation, no matter how small, helps the Special Olympics continue to provide opportunities for the differently-abled athletes their organization serves.

Saratoga Stampede Control Combined College Side, Win 36-7.

2008-10-28T21:33:00.001-04:00

This past Saturday, the Saratoga Stampede completed its fall season. Despite missing out on the New England Rugby Football Union’s Division IV Championship by a few points in the standings, Saratoga replaced a forfeit by the Boston Ironsides (moving their record to 5-1) with a game by a conglomerate of local college teams. Most notable on the opponent’s team included SUNY Oneonta’s Ryan Romano, who played several games with the Stampede this season because his college team is facing sanctions from USA Rugby. Romano’s slashing style and speed was a focus for the Saratoga defense. Stop Romano and Saratoga felt confident that they could control the tempo of the game. Also suiting up was Kevin Mackenzie from Union College, who played with the Stampede this past summer. Ballston Spa Alum and Union College student John Robens was also on hand, but only from the sidelines as he was nursing a leg injury.

The Stampede took the field looking to slow down the tempo of the game as much as possible. Knowing that a side made entirely of college students would mean a team with greater speed, agility, and on some fronts, cardiovascular fitness, it was in the best interests of the team to play a pack control game that featured deliberate rucking. Aggressive college players, often bent on making the hard hit, have a tendency to over commit to rucks and mauls. Hoping to capitalize on this, Saratoga stacked its scrum with size and experience, and put younger, speedier players on the line to take advantage of overloads and positive field position. The strategy worked.

Saratoga was able to control the game for most of the first half, despite having to be on the defensive side of the highest number of scrum downs it had to endure in a single half this season due to a few ill-advised passes that ended up being knocked forward (in rugby, a forward fumble results in loss of possession). Nonetheless, Saratoga’s Guard Dog defense was run very well with players dedicated to running the zone style attack. They were able to shut down “Unieonta” before their back line could get anything going. Strong tackles by eventual Man-of-the-Match winner Jamie Merrit kept the college side in check all afternoon. As time wore on, flankers Pete Mody and Chuck Tempest and eight-man Steve Ristau were able to get Mackenzie’s timing down and anticipate passes to the speedy Romano. This allowed them to stop Romano for a loss several times or force him to make quick passes that allowed Merrit and James Rigney chances to make crushing tackles.

On the offensive side of the ball, it was mostly a day of feasting for the backs. After members of the pack were able to draw in multiple defenders, Doug McCluskey was able to set loose his backline. As a result, tries were scored by Merrit, Rigney, Kevin Dooling, and Tim Hodgins. Also added into the scoring mix were a plunging try by prop Aaron Noble and another score by scrum-half Nick DeFilippo. After adding McCluskey’s three conversions, Saratoga took the game 36-7, with the lone try from the college side being scored by Romano.

The highlight of the day, however, was Dooling’s try. After a high kick to the opposing wing by fullback Tom Northrop, Merrit raced down the field. As the wing caught the ball, Merrit delivered a crushing blow. The ball immediately popped out of his hands and Kevin Dooling, in close pursuit, snagged it mid-air and raced untouched for his score, while the crowd erupted. It was one of the most dazzling plays this season.

What the Future Holds
In Saratoga’s upcoming Annual General Meeting on November 8th, the club will decide whether or not to petition NERFU to move to Division III despite coming in second in the Division Championship. Traditionally, only the top team has been allowed to challenge to move up, but with Saratoga’s strong season and its point differential ending at +200 (points scored minus points allowed), it feels it has done enough to make the petition, should the team decide the move is in the best interest of the club.

One truth is for certain, however. Saratoga, whose record was 1-5 in its first season in the spring of 2006 and currently stands at 6-1, has come a long way.

Saratoga Mustangs Girls Land One Starter, Two Alternates on NRU Girls All-Star Team

2008-10-23T05:59:00.003-04:00

A selection camp was held this past Sunday to compile the Northeast Regional Union's Girls U-19 All-Star team for competition in Fort Lauderdale, FL for November 22-23. The NRU All-Stars will play against other regional squads from all over the country. The selection camp featured over sixty players from six states at the high school and college level.

The Saratoga Mustangs Girls U-19 Team is proud to announce that it secured a starting spot and two alternates out of the 22 girls and 7 alternates selected. Fullback and Scotia-Glenville's Joya Clark, a junior, was selected as a starter, while flanker Jordan Scacchetti, a senior from Burnt Hills, and senior center Quennah Holt, from Shenendahowa, were selected as alternates for the squad.

All-star selector Jenna Bussman praised the quality of young talent that attended the camp and looked forward to some of the younger players who were not selected trying out again next year as high school seniors or college freshman. In an understandably college heavy selection, collegiate players made up 22 of the 29 total selected as starters and alternates. For the Saratoga Mustangs to have three of the seven high school players selected is quite an accomplishment for the second year club.

Clark, a rookie this past spring, is known for her aggressiveness on the pitch. Gifted with great speed, good hands, a good foot, and passion for crushing tackles, she joins Niskayuna and Mustang alumnae Maddy Cocca, who was a member of the NRU All-Stars in 2007 and who currently plays eight man for the College of Saint Benedict.

Springfield Manhandles Mad River, Takes Division Crown

2008-10-22T17:01:00.004-04:00

Despite doing everything they had the power to do, the one loss this season was enough to keep Saratoga from their first championship. Unlike past years when a playoff system allowed top teams a chance to make amends for missteps, the point system employed by the New England Rugby Football Union kept Springfield in the driver's seat when they dispatched a severely short handed Mad River Club, 60-5. Having to borrow three players from Springfield and still playing one man short, Mad River had little chance of coming through with an upset that Saratoga needed to slip by in the standings so they could capture the title.

Under the scoring guidelines, a team gets four points for a win and an additional point if they score at least four tries. A losing team can still get points, however, if they score four tries (1 point) and/or if they lose by three points or less (1 point). Using this system, Saratoga put itself in a position to tie or win the division with their victory versus Monadnock, had Springfield tied and not scored four tries. Even if Saratoga tied Springfield in the standings, despite the fact that they lost to Springfield head-to-head, Saratoga had a higher point diferential (points scored versus points allowed), and they would have been awarded the championship.

The point became moot quickly, however, and Springfield captured the division crown by outpacing Saratoga by a league standings point total of 24-20. The four point differential comes from Saratoga's lone loss on the season, which was to Springfield.

The team is still in high spirits as it boasts a 5-1 regular season record and a second place finish in only its second year of divisional play. After making the playoffs last year with a 3-3 record and finishing the season in fourth place, the club was happy with its improvement.

Come cheer the club on as it competes in a "friendly" (a game against a non-league opponent) when they challenge some of the top players from three area colleges this Saturday at Shenentaha Creek Park at 1:00 PM.

Chat With The Vets This Saturday
What is Bill McLain's secret to the throw-in? What does Doug McCluskey feel about leading such a youthful backline? How does James Rigney feel about having the team's highest penalty-to-minutes-played ratio? This Saturday brings you a chance to chat with some of the vets on the sidelines! It will largely be a "futures" game for the Stampede, featuring vets for the first 20 minutes and then some of the new faces that have joined the club this season for the remainder of the match. Players will be there to answer all of your questions about the game, the season, and the team. Catch some commentary as well as what the future holds for this growing club!

Saratoga Takes Care of Business, Drops Monadnock to Go 4-1

2008-10-20T16:01:00.003-04:00

It looks like the Saratoga Stampede Men’s Rugby Club wasn’t quite done in terms of fighting for a title, after all. After a tough loss to division leading Springfield dropped the team to 2-1, Saratoga responded by posting a 58-10 thrashing of shorthanded Berkshire before they went into their bye weekend. Entering the final weekend of seasonal play, Saratoga had to beat Monadnock and score at least four tries, coupled with a Springfield loss on the road against Mad River, if they had any hope of bringing home their first Division IV Championship Title. Taking care of their half of the arrangement, Saratoga made the three hour trip into New Hampshire, and under cold and windy conditions, out grinded the Highlanders, 23-8.

The game kicked off with Saratoga receiving and moving up field. With spirited play on both sides, the ball moved back and forth in the middle third of the field, until the fifteen minute mark, when Monadnock’s fullback was able to find a seam on the right side of the pitch and streak for a score at the corner. The kick was not converted and Monadnock took a 5-0 lead.

After the ensuing kickoff, more big hits from both sides again kept the ball essentially in the middle of the field. Saratoga scrum-half Nick DeFilippo noticed that Monadnock had pulled their fullback up to play defense and booted a kick over the backline. He raced after the kick, jostling with the Monadnock’s fullback, and overtook him, scooping the ball off of the ground at full speed. Monadnock’s only hope was to trip up the speedy DeFilippo, and the fullback dove at his legs. DeFilippo somehow managed to keep his balance and his feet, and dove into the try zone for the tying score.

Saratoga then managed to keep possession and control of the ball, essentially, for the rest of the half. Despite some fumbles and less than perfect passes that thwarted strong scoring drives, Jamie Merrit punched in another score to give Saratoga the lead. Monadnock responded with a penalty kick, which brought them within two points. Saratoga managed to drive deep into Mondanock territory, but a pile of Saratoga ruggers were pushed out of bounds as the first half expired, Saratoga leading 10-8.

The second half showed a change in tempo as Saratoga grew more and more dominant in loose play on the field, forcing turnovers and pushing deep in Monadnock territory, forcing the home team to turn to constant kicking. Behind fullback Vern Peek’s strong punting, Saratoga was able to take advantage of penalties by Monadnock and push into their zone, winning most of their lineouts. One of these lineouts was dumped to DeFilippo who surprised both teams by converting the team’s first ever drop kick, ala Doug Flutie, pushing Saratoga’s lead back to five and giving them some breathing room, at 13-8.

Monadnock was not done, however, and after a series of lost lineouts and Saratoga penalties, made two final drives to get back in the game. Saratoga broke out an intense goal line defense on two separate occasions, stopping mauls, which had been a struggle for the team in the past, and driving players out of bounds. Three consecutive Monadnock lineouts were stolen, as jumper Adam DiGiorgio tipped the ball into lifter Pete Mody’s hands, which were then quickly recycled and booted farther and farther from Saratoga’s try zone.

The swift feet of Kevin Dooling helped pace the game when, after several cut back runs, he found a seam and drove in for a score. Saratoga, now leading 18-8, found themselves with only a few minutes left to score the fourth try and get the scoring bonus that gave them a shot at a Division IV Title. After a strong kickoff return by Mody, the Saratoga line maneuvered the ball down deep into Monadnock territory. When a Monadnock player was pushed out of bounds at the 22 meter line, the team only had 32 seconds remaining to get the final score. Scrum captain Bill McLain tossed a perfect throw to eight-man Steve Ristau, who dished the ball to DeFilippo. DeFilippo was bowled over by a crashing member of the Monadnock scrum but still completed a perfect out pass to fly-half and field captain Doug McCluskey, while he was upside down. McCluskey, who had been slashing through Monadnock defenders all day, drew multiple defenders to him as he worked his way to the ten meter line of Monadnock. It was then, after winning the ruck, that DeFilippo spotted the team’s largest player, prop Aaron Noble, running to crash the ball. Expecting to be hit, Noble received the ball and swiveled his head, looking for the oncoming hit. With several team mates screaming “RUN NOBLE”, the big man took off and rumbled into the try zone untouched, leaving Monadnock players scratching their heads.

As the final conversion sailed wide, Saratoga claimed a 23-8 victory and scored enough tries for the point bonus to give them a shot at the Division IV Title. Should Saratoga win this title, they would be able to challenge the worst team in Division III to a relegation match and an opportunity to take their spot in Division III. After going 3-3 last year, which was good for a fourth place finish in the New England Rugby Football Union’s Division IV, a forfeit by Boston gives the team a 5-1 record for 2008. It is the best record the team has achieved, thus far.

As they await status on the challenge match, come join the team this Saturday for a friendly match between Saratoga and a combined side from Union College and SUNY Oneonta. The kickoff is at 1:00 PM at Shenentaha Creek Park in Ballston Spa, directly after the 2-1 Saratoga Women’s Rugby Club completes the final game of its first season in club history. For more information about Saratoga Rugby, please visit http://www.saratogarugby.org/.

Saratoga Stallions Win Hard-Hitting 10's Match vs. Vermont Law, 52-37

2008-10-06T16:02:00.004-04:00

The Saratoga Stallions Women's Rugby team hosted the women of Vermont Law on Saturday, October 4th, and continued to dominate the field in a hard-hitting, fast-paced, and high-scoring 10's match.

The Stallions got off to an early lead when Jasmine Patterson (center back) broke through the Vermont Law defensive line to run the ball in for a try. Jenny Petronis (wing) completed the conversion kick to finish the opening drive and give the Stallions a 7-0 lead only minutes into the match.

Saratoga continued to push through holes in the Vermont Law defense, and opened their lead to 17-0 with tries scored by Alessandra Bender (wing), Jenny Petronis, and another conversion kick by Petronis.

The Vermont Law offense began a furious push and fought back during the end of the first half. Tries were scored by Sarah Banks (player on loan from Albany Law), Karen Reynolds, Cami Daigle (Albany Law), and Janice Chan. A conversion kick was also completed by Sarah Banks to bring the score to 17-27.

The Stallions ended the first half with a final push. Jasmine Patterson drove into the try zone, and the conversion was completed by Jenny Petronis. At the end of the first half, Vermont Law had the lead, 26-27.

The Stallions regrouped and dominated the second half - only allowing two tries for Vermont Law, by Jenna Seibeck and Cami Daigle. The Saratoga offense increased the intensity, scoring four tries (Patterson and Petronis), and three conversion kicks (Petronis). The final score was 52-37.

Next week, the Stallions will travel to Rochester to play the Renegades on Saturday, October 11th at 1pm.

Photo Caption:
The Stallions (red) fight Vermont Law (green) for control of the maul. Image courtesy of Bill Stelmack

Forwards: Carolyn Rooney, Hannah Mode, Mary Beth Bolduc, Wendy Rodriguez, Diane Greg, Lindsey Burns, Amanda Romand (on loan to Vermont Law), Ariel Dickson

Backs: Meghan Marinello, Sarah Black, Kaorina Kuok, Stormie Romero, Jasmine Patterson, Alessandra Bender, Jenny Petronis

Saratoga Stampede Drops Game to Springfield in Muddy Mess

2008-09-29T18:33:00.004-04:00

The Saratoga Stampede travelled to Springfield, Massachussetts this past weekend looking to build upon their early season success. The Rifles proved to be too much for the Saratoga Club. The former Division II team utilized their experience and size to overpower the smaller, but more agile Stampede. The Stampede was also hindered by having a smaller traveling side, boasting only 16 players to Springfield's 30. This allowed substitutions by the Rifles that Saratoga could not match and was a significant factor as the game wore on, especially as injured players had to stay in the match due to having only one substitution.

The deluge that preceded the game turned the Springfield pitch into a muddy mess, which took away Saratoga's heavy speed advantage and prevented the Stampede forwards from gaining footing against their larger opponents. The first half was marked by back and forth play as both teams probed for weaknesses. Springfield struck first with a quick burst down the sideline to take a 5 nothing lead. The Rifles added two more tries and a conversion for a 17-0 halftime lead. The second half saw Saratoga on their heels early on. Despite several goal line stands, Springfield added two more scores. The Stampede never gave up and managed to avoid a shutout when outside center Ryan Romano broke through the Springfield line for a score. The score netted Romano Man of the Match honors.

Fly Half Doug McCluskey added the conversion, making the final score Springfield 27, Saratoga 7. The Stampede will look to regroup this coming Saturday when they host archrival Berkshire at 1:00 PM at Shenantaha Creek Park in Malta. If their past encounters are any indicator, be on hand for an intense, brutally hard hitting and tight scoring game. Saratoga vs. Berkshire is always a good show of hold-nothing-back rugby played by two teams with a history of distaste for one another.

Recap provided by Aaron Noble and Rick Babson. Image courtesy of Katie Hunter.

Saratoga Stallions Win Inaugural Match vs. Albany Law, 17-15

2008-09-29T18:23:00.004-04:00

The Saratoga Stallions Women's Rugby team emerged victoriously from their inaugural match against the women of Albany Law, with a final score of 17-15. The Stallions, composed primarily of rugby "rookies," came together and played as a unit - with a solid and powerful forward line who won the difficult scrums and got the ball to a fast, furious, and precise back line to run the ball in for the tries. Captain and coach, Meghan Marinello (scrum half), provided excellent guidance and direction to the new team.

Jenny Petronis, new to the sport of rugby, scored all 17 of the Stallions points by showing the women of Albany Law what lightening speed truly looks like. Her quickness got the Stallions off to an early lead, just minutes into the first half. The Stallions played the first half as though they were on fire. Forwards Carolyn Rooney, Hannah Mode, Mary Beth Bolduc, Amanda Romand, Diane Greg, Wendy Rodriguez, Lindsey Burns, and Jessie Cheng fought hard for the ball, and completed many impressive tackles. Their excitement and energy paid off, and the Stallions ended the first half with a score of 10-5. The back line, Sarah Black, Kaorina Kuok, Stormie Romero, Alessandra Bender, Jenny Petronis, and Jasmine Patterson, used their speed and accurate passing to score one final try in the second half to bring the final score to 17-15.

The Stallions next match will be on Saturday, October 4th at 11am. They will host the women of Vermont Law at the Shenentaha Creek Park on East Line Road in Ballston Spa. Directions to the pitch can be found on the team's website: http://www.saratogawomensrugby.com/

Saratoga Women's Rugby is always welcoming new players of any skill and fitness level. No experience is necessary to join. If you are interested in playing, please contact the team through the website.

Recap courtesy of Sarah Black. Image courtesy of Bill Stelmack

Saratoga Stampede Overwhelm Bennington 92-7, Move to 2-0.

2008-09-24T18:46:00.004-04:00

Submitted by Rick Babson

The Saratoga Stampede Men's Rugby Club traveled to Bennington, Vermont for their first match on the road this fall. In a windfall of a match, Saratoga set club records for both Points Scored in a Single Match and Points Scored in a Single Season in only the club's second match of the season, ensuring that the old record of 121 points will be crushed by the season's end. The Stampede, now featuring a healthy mix of experience and youth, were able to out hustle a much more inexperienced Bennington squad. Despite missing several starters due to wedding commitments, the Stampede were able to cruise to a team record of 16 tries scored and a blistering 92-7 victory.

Bennington had a bigger pack than Saratoga but did not have nearly the experience as they were recently established in the spring of 2008. Saratoga was able to win the ball out of scrums and they also controlled line-outs, and thus had possession all day in a lopsided match. Since possession is the name of the game in rugby the Saratoga team dominated play on Saturday.

Saratoga scored first with a powerful run by Jamie Merrit; it was the first of many scores by the bruising inside center who, on a number of runs, would break five or six tackles before scoring. His efforts along with the speed and shifty moves of Man of the Match winner Ryan Romano at outside center, along with Saratoga emergency alum Jerry Jerome and -newcomer Kevin Dooling at wings, were too much for Bennington backs to handle.

The backs were not the only players from Saratoga to put points on the board, with constant support from all the forwards. Joe Barth at prop, hooker Bill McLain, and second row Sean Bayliss were rewarded with a try. Captain Doug McClusky at fly-half and Nick DeFlippo at scrum-half also proved to be too much for the Bennington team with shifty runs by Doug and a highlight play by Nick, who kicked the ball from his own five meter line and chased it down past the opposing fullback, scooped the ball up. He was tackled just outside Bennington try line, but rucked over the ball on his own and was able to scoop it up again and score.

At the end of the match the score was 92- 7 Saratoga with Bennington never giving up. They scored in the last two minutes of the match.

Saratoga will be playing Springfield away this weekend which will be the toughest match of the season. Springfield played Division 3 last season and Division 2 the year before. They are looking to get back into Division 3 and have to go undefeated to get there. Saratoga, who has aspirations of making the move up themselves, are now firmly standing right in Springfield's way.

Scorers for Saratoga included:
Jamie Merrit: 4 tries
Ryan Romano: 3 tries
Jerry Jerome: 2 tries
Joe Barth: 1 try
Bill McLain: 1 try
Doug McClusky: 2 tries
Nick DeFilippo: 1 try
Sean Bayliss: 1 try
Kevin Dooling: 1 try

Stampede Trample Mad River, Take Season Opener 47-3.

2008-09-14T13:58:00.009-04:00

On Saturday, September 13th, Saratoga began its bid for a New England Rugby Football Union (NERFU) Championship, following up a successful 2007 season and a berth in playoffs last fall. The Stampede's season kicked off with a match against Mad River, who played in the Division Finals in 2007. Mad River has long had a reputation for being a bruising team that uses it's large pack to bully its way down the field and set up scores by quick and lighter weight backs. While outscoring Saratoga 24-5 last fall, a newly look Saratoga offense, orchestrated by new coach Brian "Sharkie" White, distributed the ball all over the pitch, resulting in a lopsided victory by the Stampede over Mad River, 47-3.

The game started off with Saratoga receiving the kickoff deep within its own end. An early knock forward followed by a penalty set up Mad River in excellent field position and they elected to go for a field goal. On the ensuing kick, the ball sailed through the uprights for three points. It would be the last three Mad River managed on the day, which was hot and extremely humid, forcing the bigger players from both teams to really push themselves to make it to rucks and mauls in order to maintain possession.

In an effort to gain field position, the game quickly turned to the feet of the backs, who often exchanged a volley of kicks, hoping to catch the opposition off guard and regain possession through quick pursuit. Saratoga, though often overpowered in the scrum, was able to dominate lineouts and rucks, using their combination of speed and size to take advantage of favorable match ups with Mad River. Saratoga's backs proved too fast and too big for Mad River, especially Ballston Spa grad and inside center Jamie Meritt, whose slashing and cut back runs repeatedly frustrated opposing players. Meritt notched himself a try and Man of the Match honors for the first week. It is a designation Saratoga expects Merrit to continue to battle for on a weekly basis as he continues to gain a better grip on Saratoga's team centered offense.

Beyond Merrit, Coach White's offense, run by scrum-half Nick DeFilippo and fly-half Captain Doug McCluskey, had Saratoga showcase as even attack as they ever have had. Saratoga scored seven tries by seven different players on the day, and converted six of seven point after kicks. They featured slashing runs by the backs and smashmouth drives by the forwards in a scheme that emphasizes positional awareness and control. Without the extra running involved in a strictly "Pod Styled" offense, the forwards stayed fresher and were to be found all over the field, often stretching out Mad River's defense and forcing their larger pack to play a lot of chase on a hot day. This strategy seemed to wear down Mad River and allow Saratoga to really pour on the tries.

Those scoring tries on the day included Meritt and Kevin Dooling, who had a bursting run through the middle of Mad River's line, as well as mad dashes by McClusky and center Jared Rubin, who also chipped in three conversion kicks to lead all scorers with 11 points. The pack took a more simple approach, smashing off of rucks deep in Mad River's red zone, resulting in tries by prop Joe Barth and flanker Pete Mody. Eightman Steve "Aussie" Ristau mixed it up, however, by taking a dump pass from Meritt and crashing in for a try of his own. After a knee injury to Rubin, fullback Vern Peek converted 2 of 3 point after kicks, bringing the total of players contributing to points during the game to eight. Saratoga had scored 47 unanswered points en route to winning their season opener.

(Photo Courtesy of Katie Hunter).

Sophomore Shannon Dowdle Named to Vermont All-Star Team

2008-07-01T22:40:00.002-04:00

Shannon Dowdle, a rookie flanker for Saratoga's girls U-19 team has been named to the Vermont State Select Side. She is the first player to have this distinction from Saratoga and joins fellow forwards Maddie Cocca (New England Selects) and Celia McKendrick (Michigan U-23 Selects) as Mustangs who have been selected for outstanding skill, stamina, and game play.

Shannon will tour with Vermont this summer and play several games against all-star squads from both the US and Canada. Congrats Shan!

Stampede Fall Short at Dead Ants

2008-06-16T16:36:00.000-04:00

The Saratoga Stampede Mens Club traveled light to the Dead Ants tournament this past weekend bringing only 12 of their own players. At the tournament the stampede were able to recruit a hooker, a second row, 2 flankers and an outside center to fill out their side. Saratogasfirst match was at 11 am against the Buffalo A-Side. Because of lack of warm up time saratoga came out cold and quickly found themselves down 7-0. The first half of play was not one of saratogas best as the found themselves down 27-0 as the halftime whistle blew. Saratoga came out ready to play in the second half but could only muster up one try and a missed conversion, but their defense was much better as they only gave up 7 points in the second half to buffalo. Final score- Buffalo 34- Saratoga 5. Saratogas only score was punched in by the recruited outside center.

Saratogas second game started at 1 pm, and was against the Colonials. Now warmed up after their first game, saratoga came out fast in the 2nd half with a sprint the the try zone by outside center Ryan Ramano for the first try of the match (conversion good). Saratoga took an early Lead 7-0. The Colonials did not hesitate to answer right back punching in a try of their own but failing ti make the conversion leaving the score at saratoga 7- Colonials 5 at the half. The 2nd have much like the first half started off fast for the stampede with a few downfield kicks. One of which was scooped up by wing Nick DeFilippo and touched down just over the line for saratogas second try of the match (conversion failed). Saratoga now found themselves up 12-5.Nearing the end of the match and needing a try and a conversion to tie the game, the colonials found themselves with the ball inside Saratogas 22. The colonials wanted to get the ball out to the wing but that didn't happen when fullback Bryan Sawyer swooped in and intercepted the ball between the inside and outside canters and was off 80+ meters for the score (coversion failed) and that was the last play of the game. Final score saratoga 17- The Colonials 5.

After a short break between games, Saratoga went into their third match of the day. Saratoga needed to win this match in order to qualify for the consolation match. Saratoga was matched against the hosts of the tournament, the Genesee Creamers. The Creamers came out ready to play, and to show everyone why this is their tournament with an early score (conversion good), saratoga was down 7-0 early, but they wouldn't let the Creamers off that easy, as the came back with a try of their own by outside center Ryan Ramono his second of the day ( conversion good). After about 17 minutes of play Saratoga found themselves down 22-7, with a penalty inside the Creamers 22, Scrumhalf Mike(Phish) taped the ball and quickly got it out to Flyhalf Doug Mcklusky, who faked the pass to the inside center and took it in for the try himself ( conversion failed). The halftime score was Genesee 22- Saratoga 12. In the Second half Saratoga wasn't able to pull together enough offense to get back in the game with only one more try scored by scrumhalf Mike(phish), and the Creamers adding 2 more tries and one conversion kick to make the final score Genesee 35- Saratoga 17. Saratoga would finish 1-2 on the day and not qualify for the consolation match.

Saratoga Mustangs Girls Come Up One Try Short, Lose to Adirondack in State Championship

2008-06-09T06:05:00.003-04:00

In a battle that was described as the best match of the day by onlookers and other coaches alike, the Saratoga Mustangs Girls Super A's took on the Adirondack Barkeaters in the Vermont State U-19 Rugby Championship. In a rematch against the only team that beat Saratoga this spring, it was looking to be an excellent game of rugby against two clubs that always play hard hitting and aggressive rugby and whose games have been decided by one score on every occasion during season play.

Saratoga found itself with the early lead, the first time that it has had the position against the more established Adirondack club, after eventual Rugger of the Match (and according to NERFU select side coach, Kevin O'Brien, Rugger of the Tournament), Joya Clark (Scotia-Glenville) scooped up a kick and blazed down the sideline for a score. She also nailed the conversion to give Saratoga an early 7-0 lead. Adirondack was able to use its sizable line to pound the ball back at Saratoga, and relied on its size advantage to work its way deep in Saratoga territory and answer with a try of its own. By fifteen minutes into the game, the score was knotted at 7-7. That is where it would remain for the next 45 minutes of back and forth running, tackling, and kicking, with neither team able to convert on opportunities.

Eventually, Adirondack began taking control of lineouts and mounted a serious offensive threat within Saratoga's 22 meter line. For 15 minutes, Saratoga's defense turned Adirondack away and turned them away, with solid tackles by Leah Gerlach (Burnt Hills) Carly Baker (Averill Park), and Sam Coluccio (Burnt Hills). They were able to relatively silence the usual dominance of Adirondack's centers by getting after them quickly. The true spectacle of the day was Clark, however. The sophomore fullback's sweeping defense crushed would be scorers time and time again, as she ran relentlessly wherever the ball was, plugging holes with ferocious hitting and saving three tries at the line by stopping girls cold. Eventually, however, unable to win lineouts after clearance kicks, Adiriondack was able to get a clear overload and get the ball over the line with under ten minutes to play. After a successful conversion, Adirondack lead 14-7.

Saratoga was not done, however. After regaining possession deep in Adirondack territory, Saratoga was able to move the ball down the middle of the field. Despite Adirondack's spitited defense, Saratoga inched closer to the goal line and the tying score with each run. As time was closing, the Mustangs knew that they had to keep the ball in play so the clock would continue (in rugby, once time expires, the game continues until a stoppage in play such as the ball going out of bounds). It was at this point that Saratoga committed an error that cost them the game. After trying to set up a crash run that would open its line for an overload, Saratoga was called for a penalty for diving over the ruck. This handed the ball to Adirondack, who promptly booted the ball out of bounds as time expired. Saratoga found itself just short of the tying score, dropping the game 14-7.

Saratoga was honored after the match at the awards ceremony, bringing home its second piece of hardware in consecutive weekends as it claimed the Runners-Up Cup for the Vermont State Championship, finishing second. Saratoga closed out is season with a 6-1 regular season, 7-2 overall with a +131 point differential, outscoring opponents 176-45.

Super A's Crush Rutland, Advance to State Championship

2008-05-31T09:37:00.002-04:00

The Saratoga Mustangs Girls Super A Team moved on to the State Championship Game with a 37-0 blowout victory over the #3 seed Rutland on Wednesday at SUNY Albany. After completing a 6-1 regular season campaign in which they outscored opponents 115-31, and after mashing its way to a NYMA Cup Championship last weekend with wins over Springfield and a combined team from Springfield and Albany/Schenectady/Rennselaer, Saratoga picked up right where it left off using a combination of smashing runs by the forwards and quick passes to the speedy backs to out pace Rutland. Stout defense also limited Rutland to only two serious scoring threats, both of which were turned away by Saratoga's swarming "Guard Dog" defense.

Saratoga's offense was clicking once again and was run masterfully by senior scrum-half Emily Wexler (Burnt Hills). Through Wexler's distribution of the ball and own ball running ability, Saratoga was able to pound inside runs by forwards Jess Sears (Burnt Hills), Jenny von Rosen (Burnt Hills), Tiffany Neach (Burnt Hills), and Shelby Snyder Scotia-Glenville), forcing Rutland to commit extra bodies to rucks and mauls. From there, Saratoga used its quick line to get to the edges of the pitch, with looping runs by Wexler, countering penetrating running by speedsters Carly Baker (Averil Park), Leah Gerlach (Burnt Hills), Autumn Vanderveer (Burnt Hills), and Sam Coluccio (Burnt Hills). Fly-half Joann Pettis (Burnt Hills) also frustrated Rutland by creating overloads from taking on two or even three defenders at a time before dishing the ball out to her line mates.

Saratoga also took a large step forward with its defense. One of the more difficult aspects of the growing club has been mastering the offense instituted during the middle of last season by pack coach Aaron Noble. Littered with heavy hitters, the Mustangs have been able to use its sure tackling and aggressiveness to shut down most offenses before they could get started, resulting in six shutout victories on the season. Better teams, such as Essex and Adirondack, however, were able to find holes and score points on the young club. One of the team's focuses during the week was solidifying its defense, and behind flankers Shannon Dowdle (Burnt Hills) and Jordan Scacchetti (Burnt Hills), and eight man, Eva Meier (Ballston Spa), Rutland found itself running sideways on most plays, unable to get much of anything going. On the occasional breakthrough, rookie phenom Joya Clark (Scotia-Glenville) was able to crush potential breakaways with her notoriously brutal tackles from fullback. It was the first time the defense played evenly team wide and the result was staggering.

Saratoga's Super A's improved to 7-1 on the season and will face rival Adirondack in the Vermont State Championship in Colchester, VT. In only its second year of existence and first year in the Vermont Youth Rugby Association, Saratoga has the opportunity to bring home its first state title.

Not Enough Spring in the Boys' Steps at Springfield U19's

2008-05-26T22:04:00.003-04:00

The Saratoga Mustang Boys headed to Springfield on Saturday, for what was supposed to a four-team tournament. Instead, the only boys' game of the day was played with Saratoga and Springfield, between a plethora of girls' games. The Mustang numbers on the day had about half of the allowed substitutions as only 19 boys were kitted. Springfield showed up with less than the fifteen starters required for match play, so they played down iron-man style.
The game opened up with the speedy Springfield backs gaining a score in the second minute. Back and forth play continued, but it was Springfield that was on top 17-0 by the 19th minute. With a key discussion by Coach Sawyer after the latest opponent try, the Mustangs came back forcefully with some forward brilliance and swung the ball wide to rookie wing, Alex Pulling (B. Spa, junior), who sprinted ahead of the opposition and put the Mustangs on the board. Two minutes later, Mustangs' work-horse and 8-man, Mike Matrazzo (BHBL, junior), fought through some mid-field traffic on his way to a long try. Matrazzo added the conversion as the Mustangs were now down 17-12.
Springfield came back with another well orchestrated try by their skilled flyhalf, as they jumped back up 24-12 with a try and a conversion. One minute later, however, Pulling caught the ball at pace on the wing and put the Mustangs back within a try, as Matrazzo converted once more. As time expired, though, Springfield grounded another ball in-goal for a 29-19 lead.
Personnel stayed mostly the same going into the second period, as only one forward substitution was made. The second half started fast as the first one did; however, it the Mustangs that made the first quick moves with the ball. At the 40th minute, Saratoga flyhalf, Dan Godshalk (BHBL, senior) ran a beautiful switch to inside center Brian Little (BHBL, senior). Little gained decent ground and as he became held up, popped the ball to the sprinting Godshalk who grounded the ball for the score. After Springfield grabbed another try, Matrazzo took control by blasting through would-be tacklers as he scored twice within a ten minute span. These tries were a function of the moments of brilliance had by the forwards.
With Saratoga now up 36-34, the rucking went back to an ineffective method as loitering became prevalent and the second pod was rarely around for the solid phase play, which has gained the Mustangs huge success this season. This break-down, along with some miscommunication on the outside, allowed Springfield to come back up permanently with two more tries.
The final score of the match was 46-36 in favor of the hosting Springfield. This match, however, was won by heart and determination. Being down so big so early would have deflated many teams, as I have seen in my almost nine years of rugby. These Mustangs did not let the deficit affect them though. They played with poise the entire way through, and made the game one of the most exciting matches in the young history of the club. Kudos.
Up next for the Mustangs is the first round playoff match-up at Rutland, VT, for a spot in the VYRA finals in Colchester, VT on Sunday.

Mustangs Girls Rumble to Victory in First Annual NYMA Cup

2008-05-25T00:45:00.005-04:00

The Saratoga Mustangs Girls notched two more victories en route to winning the championship cup in the inaugraul NYMA Cup Tournament. The tournament was conceived in the late winter through the desire to promote competitive rugby high school rugby between New York and Massachusetts. The Springfield Rifles offered to host the four team girls event, as well as host a game between the Springfield and Saratoga boys in between rounds. With this format set and the hope of expansion in the future, two teams from Saratoga, and one from both Albany-Schenectady-Rennselaer (ASR) and Springfield squared off to determine the first champion among teams who have been in existence for less than two years.
The day began in windy Westfield, MA with another clash between ASR and Saratoga's A Team for the first game in the opening round. Despite ASR's continued development as a first year club, Saratoga's experience and aggressiveness was too much for the young squad. Despite the 20 minute half format of the opening round of tournament play, in only 40 minutes of regulation game play, Saratoga wracked up seven tries on their way to a 39-0 shutout victory. Three tries were scored by freshmen eight man sensation Melayna Weaver (Burnt Hills), two by Celia McKendrick (Burnt Hills), and one a piece by senior Amanda Barletta (Burnt Hills) and freshman Khirstian Carbonello (Burnt Hills). Carbonello and junior Sara McFadden (Burnt Hills) each added conversion kicks. Because of her hard work at converting from fullback to flanker and continued work at developing her kicking, McFadden's successful conversion kick netted her the coaches' decision for Rugger of the Match for the first game.
Saratoga took on Springfield for the first time since the first game they played in team history last spring. It was a much more hotly contested match as Sprinfield was boasting three girls who are current members of the U-19 NRU All-Star team. Behind an ever improving mastery of the offense by senior scrum-half Emily Wexler (Burnt Hills), Saratoga spread the ball around the team and received hard running scores by eightman Eva Meier (Ballston Spa), inside center Joann Pettis (Burnt Hills), and the game capper by Weaver. Saratoga broke out a new offense of scheme for the line and, orchestrated by Pettis and Wexler, managed some clever misdirection. Freshman fullback Khirstian Carbonello (Burnt Hills) added a conversion kick to run the score to 17-0, and at the end of the forty minute game, that is where it stood. Both Saratoga teams had advanced to the second round and improved their records to 7-0 and 6-1, respectively.
Given the format of the tournament, the second round would have had Springfield and Albany square off for the Consolation Match and Saratoga's A Team taking on Saratoga's Super A Team for the Championship Cup Match. This is where the day became interesting because, with VYRA playoffs looming, Saratoga's coaching staff had no desire to risk injury for what amounted to an intrasquad game. With ASR and Springfield nursing injuries, a proposal was made. Saratoga agreed to donate Celia Mckendrick, Khirstian Carbonello, Quennah Holt, and Melayna Weaver (who scored a collective seven tries, which was seven more than ASR and Springfield put together to this point). With the four Mustangs, ASR and Springfield compiled their best possible roster to take on Saratoga in the finals, despite Saratoga essentially forfeiting to itself to win the cup. For this game, Saratoga battled back and forth with the conglomerate. For a side that was comprised with players that had not played together before, the Motley Team pulled themselves together and pulled out all the stops for the first forty minutes. Despite some impressive goal lines stands by Saratoga, eventually, one of the players from Albany was able to punch through and score. With the conversion made, Saratoga trailed for the first time all day, 7-0. With only twenty minutes to play, Saratoga pulled itself together and mounted an attack. In the closing minutes, Saratoga marched down the field twice and put scores on the board. The first came from Emily Wexler. At that point of the day, Saratoga had either given away or lost all three of its kickers, so Wexler was called upon to kick, never having had done it before. A few minutes later, sophomore wing and eventual Rugger of the Match winner Samantha Coluccio (Burnt Hills) thrashed down the sideline and pounded her way into the try zone for the winning score. As time expired, Saratoga's joint Super A and A Team had defeated the collective squad to claim its third victory of the day and officially bring home the first NYMA Cup Tournament Championship.

Up Next for the Super A's: The Saratoga Super A Team (6-1) Hosts Rutland on Wednesday, May 28th @ 6:00 P.M. in the First Round of the VYRA Championship. They will follow it up with either a final consolation or final championship game vs. either Adirondack or Essex in Colchester, VT on Sunday.
Up Next for the A's: The Saratoga A Team (7-0) closes out its season when they host Albany-Schenectady-Rennselaer (ASR) on Friday, May 30th @ 5:00 P.M. and go for an undefeated season.

VYRA Playoffs up in Air after Mustang Defeat

2008-05-19T20:51:00.002-04:00

Important playoff implications were on the line in Saturday's games as the Saratoga Mustangs hosted Essex Rugby at Shenantaha Creek Park in Malta, NY. With only a handful of games left in the VYRA season, Saratoga needed the victory to solidify a spot to host the midweek semi-final match, slated for May 28th. As the week went on, the Saratoga Mustang Boys knew of what they needed to accomplish and worked hard towards that goal.
With a regulars missing from action due to injury, the Mustang Super A's took the field just a bit before 2:00 pm. It wasn't but three minutes in did Essex take advantage of a questionable no-call on a knock-on as they went up 7-0 on the hosting Mustangs. Play went back and forth as the Mustangs forwards did their best to handle the larger pack of Essex. In the fourteenth minute, however, Essex found themselves back on the board with a second try, this time unconverted.
In an effort to take back the lead, almost each Mustang tried to put the game on his shoulder as the boys would run hard towards the side in effort to break up-field. With Essex' sure tackling, though, this did not happen very often. In fact, as the second half wore on, it was evident that the Mustangs were winded and tired, from all of the east-west trailing. Although the game was hard fought, Saratoga just couldn't seem to catch a break. They crossed the line several times with the ball, but each time it was called as being held-up. This may have discouraged weaker teams, but the Mustangs kept fighting. In the end, the final score of Essex 17 - Saratoga 0 may have hurt Saratoga's chances to host a playoff game, but it definitely showed their perseverance and unwillingness to quit. Job well done.
As previously mentioned, Saratoga was hurting from the injury bug, as well as missing several individuals due to other obligations. As such, the 42-person roster was down to a mere 25 on Saturday. With numbers as they were on both sides, Essex and Saratoga opted to play 12's with a full line and unopposed, five-man scrums.
The twelve vice fifteen aside seemed to open things up, as converted 8-man Mike Matrazzo opened up the scoring in the first half. Flanker/lock Chris Heckman made a nice jaunt to put the second score on, and speedy scrum half Tyler Krastins rounded out the scoring with a try of his own. Saratoga won the time shortened game three tries to one.
Up next for Saratoga is a tournament in Springfield, MA, on Saturday, May 24th.

Saratoga Girls A Team Whallops Essex's Second Team, 46-0

2008-05-19T19:09:00.007-04:00

The Saratoga Mustangs Girls A Team took on Essex's second team after they watched the Super A's emotional victory and charged the field on a mission themselves. Espousing the need to play smarter more aware rugby, the ladies fought Essex for a 30 minute truncated game. When the smoke cleared, the ladies wracked up eight tries and three conversions, cruising to a 46-0 rout and improving their record to 5-0. Saratoga's A Team, which often plays shorter games because of available field space, reffing, and time, has now outscored their opponents 172-10 in five games, resulting in an average score of over 34 points per game and have not let up a point since April 18th.
Saratoga ripped off a fast start to the game and immediately dominated the line and pack of Essex and managed to overrun the defense repeatedly. At the end of the 30 minute game, Saratoga had wracked up another lopsided victory, defeating Essex's second team 46-0. Passing was so well executed that there was not a single scrum-down for the entire game. This meant not a single dropped pass for thirty minutes of play. It was the perfect tune up game for the A side girls, who will take on Springfield's top squad and the girls from Albany-Schenectady-Rennselaer this coming weekend's Springfield Invitational.
The game was an all-comers event for scoring. Saratoga's usual suspects made their presence known. As per usual for the Girls A Team, the freshmen loose forward combo of flanker Maranda Rotundo (Burnt Hills) and eight man Melayna Weaver (Burnt Hills) each chipped in a try, adding to their season totals and continuing their scoring streak in consecutive games for the A Team. Junior scrum-half Olivia Guay (Burnt Hills) and senior inside center Amanda Barletta (Burnt Hills) also struck pay dirt, scrambling for a score off of a ruck and bursting through a whole in Essex's defense, respectively. Senior German Exchange student Jenny von Rosen (Burnt Hills) also added her hard smashing running to the fray which and compiled yet another score in her rookie season. The real show of the day was the footwork of Khirstian Carbonello (Burnt Hills), who was getting her first shot at fly-half after having started all of her games at fullback. In one half, or fifteen minutes of play, Carbonello managed to wrack up three tries and four converted kicks, totalling 23 points.
The Mustangs Girls A's now travel to Springfield, before returning home for its final game of the season, at home vs. ASR on May 31st.

The Saratoga Mustangs A's Are Now 5-0.

Mustans Girls Super A's Defeat Essex in Thriller, Improve to 5-1

2008-05-19T06:32:00.009-04:00

The Saratoga Mustangs Girls Super A's knew they had something to prove after last week's heartbreaking 7 point loss ended their undefeated streak. The girls from Essex, VT were looking for the same outcome as Saratoga: a victory that would lock up the second seed in Vermont Youth Rugby Association play and home field advantage in the playoffs. Both teams boasted offenses that could put points on the board and a stingy defense. Saratoga currently leads the league in point differential with a +84 (115 points for, 31 points against), and were looking to get back to scoring tries in bunches as they had all season. In a see-saw battle which saw four lead changes, it was the gritty and determined play of Mustangs girls that was the difference in the end. When the final whistle blew, Saratoga came away with a thrilling 17-14 victory over an Essex team who have aspirations for a national championship. The Mustangs Girls will now host either Essex or Rutland on Wednesday, May 28th at home in the first round of the VYRA Championships. The Super A's improved to 5-1 on the season, trailing only 3-0 Adirondack in league play.
The game began in predictable fashion. Saratoga, known for their tough and powerful pack, were easily seen as they bigger of the two teams and the word on Essex was that they had a fleet footed line that boasted an all-star inside center who was quick and deceptive. They distributed the ball and forced overloads, after running the opposition ragged trying to keep up, and then would out sprint them to the try line for a score. Each team tried to establish its own game plan right off of the initial kick, which saw Saratoga retain possession in most rucks and mauls and pound the ball off of the right and left of the pile with its bigger forwards, including senior captain, prop Jessica Sears (Burnt Hills), junior prop Tiffany Neach (Burnt Hills), and the lock tandem of junior Marianna Carta (Burnt Hills) and senior Shelby Snyder (Scotia-Glenville), and eight man Eva Meier (Ballston Spa). The Mustangs played ball control offense which pushed play down into Essex territory, despite some solid kicks from the Essex line that sent freshman fullback Khirstian Carbonello (Burnt Hills) flying all over the field as they tried to gain position away from the "tackling swarm" of Saratoga.
Eventually, it was Meier who was able to pound the ball in for a score, and with Carbonello's conversion, the Mustangs jumped out to a 7-0 lead. After the ensuing kickoff, Saratoga worked its way back down the field again. In slow and patient fashion, and with the kicks of sophomore center Joya Clark (Scotia-Glenville), the Mustangs soon found themselves knocking at the door again. After a line out at Essex's five meter line, the girls from Essex passed the ball into their own try zone and put it down. Normally this would set up a prime scoring opportunity with a scum to Saratoga at the five meter line, a place where Meier has feasted on the opposition from her position as eight man, but the referee errantly called it a touch back, resulting in a 22 meter drop out. With the Mustangs coaches calling in plays for the apparent scrum, a center from Essex sprinted up to the try line and drop kicked the ball a few feet before scooping it up and taking off. She was able to out maneuver fullback Carbonello, who was more shallow than usual expecting a scrum to Saratoga, and race down the sideline for a score. The converted kick left Saratoga bewildered and now tied 7-7.
The try breathed new life into Essex and the see-saw battle began. Each time tried to reestablish itself as the half began to wind down, but neither team was able to put points on the board. When Saratoga did manage to punch into Essex's try zone, Essex proved itself adept and not letting the ball touch the ground, which negates a score (unlike football, in rugby the ball must cross the line AND touch the ground under control) and allowed them to send a booming kick out of their own zone. In the final few minutes, Saratoga again pushed their way into Essex's end. Crashing the ball with its powerful forwards, senior scrum-half Emily Wexler (Burnt Hills) burst through and put the ball down. Almost immediately, an Essex girls scooped up the ball. The ref signaled that ball had been held up or stripped, so no score was awarded. This ended the half. Coach Mody protested the call, vehemently, and the ref decided to consult with the nearest touch judge, a sort of secondary official whose primary job is to mark when the ball is put out of play. Upon review, the touch judge agreed that the ball had been placed before it was scooped, and Saratoga was awarded the try. When Carbonello's kick sailed wide left, Saratoga clung to a 12-7 lead.
The second half began with the same fierce running and tackling by both teams. For Saratoga, the effects of a prom the night before began to show as, combined with the heat of the day, the pace began to slow and Essex was able to hold its own in rucks and maul, even pressuring Wexler in several key areas which through the offense out of sync. Eventually, it was an overload by Essex that took advantage of Saratoga's over aggressive line and caught them on the outside with too few players to defend. Essex streaked down the field and scored, converting the following kick to claim a 14-12 lead.
The ensuing kickoff resulted in continued back and forth play. Each team was able to capitalize on the opposition's weaknesses to gain advantageous field position, but were unable to convert any points. Saratoga regrouped off of a penalty at the mid field, and decided to pound the ball using its forwards. This strategy again worked as they found themselves deep in Essex territory and the second half wore on. Each time Saratoga would pound the ball into the try zone, however, Essex held it up, negating a score. They were able to do this three times in a row until the ball was scooped off the back of a ruck by stiff arm throwing Jess Sears who willed herself into the try zone for the score. The crowd went wild as Saratoga reclaimed the lead. When Carbonello's kick sailed wide right, Saratoga found itself holding on to a slim 17-14 lead. Essex came after Saratoga on the following kickoff with renewed vigor, pulling out all the stops and playing an extremely aggressive defense in order to put as much pressure on the Mustangs as possible to force turnovers and increase their chances to score. The strategy worked for the most part, allowing Essex to keep the ball deep in Saratog's end of the field. But at that moment, with only two minutes to play, Saratoga's defense stiffened, and player after player from Essex was turned away. Eventually, Saratoga regained possession and booted the ball out of bounds, ending regulation time and snatching a victory in a hard fought contest. Senior Captain Jessica Sears, who had scored the game winning try was awarded Rugger of the Match by the coaching staff.

The Saratoga Mustangs Girls Super A's are now 5-1.

Mental Mistakes End Girls Super A's Undefeated & Scoreless Streak Against Rival Adirondack

2008-05-12T17:54:00.007-04:00

The Saratoga Mustans Girls Super A's had their toughest match of the season against rival Adirondack. In a battle of the only unbeaten teams in VYRA, the two teams battle to a 0-0 tie at halftime. The first half featured hard running and hits, with particularly strong defense against the opposing Adrindack scrum-half by senior scrum-half Emily Wexler (Burnt Hills). Saratoga was plagued by mental mistakes and miscues which resulted in repeated turnovers and stalled offensive drives. Mental mistakes also manifested themselves in the form of penalties, which were plentiful in the first half, again further thwarting the high scoring offense that was leading the league with a +88 point differential going into the game. Saratoga was able to slow the Adirondack attack with strong rucking and mauling, despite excellent play by Adirondacks trifecta of NRU All-stars. None was more difficult to defend than Adirondack's inside center, who mixture of speed and size made it near impossible to bring her down one one one. The result of her strong running created overloads for Adirondack which, along with repeated penalties, kept play deep in Saratoga's territory for the first time this season.
The second half began much as the first half ended. As Saratoga tired, mental mistakes continued to plague the team and the uneven distribution of penalties continued to give Adirondack superior field position. Eventually this proved to be Saratoga's downfall and Adirondack was able to notch three scores and jump out to a 15-0 lead. Indeed, it was not until the 65th minute that Adirondack was called for their first penalty, nearly 20 minutes after Coach Aaron Noble was ejected for arguing the lack of calls by the referee.
Despite the deficit, Saratoga fought back by returning to its brand of smash mouth rugby, winning rucks and pounding the ball with its forwards. Junior eight man Eva Meier (Ballston Spa) managed to pound her way in for a score, dragging several defenders with her, and freshman fullback Khirstian Carbonello's (Burnt Hills) conversion brought Saratoga within eight.
Unfortunately, despite intense play and continued intensity, the mental mistakes of earlier in the game proved to costly and the score stood, 15-7 in favor of Adirondack. Saratoga lost both its unbeaten status and its shutout streak which ended at seven halves of rugby. The loss dropped Saratoga out of the top spot in the standings, which it had held since April 5th, and made Saturday's match against Essex a must win if they hope to maintain home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Saratoga's Eva Meier (Ballston Spa) was awarded her second Rugger of the Match honors, although was given some fierce competition from Emily Wexler (Burnt Hills), whose defense in the first half was instrumental in keeping Saratoga in the game. Saratoga dropped to 4-1 on the season.

Saratoga Mustangs Girls A's Move to 4-0

2008-05-12T17:41:00.003-04:00

The Saratoga Mustangs Girls A's hosted Albany-Schenenctady-Rensselaer (ASR) on Friday, May 9th at Shenantaha Creek Park in Ballston Spa, one week after soundly defeating ASR by a score of 60-0. Due to the huge game against Adirondack on Saturday for the Super A's, there were seveal call-ups from the A squad for depth, and the result was significant playing time increases for several members of the A squad. Most notable, was the relative short handedness of the pack, who was operating with only three subs. The result was similar, however, as Saratoga's speed did the damage with a reversal of tactics from the week before. This game was all about the line and, like the pack's dominance the week before, the line wracked up five of the team's six tries, on its way to a 36-0 victory, improving their record to 4-0.The day began with the slicing running of Jess Kniskern (Stillwater), whose cutback ability has continually frustrated would be tacklers and allowed her to rack up several tries on the season. Before the day was out, the senior fly-half would add another three to her total, including some great tackling, especially after being moved to scrum-half at halftime for Olivia Guay (Burnt Hills) who was pulled to ensure her availability for Saturday. Kniskern was not the only back to run roughshod on the day. Senior Paula Rehm (Ballston Spa), playing inside center, also added a score, as did freshman flanker Maranda Rotundo (Burnt Hills), who has become a savy ball carrier off of the back of rucks, but the real show of the day was provided by new comer, sophomore fullback Joya Clark (Scotia-Glenville). Clark had her second try of the season on a blazing run down the left side of the field, converted three kicks, and made some brutal tackles of ASR runners, repeatedly drawing "oohs" and "oh man's" from spectators and coaches alike. The fleet footed sophomore was also able to dish the ball to her team mates and provide solid punts that allowed Saratoga to maintain excellent field position and keep ASR on their heels for most of the game and out of Saratoga's half of the field.

There was a large difference between the past two weeks, however. Saratoga ran up a 29-0 score by halftime, but after that, ASR tightened up its defense and began stringing together sustained drives by winning consecutive rucks and using its line to get the ball to the sidelines. The second half was hard fought and Saratoga managed only one more try and a conversion kick, while using the roving fullback Clark to stop any sustained run by the faster members of ASR.

At the end of the game, the coaching staff awarded Rugger of the Match honors to Joya Clark. It was the first time she had been given the honor, although it came in only her second game. The coaching staff has great expectations for Clark and the rest of the A team as they notch another victory at the midway point of the season.

Mustang Boys Kings of the Mountain vs. Adirondack

2008-05-11T18:34:00.006-04:00

The Saratoga Mustangs Boys Super A's traveled to Saranac Lake on Saturday, May 10th, as the Adirondack Barkeaters hosted league play for the second time of this VYRA season. Last year's exhibition match was won by the Mustangs in a close one and the Barkeaters' coach expected a tight one this time around as well.
Up first on the day was the girls' match which kicked off at 11:00 am. As soon as the final whistle blew in that match, the boys hit the field. With the infamous Father as the referee, Saratoga received the initial kick at 12:40 pm. It wasn't but five minutes into the game that 8-man Mike Matrazzo (junior, BHBL) put the Mustangs' up 5-0, with a motivated run through traffic. The early portion of the game was predominately played in the pack, with the Mustangs on a slight advantage. With the gritty forwards play, loose head prop, Tyler Farrar (senior, BHBL) fought in for the Mustangs second try at the 18th minute of the first half.
After Saranac Lake came to within a try at 10-5 at the 26th minute, the Mustangs went back to the forwards, which were led by hearty scrum half, Matt Bynon (sophomore, BHBL) and his smart game management. As the forwards continued to win ruck after ruck, it was Bynon who came across the try line for the Mustangs' third and final score of the half.
At half time, the Mustangs made a few line-up changes but expected the much of the same play from the opponent. This was the case in the early portions of the second half and the forwards battled each other for possession. It wasn't until the Barkeaters' back line made a play for position did the scoring re-commence. Upon a mis-handled ball by the Mustangs fullback, the speedy Barkeaters sprinted onto the loose ball, and while playing the Sir's advantage, scored an uncontested try and cut the lead to 15-10 at the 20th minute of the half.
Play continued back and forth, with punishing hits being dealt by both sides. Rookies Chris Heckman (freshman, Ballston Spa), flanker, and Tony Penella (freshman, BHBL), wing, made some key tackles in the tightly contested second half. With these stops and some great poaching by the Mustangs, Saratoga kept riding the play and fast motor of Matrazzo who kept the team up from start to finish. Keeping the ball with the pack, Saratoga made it back into the scoring column as Bynon put his second try across the line at the 30th minute.
With Saratoga ahead in the waning minutes, they might have gotten a little complacent as the Barkeaters spread the ball wide and zipped down the sideline for a try. After the conversion, the Barkeaters found themselves trailing only 20-17 at the 34th minute. The Mustangs stayed focused, though, and reorganized themselves as they prevented any more scoring before the final whistle blew. In the end, it was Saratoga 20 - Adirondack 17. The game's man of the match was Matrazzo for his dedicated and unstoppable play throughout the match.

Stampede Turns Season around with Big Win over Greys

2008-05-05T23:10:00.004-04:00

After a much needed week off, the Saratoga Stampede Rugby Football Club took the field on Saturday, May 3rd, to iron out some wrinkles and attempt to put the side into a great position for the upcoming NERFU Championships. The unassuming opponent, on tour from Connecticut, was the wily veteran bunch representing the Connecticut Greys. The Stampede knew to expect a test from the 'Old Boys' club, as it is traditional that the veteran leadership and knowledge of the game will beat the youth and speed of the inexperienced sides.

This was truth in the fall of 2006 when Saratoga traveled to the Greys, and ended up losing a well-contested match. Seeking a bit of retribution for that loss, as well as prepping for the rest of the spring season, the Stampede knew what to watch out for this time. The Stampede started out a little slow, as is tradition with the club; however, off of a ruck in its own territory, flanker and eventual Saratoga Man of the Match, Jamie Merritt, picked the ball off of the left side and sliced his way 60 some meters for a fabulous score. The try was converted by fullback Jared Rubin and the run had just begun for the Stampede.

Feeling a little more confident, scrum half and team captain Nick Defilippo gunned the ball out to his back line. After some good ball movement, the black and white Gilbert made its way to the outside center, Vernon Peek, who lumbered ahead of and through Grey defenders for another score. Merritt and Peek repeated their respective acts, as the Stampede continued its proficiency of spreading the ball out and cutting through the grizzled veterans of the Greys. For the first in recent history, the Stampede capitalized on great ball handling down the backline as the ball even made it out to the speedy wing, Bryan Sawyer, who danced his way to paydirt in the first half.

The Greys showed perserverence, though, as they fought their way up the field late in the first half. With the ball inside the Stampede five meter line, the Grey pounded the ball across the line with eventual Grey Man of the Match, Eddie 'Buzz Lightyear' Carr, grounding the ball for five points.

That score was it for the Greys, though, as Saratoga's stifling defense snuffed out any chance for a comeback. The second half yielded two more Stampede tries (inside center Paul Campbell and flyhalf Doug McCluskey). With Rubin converting all kicks on the day, the final score was Saratoga 49 - Connecticut 5. The Stampede moved to 1-1 on the season; up next for them is the NERFU Championships, held in North Conway, NH, on the weekend of 5/17 - 5/18.

Saratoga Girls Continue to Dominate Lower Half of the VYRA Division

2008-05-04T11:36:00.005-04:00

On Saturday, May 3rd, the Saratoga Mustangs Girls hosted Colchester High School. Despite their record, the word on Colchester was that they were a high octane offensive team and had plenty of talent. Recent trends continued though, and after 70 minutes of regulation play, Saratoga extended their undefeated season with a 41-0 trouncing of Colchester, dropping the Vermont team to 0-4 on the season.

Saratoga also maintained its shutout streak with its third consecutive shut out, which, including a forfeit win over CVU, now stands at over 2.5 hours of game play without surrendering a single point on the season.

Saratoga started the day's scoring early, with a balanced attack featuring some relative new comers to the Super A side. Due to May 3rd being a national testing day for the SAT's, both Saratoga and Colchester were missing most of their juniors. The open spaces left by Saratoga's juniors led to starts by rookies Shannon Dowdle (BH-BL), Sarah Cranfield (BH-BL), Shelby Snyder (Scotia-Glenville), Melayna Weaver (BH-BL), and Leah Gerlach (BH-BL). Injuries and unavailability also led to the return of senior Jess Kniskern (Stillwater) and junior Jen Rohling (BH-BL).

Saratoga used a fast paced balanced attack to attempt to overwhelm Colchester’s defense. The strategy involved a swarming pack that rucked fast and hard, keeping the ball available so that both the pack and the line could cut through Colchester before they could setup their defense. With Rohling leading the way through her decisions of who and where to distribute the ball, about four minutes into the game the ball made it into sophomore wing Samantha Coluccio’s (BH-BL) hands and she fought her way into the try zone, dragging a defender with her, for a score. Freshman Khirstian Carbonello (BH-BL) converted the team’s first kick for the season and Saratoga jumped out to 7-0 lead.

The next fourteen minutes were marked with some hard hits and strong runs by sophomore center Carly Baker (Averil Park) and some great poaching of the ball by Colchester’s eventual Rugger of the Match winner, Megan Gregory. Saratoga eventually retained possession long enough to put together a sustained drive, as they had been threatening to do spending most of the time in Colchester's end of the field, when Kniskern sliced through Colchester's defense for the second score of the day. Carbonello's second consecutive conversion increased Saratoga's lead to 14-0.

After seeing the line dominate the scoring, the pack decided that it was time for it to wrack up some scores on its own. Melaya Weaver (BH-BL), who is becoming a serious scoring threat from the eight man position, rumbled through Colchester for a score, following it up five minutes later with her second for the last score of the half push Saratoga to a 24-0 lead.

The second half began much of the same way the first half did. After receiving the kickoff, Saratoga started working its way down through Colchester's territory. The fast pace of Saratoga's offense and lack of a full bench of subs caused evident fatigue and the pace of the second half slowed significantly. Colchester was able to string together several rucks in a row and began utilizing the maul to maintain possession and gain territory on the field. Eighteen minutes into the second half, however, it was fast running and hard hitting sophomore rookie wing Leah Gerlach (BH-BL) that notched her own score. After ten minutes of back and forth play, in which Colchester was growing is time of possession, Gerlach added her second score of the day with a hard run up the left side of the pitch.

The last seven minutes had increasingly slow play from both sides and was marked by several injuries. Marianna Carta (BH-BL) and Tiffany Neach (BH-BL) came out with injuries to hand and ankle, respectively, and were replaced by Jenny von Rosen (BH-BL) and Haley Brown (BH-BL), and a substitution for Katie Dannenberg (BH-BL) with Brianne Briggs (BH-BL), attempting to reinvigorate a slowing Saratoga pack who had been hustling all day, but was starting to run out of steam. The plan worked, with eventual Rugger of the Match winner Quennah Holt (Bethlehem) bursting through the middle of the field, breaking two tackles and outrunning several defenders to put an explanation point on the victory with the final score of the day, and with Carbonello's final conversion, Saratoga claimed a 41-0 victory. It is the second time that Holt has received the distinction.

Saratoga's Super A's improved to 4-0 in preparation for next weekend's game against the strongest team in VYRA, Adirondack, who Saratoga will travel to play on May 10th before returning home to host Essex on May 17th.

Saratoga Mustangs Boys Seek Retribution against Southern CDYR Opponents

2008-05-03T08:51:00.004-04:00

On a day that is a little more typical to Northeast rugby than what has been seen thus far, the Saratoga Mustangs traveled to the Albany Bulldogs for a cold, wet, rainy set of games. The out loud focus points were fundamentals and proving that contrary to recent local newspaper articles, the Saratoga Mustangs Boys are a team to be taken seriously. In the backs of the boys' minds, though, was the need to play for young David Mucha, who became seriously ill earlier in the week. With David still recovering, the boys knew that they HAD to win the games for him.

Kickoff for the Super A's occurred just a few minutes after 5:00 pm, and two minutes later, Saratoga set the tone. With some great pod play and rucking, the ball was spread to the back's captain and inside center, Bryan Little. Using his quick feet and disgusting cutting ability, B. Little ran through defenders to put the Mustangs up 5-0. A few minutes later, B. Little made a similar display of cuts, but this time made a key pass to outside center Dan Godshalk who got the Mustangs up 10-0. Great team play and back line dominance put the the Mustangs up 29-0 about 20 minutes into the first half, with two more scores by B. Little and one by gritty scrum half, Matt Bynon. It shall be noted that B. Little's last try was at least 50 meters as he sliced the Bulldog defense, saying no to anyone that attempted to arm tackle him. This running apparently confused Saratoga for the second part of the first half as they reverted to track meet style play with the wings, Ryan Bobbitt and Greg Manning, sprinting long distances up their respective sidelines. Unfortunately, their speedy moves got them out of support of their trailing teammates.

Seeing this, the team modified its play and started playing some forwards-dominated rugby. Mustang 8-man, Mike Matrazzo, and flanker, Jesse Hummer, began leading pods with fury; with their deceiving moves, they put the Mustangs up 39-0 at the half. With wholesale substitutions at the half, Saratoga maintained its composure. Things were no where near as flowing as the first half, though, as Albany was counseled and calmed down at the half. They came back out with heart and determination and it was known that they were playing for pride.

With the Bulldog's play more determined, the forward play of the Mustangs became much more critical. M. Matrazzo used the rucking ability of his teammates to find the ball and the try zone three more times in the second half. However, it was the team defense in this frame that was even more impressive. Albany line-outs were stolen 75% of the time as J. Hummer and his mile-long arms disrupted many of the throws in from the Bulldog hook. The Bulldogs broke the ball to the outside on a few occasions, beating Saratoga to the sideline; however, it was the pursuit of the Mustang defenders that squashed the scoring attempts. Arguably the biggest play in the Mustangs young season was the preservation of their shutout. Albany used some key play by their back line to find their way into the try zone late in the game. The Saratoga backs were chasing on defense; as the ball crossed the line and was about to be put down, D. Godshalk came threw and knocked the ball out of the Bulldog's hands, deleting any chance for a score. Final score: Saratoga Mustangs Super A's 56 - Albany Bulldogs 0. Man of the Match: 8-man Mike Matrazzo, with a very close second of inside center Bryan Little.

After much debate and concern for lighting, the Saratoga Mustangs Boys A-side took the field with Albany, after a dominating game by the Mustang women. This last game of the day was shortened significantly as the light was fading fast. However, upon kickoff, the Mustangs showed no mercy and they continued hard, fundamental play seen from the Super A's earlier in the evening. Saratoga took advantage of spreading the field, and once more utilized its speedy, shifty wings. With quick ball down the line, right side wing Dan Miller put the Mustangs up 5-0 with a try far on the right. A few minutes later, D. Miller took some great passing and did the same thing, using some quick cuts to free himself for a sprint to the score.

Shortly after, with a scrumdown to Albany near mid-field, time was briefly called to rotate in substitutions and for both teams to strategize. On the next whistle play resumed. The forwards were evenly matched throughout as both teams played with all the heart that they could muster. With the ball changing possession several times at mid field, Albany was able to spread the ball to their right wing and he sprinted down the sideline for a score. After the conversion was attempted, the sir called the game due to lighting issues. Even though the playing was relatively short, Saratoga showed its organization and captains Ross Batty and Ben Murphy kept their team composed, amidst some questionable play by the opposition. Final score: Saratoga Mustangs A's 10 - Albany Bulldogs 5. Man of the match: Wing - Dan Miller.

Job well done by all.

Saratoga Mustangs Girls A Team Whallop New Albany Girls, 60-0.

2008-05-03T08:38:00.004-04:00

In a game marked by wet and cold weather, the Saratoga Mustangs Girls A team wracked up an astonishing 12 tries in 60 minutes against a very young Albany-Schenectady-Rensselaer (ASR) Girls team behind the strong running of their pack en route to a 60-0 victory.

Saratoga's experience was evident, even with the number of relatively inexperienced players that they had on the pitch Friday night. Running somewhat light on numbers because of call-ups to the Super A team by a number of regular A players due to many juniors taking SAT's on Saturday and a recent outbreak of mono, it was the first time many of the girls had significant playing time for Saratoga.

That didn't seem to matter, however, as the pack dominated scrums, mauls, lineouts, and rucks against an ASR team playing only their second game. There were several breakout performances, but none more enjoyable to watch than rookie second row Samantha Gross (BH-BL). Awarded Rugger of the Match honors by the coaching staff after the game, Sam scored the first points of her career on a pounding try up the left side of the field which would end up being the first of three on the day. She accompanied her scores with fast, hard hitting runs up the middle of the field, and at one point rumbled 40 meters before being tackled by ASR's fullback. She was also a monster as a second row in the scrum, which repeatedly pushed ASR's scrum back off of the put in. Amazingly enough, Sam also levied some brutal hits, smacking ASR runners repeatedly and helping keep the ball out of Saratoga's half of the field for almost the entire game.

Sam wasn't the only one getting in on the action, however. Regular Super A's Eight Man, Eva Meier (Ballston Spa), who was playing Friday due to the SAT's, scored an astonishing four tries of her own, none of which were easily scored. The bruising junior plowed her way into the try zone each time dragging a defender with her.

While Meier and Gross combined for 7 of the Mustangs 12 tries on the day, they were also accompanied by what can only be described as pack that was running with a vengeance. Fellow Super A Regular and SAT taking Junior, flanker Jordan Scacchetti (BH-BL) chipped in a try of her own, as did her counterpart, freshman flanker Maranda Rotundo (BH-BL) which was her second of the season. Sophomore prop Colleen Peek (BH-BL) also scored her first career points with a punishing run for a try through the heart of ASR's defense, literally dragging three girls with her. Surprisingly, however, was that three of the girls who didn't score Friday night were some of Saratoga's most bruising runners. Scrum Captain and prop Nadia Alvarez (BH-BL) and German Exchange student Jenny von Rosen (BH-BL), were a force to be reckoned with, often just running over the opposition. Both led in pod play and were never brought down by a single defender. Brianne Briggs (BH-BL) play from hook was superb and the petite but rugged sophomore repeatedly frustrated ASR defenders with her quick and smacking running. Strong play was also chipped in by prop Colleen Kelliher (BH-BL), new comer Ivonne Ortega (Ballston Spa), and hook Brianna Adams (BH-BL) .

Pack players weren't the only ones getting in on the scoring action. Line Captain and scrum-half Olivia Guay (BH-BL) was effective with her new role, distributing the ball very well and claiming a try of her own by diving on a loose ball in the try zone. Another nice surprise was the running and play of brand new comer Joya Clark (Scotia) who managed to catch a pass in the middle of traffic and cruise right through the middle of ARS' defense for the final score of the game. The line featured new fly-half and hard running senior Paula Rehm (Ballston Spa), center play by Jessica Vunk (BH-BL), Amanda Barletta (BH-BL), Ashley Balls-Suarez (BH-BL), Kristine Hayes (BH-BL), the wing work of Heidi Pastor (Shenendahowa), Julia Sell (BH-BL), Kristie Lynch (BH-BL), and fullback Sara McFadden (BH-BL).

One thing that can be said for Albany-Schenectady-Rensselaer is that they NEVER stopped coming. The played HARD the whole game and even managed a drive deep into Saratoga's end of the field in the waning minutes of the second half, coming up just short of scoring. This resolve was very impressive and as this young club gains experience, the Capital District can expect some excellent battles with Saratoga and other clubs we all expect to develop as we look to 2009.

The lone mar on the day was Saratoga's continued issue with its place kicking, going 0-12 on conversions and 0-26 on the season.

The Saratoga Mustangs Girls A Team improved to 3-0 with the victory.

Stampede Trods Hard, but Finds Mountain(eers) Too Much to Surpass

2008-04-20T23:21:00.003-04:00

Perhaps the nicest overall day of the young 2008, Saturday April 19th marked a complete day for rugby in Saratoga. Fresh off of the organized volunteer effort for the Malta Town Parks clean-up, the afternoon was capped off with a game where the Saratoga Stampede hosted the Mountaineers of Saranac Lake.

As the first game of spring, Stampede V started out as an evenly contested match. Both teams fought hard early on. Eventual man of the match, inside center, Paul Campbell, used his quick feet and sizeable frame to pound the ball inside several times in the first half. This helped the forwards, led by the young scrum half, Nick Defilipo, to keep the ball in the pack. Hard up field runs were taken by flanker, James Rigney, and bruising, thunderous trots damaged the psyche of the opposition when fellow flanker, Pete Mody led in pod play.

Even with the smashing hits, Saratoga found itself down 21-5 at halftime, with the Saranac Lake scoring done mainly on overloads on the outside. The lone Stampede score was by Rigney, who ran far along on the left side of the field for the score.

The second half showed some brilliance by the Stampede, as the back line got more involved and came up big some big plays. Campbell fought hard up the middle for a try and flyhalf, Doug McCluskey, used his golden boot to convert. Saratoga put one more score across the line, but in the end, Saranac Lake came out on top with 24-19 victory on the road.

Up next, the Stampede are scrimmaging Union college on April 26th; they shall return back home on May 3rd against the old men of the CT Greys. Be sure to visit www.saratogarugby.org for updates and changes.

Park Clean-up a Resounding Success for Saratoga Rugby

2008-04-20T18:13:00.013-04:00

On Saturday, April 19th, members of the Saratoga Mustangs joined the Saratoga Stampede to lend a hand in the annual Malta Community Parks Clean-up. If organizers were impressed by last year's turnout, they were speechless this past weekend. Together the youth and adult rugby clubs showed up with over 50 volunteers, including players, parents, wives and children. The ruggers were able to get out and enjoy one of the first truly gorgeous spring days while helping out their local community.

In addition to the expected trash and debris, the clean-up effort brought in the odd and unusual, including automobile parts and tires, couches, and a snowmobile windshield. And what would an annual park clean-up be without the discovery of yet another appliance? Saratoga ruggers ended this year's effort by retrieving a washing machine from the "Ice Cream Trail."

Many thanks to all those ruggers, parents, and families for giving up part of their Saturday to help out the Malta Parks Clean-up effort. Our participation in events such as this goes a long way towards securing use of the playing field at Shenantaha Creek Park, and is a great boon to the public image of Saratoga Rugby.

2008-04-19T09:00:00.004-04:00

Saratoga accepted forfeit wins from CVU for both its Boys and Girls Super A teams. This improves the Boys' record to 2-1 and the Girls' record to 3-0 in VYRA play.

The Mustangs Girls also added a home game to its schedule when it agreed to host Colchester High School at Shenentaha Creek Park in Ballston Spa on May 3rd.

Complete game schedules for the boys and girls can be found here.

Mustang Boys Trample Berzerkers

2008-04-14T23:04:00.001-04:00

The Saturday, April 12th game, against Upper Valley (UV) was marred with administrative nightmares, long before even stepping onto the pitch. It became evident very early that the organizational ability of the opponent and their lack of communication with the games' host (Rutland, VT) was going to wear on the Saratoga players, coaching staff and supporters. After prodding and pleading by the visiting coaching staff (Saratoga), the Rutland folks altered their game schedules to fit in some playing time for the Saratoga Mustangs to play the 'hosting' UV Berzerkers.

Not knowing exactly when the welcoming whistle would be blown to get the male Mustangs on the pitch, the boys went through necessary warm-ups to retain focus and mentally prepare themselves for the short battle that lie ahead. Finally, at 2:25 pm, the Mustangs took the field. Although the opposition's coaching staff seemed to not be on the ball, it was quickly realized that their players were familiar with the game and knew the basics of how to play. Note that Saratoga furnished them with two rookie backline players who, although limited in training and experience, definitely solidified the opposition's green players.

After the opening kick-off, Saratoga found itself deep in its own zone. UV committed a penalty in a ruck which allowed Saratoga 8-man Mike Matrazzo to boot it into touch. After another UV penalty, Saratoga won their second line-out and pushed on. What became a potential play of the game for setting the tone was when hooker Bryan Emerich charged ahead within the opposing 22-meter line and plowed through several members of the defending team. Through some great rucking, the ball was passed out to inside center Bryan Little, who plowed across the try line to put Saratoga up 5-0 at the 5-minute mark. M. Matrazzo converted the try to give Saratoga a 7-0 lead.

Play went back and forth for a bit, but key runs by fullback Dylan Gandy and flyhalf Dan Godshalk, along with fantastic teamwork got Saratoga back on the board with a 12-0 lead in the 18th minute, when B. Little scored his second try of the afternoon.

UV fought back hard to prevent anymore Saratoga points, but flanker Jessie Hummer burst along the left sideline from near midfield and scored the sealing try in the 22nd minute. M. Matrazzo converted this try to give the Mustangs a 19-0 lead. Play was whistled 3 minutes later and the dominating Mustangs were victorious in the shortened game. Saratoga moves to 1-1 on the season in VYRA play.

Lady Mustangs Continue Dominance in CDYR and VYRA Play

2008-04-14T16:28:00.004-04:00

The Saratoga Lady Mustangs continued their strong start this season with a pair of decisive victories this past weekend. Friday evening, the Mustang’s A side made the short trip down I-87 to Albany where they participated in a controlled scrimmage versus the newly-formed Albany County Lady Bulldogs. While their opponent put up a spirited effort, the hard running Mustangs got off to a quick start. After an Albany knock-on on the opening kickoff, Saratoga’s forwards showed impressive determination in their early rucking, pounding the ball down the field. Prop Nadia Alvarez (BHBL) powered over the try line to open Saratoga’s scoring. The Lady Mustangs continued to demonstrate their skill on the pitch, adding scores by hook Brianne Briggs (BHBL) and fly half Jess Kniskern (Stillwater). Alvarez topped off Saratoga’s scoring with her second try of the game. Despite trailing, Albany’s side showed incredible determination and spirit. A breakdown in Saratoga’s defensive line allowed the Albany wing to sprint down the sideline for a late Bulldog score. In the end, the Mustangs emerged victorious 20-5 against the tenacious, but inexperienced Albany squad. Nadia Alvarez was named player of the match for the Saratoga A side effort.

On Saturday, the Saratoga Lady Mustangs Super A’s made the trip to Rutland, Vermont, in anticipation of their second VYRA match against Upper Valley. The game was overshadowed by countless administrative blunders by the ‘host’ side including the failure to coordinate field availability with the Rutland Club. The Lady Mustang’s noon kickoff was delayed for over an hour and a half. Despite the frustrations, the Saratoga ladies remained focused on the task at hand. Upper Valley was able to field only four players for the match, borrowing five players from the Rutland Under 19 Girls team, and an additional six from Saratoga. Brianne Briggs, Nadia Alvarez, Sara McFadden, Olivia Guay, Julia Sell, and Paula Rehm graciously agreed to fill Upper Valley’s depleted ranks so that their teammates could get a game in. Saratoga quickly established dominance both in skill and determination. Quennah Holt (Bethlehem) opened the Mustang scoring with a tenacious run through the heart of the Berserker defense. Holt added two more scores before the day was over. Saratoga continued to pour it on, adding tries by Katie Dannenberg (BHBL), Jordan Scacchetti (BHBL), and Autumn Vanderveer (BHBL), who took a well timed pass from center Carly Baker (Averil Park) 35 meters down the sideline to the try zone. Rookies Shannon Dowdle (BHBL), Leah Gerlach (BHBL), and Jenny von Rosen (BHBL) made impressive debuts with the Super A’s. Dowdle’s jumping ability combined with well timed throws by hook Katie Dannenberg allowed the Lady Mustangs to dominate lineouts and maintain much needed possession time and again. Senior scrum half Emily Wexler continued to show tremendous development, controlling the pace of play and ensuring Saratoga's possessions culminated in positive yardage. The Mustang forwards dominated all aspects of set and open field play, controlling scrums and dominating in rucks despite serious effort on the part of Upper Valley. Line play by the Lady Mustangs led by Joann Pettis (BHBL), Baker and Holt was superb, demonstrating the remarkable strides the young Saratoga club has made since last season. The lone highlights for the Upper Valley side came from a trio of Mustangs. Sara McFadden (BHBL) thwarted one promising Saratoga drive by poaching the ball from a ruck, giving the Berserkers one of their few possessions of the day. Rookie Paula Rehm (Ballston Spa) proved a stalwart presence at the center of the Upper Valley line and Olivia Guay (BHBL) made two try-saving tackles, including a rundown of fullback Khirstian Carbonello (BHBL) at the try line following a 75 meter kick return. Quennah Holt’s three try performance earned her rugger of the match honors in the 30-0 victory over Upper Valley.

Saratoga's Record: Super A Team 2-0, A Team 2-0.

Saratoga Mustangs Thump Rutland: Take Super A & A Games to Win Season Opener

2008-04-14T10:25:00.005-04:00

The Saratoga Mustangs Girls U-19 Rugby Club won their Vermont Youth Rugby Association debut with a hard hitting, hard running shutout victory over Rutland, 10-0.

With wind whipping across the field and snow keeping home field Shenentaha Creek Park closed, the Saratoga Mustangs hosted Rutland at SUNY Albany’s field on Saturday, April 5th. For sixty minutes, Saratoga’s "Super A" Team's spirited play results in punishing runs and tackles by forwards and backs, alike. From the opening kickoff, Saratoga showed they had something to prove. Spending most of the first half in Rutland’s half of the field, the constant pressure and quality tackles started increasing the pressure on Rutland’s back, causing sloppy passes despite some solid runs by their all-star prop and wing. The end result was the first try of the season, scored by line captain Joann Pettis (Bunt Hills).

Set pieces were also dominated by Saratoga whose hard driving scrum and strong line-outs, featuring sophomore jumper Sam Coluccio (Burnt Hills, pictured right), made capitalizing on miscues difficult for Rutland. Senior Emily Wexler’s (Burnt Hills) play at scrum-half helped lead a balanced running attack which featured pounding runs by senior captain Jess Sears (Burnt Hills, pictured above left), junior Tiffany Neach (Burnt Hills) and rookie senior second row Shelby Snyder (Scotia). This set up a triple threat backfield featuring junior fly-half Pettis, sophomore phenom Carly Baker (Averil Park), playing inside center, and the speedy senior Quennah Holt (Bethlehem) playing outside center.

Not everything went Saratoga’s way, however. Minutes into the game, senior NRU (Northeast Rugby Union) All-Star eight-man Maddy Cocca (Niskayuna) was twisted up in a tackle and suffered a broken ankle, potentially ending her senior season and devastating her team mates. Fellow loose forward, junior Eva Meier (Ballston Spa), slid over from flanker into Maddy’s role and quickly dolled out some punishing hits of her own, both off of open play and from the back of the scrum. After the game, the coaches unanimously elected Meier as the “Rugger of the Match” for the Super A's, an honor bestowed upon one player after each contest, representing the coaching staff’s selection as the best player on the pitch that day.

The second half was also hard fought and the early season’s game began to slow as fatigue and bruising set in. Consistent play from veterans such as junior second row Marianna Carta and sophomore hook Katie Dannenberg (Burnt Hills), and the foot and open field tackles of freshman fullback Khirstian Carbonello (Burnt Hills) helped continue to keep Rutland from scoring, despite a few close calls. Junior wing Autumn Vanderveer and sophomore wing Leah Gerlach (Burnt Hills) also provided stellar defense making several key tackles to thwart scoring threats from Rutland and keep the game 5-0. In the end, it was Dannenberg’s head’s up play, scooping the loose ball from the ground and driving into the try zone, that sealed the victory, bringing the score to its final 10-0 tally.

Saratoga’s flexibility allowed it to use 20 different players from it’s Super A-Side roster. Burnt Hills sophomore flanker Sarah Cranfield, and juniors Jen Rohling (scrum-half), Haley Brown (hook), and Nadia Alvarez (prop) all played significant roles in keeping Rutland on its heals and providing fresh legs at critical times. Although the season is young, it certainly looks bright for 2008!

Rookies Perform Well, Step Into Big Shoes

Saratoga Mustangs “A” team also claimed victory on the pitch versus Rutland. In a much slower paced game, predominated by rookies to the sport on both sides, Saratoga’s intensity was again predominant. Led by four junior veterans, including front rows Haley Brown and Nadia Alvarez, scrum-half Jen Rohling, and fly-half Olivia Guay (all of Burnt Hills), this game was possibly more exciting than the Super A match that concluded thirty minutes prior.

In much of the same spirit, many of the remaining new comers to Saratoga’s stable of 48 players cut their teeth against the much more established Rutland Rugby Club. The contest was hard fought, featuring a swan-dive score by freshman flanker Maranda Rotunda (Burnt Hills), but looked like it would end in a hard fought tie at 5-5. With only injury time remaining, eventual “Rugger of the Match”, freshman eight-man Melayna Weaver (Burnt Hills), under the watchful eye of her uncle and long time eight-man for the Albany Knicks, Tony Leva, picked up the ball off of the back of the scrum and pinballed her way twenty meters for the go ahead score as time expired, allowing Saratoga to snatch a 10-5 victory. This effort prompted fans to ask Mr. Leva how it felt to be the second best rugby player in his family.

Saratoga's Record: Super A Team 1-0, A Team 1-0.

Fall 2007 Schedule Announced

2007-08-15T12:35:00.000-04:00

I know it has been a while since I have posted here. I may have over extended myself with my blog pile. I am trying to get things up to speed and hopefully Smokin' Bill, T-Rex, and Paco will help me add more content to this as we get into the fall.

Highlights from last night's player's meeting:

Practice will be 8/16, 8/21, & 8/23 from 6-8 at Shenataha Creek Park on Eastline Road in Ballston Spa in preparation for the eight team Saratoga Invitational Rugby Tournament on 8/25 at Skidmore.
Practice for the fall season will begin on 8/28 in preparation for our first home match in the club's NERFU D-IV history against Mt. Washington on 9/1.
Dues for the Fall Season are now set at $70 and are payable to T-Rex by 9/15.
Mick O'Dalaigh is returning as head coach this fall.
We will have a volunteer event for our bye weekend (9/15).
Vote for fall captains will take place on 8/28. Anyone interested in the job needs to e-mail Paco.
Team By-Laws have been adopted by the officers. Every player needs to sign them before he can step on the field for the fall.
A jacket order is being placed for players who have completed two full seasons with the club.
Recruiting efforts are on-going. Do your best to spread the word about Saratoga Rugby. What keeps us from being able to play D-III is a legitimate B-Side and we currently don't have enough players on a regular basis to field one.
Mike Kotary has replaced Alex Eves as the P.O.C. for Malta and Shenantaha Creek Park as Eves is moving to Chicago.
Anyone interested in filling the role of equipment manager, please contact Paco as Nick DeFilippo's college class schedule prevents him from attending training sessions on time for the fall.

The fall season schedule:

September 1	Mt. Washington Valley Bull Moose	Home
September 8 Utica Clubs or Albany Old Boys Home September 15 Bye Weekend
September 22	Harvard Business School	Home
September 29	Boston Ironsides	Boston, MA
October 6	Monadnock	Home
October 13	Berkshire	Pittsfield, MA
October 20	Mad River/Stowe	Stowe, VT

October 27 Bye Weekend for Playoff Teams

November 3 Playoffs and Championships

Spring Schedule Broken Down: A Look at What 2007 Should Bring

2007-03-08T15:02:00.000-05:00

With recruiting events over and meetings in the past, it is time to put the actual playing of rugby in the forefront and get back to why we work so hard to bring rugby along off the pitch: to be a successful club on the pitch.

For the casual fan, there are several points of interest this spring. If you have been following the club since its inception in 2006, the club has played two dozen games against 14 different teams. This season brings further variety of competition. The team will open against a college side, scrimmaging Union College in Schenectady on April 7th. They follow that up with a trip to Rutland, the third time that they have played their friendly rivals from Vermont. After a week off, the schedule becomes very formidable against Division III teams (Being new to league play, Saratoga is D-IV).

First, the club travels to New London on April 28th, a good team who gave the Stampede some real trouble in their fourth overall game last year. The club hopes that a year in between meetings will yield more favorable results compared to the 52-12 drubbing of 2006. Perennial powerhouse from the north, Montreal, will roll in with a full contingency of sides (full A and B sides) on May 5th. This match will be a good measuring stick as to how the team deals with experienced, veteran competition. This is also the first meeting between Montreal and Saratoga.

On May 12th, the club travels to take on the Hudson Valley Rebels, whose president is a former team mate with Stampede Vice-President Pike Mody. The Rebels met the Stampede in tournament play during last August, in the 8th Annual Saratoga Invitational, and dealt the Stampede a sound loss, so this rematch should also be a tough match for the growing club.

Finally, the club takes on the first team with less experience than they have. On May 19th, the newly formed Utica Klubs make the pilgrimage to Saratoga for the first time for an inaugural meeting versus the Stampede. The Utica Klubs have been practicing since January and are staffed with young, but experienced players, and should provide an exciting match for the Stampede, who currently are comprised mostly of players in their late teens and early twenties and older players in their early to mid thirties. And who can forget, of course, graybeard Rick Babson, who celebrated his 52nd birthday during the off season.

In my next entry, I will preview some of the more interesting competitions that are sure to arise as the season gets underway. With some veterans retiring or unable to play due to injury and/or work commitments, it should be intriguing to see the moves that Coach Mick O'Dalaigh and the spring captains make in order to put a strong team on the field. Last year saw flankers moving to center and one second row from the first game become one of the team's regular centers, while the other second row became the team's regular 8-man. This spring has the potential of seeing a fly-half become a hook, or a completely rookie break in at prop. As the battles for starting positions unfold, check back to the Stampede Blog for details.

A reminder that the team will still play pick-up touch rugby on Sundays at 1PM. Contact Matt Volke for details. Official practice begins on March 20th.

With Recruiting Events Complete, Pre-Season Meeting is Next on Tap

2007-02-22T04:32:00.000-05:00

The two recruiting events went off without a hitch in the last five days. The tables at both the Wilton Mall and Skidmore were well received if not exactly flocked with people. The main point was to spread word about men's and women's rugby in Saratoga and I think we accomplished just that. Many people, as expected, mentioned they had no idea that rugby existed in Saratoga County. We were able to hand out fliers and info pamphlets to prospective players and fans of the club.

Next on tap (literally) are two events. The first is the Spring Pre-Season Meeting which occurs tonight at Peabody's Bar and Grill at 39 Phila Street in Saratoga Springs, kicking off at 7:00. The officers have worked hard to keep the meeting to less than an hour (hopefully 45 minutes) with a Q & A session afterwards. After the meeting, several members of the team will taste test the provisions of one of our local sponsors, Saratoga Eagle Distributing, to assess quality control. Anyone who is interested in the sport of rugby, as either a player or just as a casual fan of the sport, is encouraged to attend.

Secondly, as a sort of pseudo-recruiting type event will be an informal pub crawl around Saratoga Springs. It will start at 7:00 PM at Peabody's on Saturday, February 24th and move on from there as the mood strikes the pack. Friends, relatives, and significant others are welcome to attend the crawl. We even have one wayward fan driving in from Utica, NY to attend the event.

Speaking of Utica, it might interest our rugby community to know that we are not the only team growing in Upstate New York. The Utica Klubs RFC was established last month and will be travelling to Saratoga to take on your Saratoga Stampede RFC on May 19th. I for one am psyched to see any rugby development of rugby in this part of the state, especially when it means that we have a club to travel to that is under 90 minutes away. Along with the Capital District Youth Rugby (CDYR) Initiative, it appears that the sport is finally starting to take off in more than some of the more major of New York's six metro areas (NYC, Albany, Binghampton, Syracuse, Rochester, and Buffalo).

That is all for this early morning blog. If you have any questions regarding either SRFC event or about Utica Rugby, please feel free to drop me an e-mail.

Happy 31st Birthday to one of the club's founding fathers, Owen Maranville!

Recruiting Events Planned

2007-01-24T00:24:00.000-05:00

One of the toughest parts of being a successful team for last season was having a sufficient number of people to head into battle with. While we always had a good turn out for games, only needing to borrow a player for one travel game when we had two surprise injuries strike the team, which was running with the exact number of players we needed, the problems of being under staffed at practices definitely showed as the season progressed. Drills became difficult, reps decreased, and timing simply waned as rust accumulated. Suffice it to say that recruiting has become my number one goal of the off season.

With the pre-season meeting quickly approaching on February 22nd, the players and fans of the Stampede are ready to head out into their respective communities in force to get the message out: Saratoga Rugby is looking for a few good men. And you don't need any experience. Just a desire to have some fun and be part of a team. Being a social person would also help.

As far as age goes, we have starters on the squad from ages 19 - 52. Sizes range from 5'5 - 6'4, and from 140 lbs. to 350 lbs. Experience is also at polar ends. We have people on the team who have played three or four games in their career and it was during this past fall season that they came out for the team. And we also have a player who has been playing longer than most people on the team have been alive. Some played in high school, one didn't start until he was in his 40's! It really takes all types to play this game. And once you play, you will be hooked.

As the team's recruiting director, I also have a few events in the work. The focus of these events are to drum up some notoriety for the team and get people talking about the fact that a year ago, a men's rugby team formed in Saratoga for the first competitive rugby club in at least the last 15 years. If ever. Support has been so plentiful that a women's team has sprouted up and is looking to have a few games this spring, with an informational meeting for the ladies coming in early February.

The events will be simple. We will begin by having informational tables/kiosks at three locations in the coming weeks. The three initial locations are looking to be Wilton Mall, Adirondack Community College and Skidmore College. Hopefully, by tapping into local colleges of the North Country we can also acquire some younger and fresher legs as a large percentage of the team, at least 40% are over the age of 28, with somewhere around 30% of the team over the age of 30.

To paraphrase a line from "Necessary Roughness", this season the team wants more than your support. We want you.

For more info, e-mail me, or visit www.saratogarugby.com.

Stampede Move to New England Union, Division IV

2007-01-21T11:17:00.000-05:00

In their inaugural season, the Saratoga Stampede Rugby Club elected to be an at-large team, playing independently, something like Notre Dame. It left then Match Secretary Owen Maranville the freedom to schedule contests and tournaments at the whim and will of the team's membership and administration. While the team played some tough competition, including twice playing three-time defending Division III Champion Syracuse, it found itself locked out of any chance for a playoff. Unlike college football, independent teams are not eligible for any type of playoff or championship. While the team's record may have precluded them such a run anyhow, they most certainly would not have been playing the caliber of teams such as Syracuse, which was a point of consideration for administrators late this fall and early in the winter.

At the Annual General Meeting (AGM), Stampede President Chuck Tempest announced that the club would join the New England Rugby Football Union (NERFU), at the Division IV level. While there was some discussion, internally, that the team might join the New York State
Rugby Conference (NYSRC) or enter either association at the Division III level. Eventually, the club decided that travel for games and lack of a complete B side really precluded them from either possibility, and that it appeared that the most beneficial route for a club interested in vying for a title with the make-up of the Stampede was NERFU Division IV.

At the AGM, administrative positions were elected for the 2007 year. Chuck Tempest and Pete Mody, and Rick Babson were reelected as president, vice-president, public relations coordinator, respectively. Bill McClain was elected as treasurer and Paul Campbell as Match Secretary. The positions of equipment manager, field coordinator, webmaster, and social chair will be appointed when the new officer board convenes in early February.

The club also announced its pre-season informational meeting date at the AGM. This meeting is for any males 18 and over who have interest in playing rugby this spring. No experience is necessary for a member to join the club. The meeting is schedule for February 22nd, 2007 @ 7 P.M. at Peabody's Sports Bar and Grille on Phila Street in Saratoga Springs. The meeting will cover items such as the spring practice and match schedule, dues, CIPP information, & sponsorship updates. This meeting is also open to all people interested in becoming "social" members of the club, or those interested in following the team, attending functions and games, but do not wish to practice or play. Contact Chuck Tempest for details.