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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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!