Tigers Rugby capped a 36-match Spring 2010 season with a respectable 24-10 loss to the Aurora Saracens in Rugby Colorado’s State HS Boys Rugby Championship Tournament’s Quarterfinal Match.

Seniors Albert Whitemore & Alejandro Lucero (Holy Family HS), Zach Underwood, Jarred Riemer & Bobby Stomski (Standley Lake HS), Matt Dominguez & Daijon Tyler (Pomona HS), and Peter Loving (Ralston Valley) will be sorely missed as leaders and playmakers. Tigers Rugby Football Club finishes the season at 11-23-2 overall: 7-10 A side, 3-6-2 B side, and 1-7 Freshman/Sophomore side.

Sophomore Second Row, Walker Prieb (Man of the Match) gave the Tigers life at the the break with a pop kick, followed into goal by a swarm of Tiger forwards, where Patrick O’Connor touched it down to tie the match 5-5.

Aurora’s replaced their flyhalf with a bigger and better version of the original, who broke away 10 minutes into the second period. The conversion made the score 12-5. The rascally Aurora scrumhalf finally broke free, followed soon after by the Saracen 8-man for another try.

Replacement players were effective on both sidelines. King Medlin closed out the scoring for the A side, touching down his first A side try at the end of the second period. Tigers players and coaches, though disappointed, were all smiles in thinking of the immense possibilities with 35 players pledging to play together next year.

Invictus
by William Ernest Henley

Out …

After 59 minutes, Tigers Rugby was down 108 points and things were starting to look bleak.  Then, senior Alejandro Lucero humiliated the starting Colorado Springs fly half by stealing a pass intended for the Grizzlies’ inside center and returned it for the last try of the regular season on 4/21/2010.

The Tigers came 75 miles south short handed.  5-7 starters from Pomona HS  failed to show up to a league match in each of the past 2 weeks.  In giving up 54 points each half, the Tigers chose not to forfeit the match but rather to wear the beating like a badge of honor.  The game was well covered by Colorado Springs photographers and Rugby Examiner reporter, Rick Gustafson:  http://www.examiner.com/x-4999-Colorado-Rugby-Examiner~y2010m4d21-Colorado-Springs

The Fabled Fourteen

1. Jared Riemer, 2. Robert Kaniecki, 3. Jake Gossman, 4. Patrick O’Connor, 5. 6.Walker Prieb, 7. Andrew Hutchinson, 8. Daniel Sargeant, 9. Albert Whitemore, 10 Alejandro Lucero, 11. Jake Boselli 12. Nick Allen, 13. Peter Loving, 14.  Alec Walters

 The highest ranked team in Colorado HS boys rugby is also one of the best teams in the country. A talented East back line created repeated overloads to break this Colorado Youth Rugby Division I league match wide open in a 59-0 win over the host Tigers Rugby Football Club. Denver East High school left no doubt about the value of their extraordinary preparation, fitness and kicking skills taught by their nationally ranked coaching staff. A tremendous effort by each individual Tiger could not prevent the A side trouble against the defending State Champions when East played together with passion. The younger B side almost caught the Angels off guard in a 41-31 loss to East’s B side. Tries were credited to Pomona HS’s AJ Shannon, and Ralston Valley students Mitchell Thunell (2) and Luke Rockwood. AJ Shannon also converted 3 of 5 kicks in the 41-31 B side loss.

Despite the lopsided score, the Tigers’ attack was powerful, passing the try line 3 times, and coming away without points. A dropped pass in a 4 on 1 overload was also discouraging, but showed the commitment to the effort by Tigers Rugby. In addition to those four opportunities that slipped away, the Tigers were pressing East on their five meter line three additional times and witnessed Angel defensive lightning bolts arc in the opposite direction for back-breaking tries.

Joining together for the singing of the national anthem was a great show of …