WESTLAKE REMAINS UNDEFEATED, QUALIFIES FOR STATE TOURNEY AND IS RANKED TENTH IN THE NATION
Al Niece looked on nervously Thursday night as his undefeated rugby squad warmed up before a final cup match against Stony Point. Late season injuries to key seniors plagued Westlake’s scrum and backfield and the coach was concerned about how his mixed squad would fare on a wind-swept rugby pitch in Round Rock against a strong Stony Point team. But the coach needn’t have worried. By the end of the evening, Westlake had notched a 58-10 victory and claimed a spot in the top ten national high school boy rugby rankings. And most importantly, the win qualified the Westbank ruggers for next month’s State Championship rugby tournament in Houston.
Westlake’s backs dominated play in the first half. Veteran scrum half Connor McNally led off the scoring with a try early in the game and Westlake never looked back. Shortly after the score by McNally, Chase Corona, playing inside center, ripped off an impressive long run for Westlake’s second try. Full back Will Slade, outside center Marcus Pieper, and freshman sensation Justin Brown also notched tries in the period. Reid McMenamin tacked on four conversion kicks and Westlake jumped out to a commanding 33-5 lead by half time.
Westlake’s scrum took command of the match in the second half. Anchored by veterans Colin Harman and Chris Van Datta, and featuring inspired play by Tyler Jones, Curtis Loeffel, Alex Faulkenberry, and Drew Nelson, Westlake’s scrum kept the opposition well away from Westlake’s try line for most of the period. Scrummies also got in on the scoring in the second half after bruising runs by Leoffel and Chris Canter both resulted in tries for the visitors. McNally and Slade each scored their second tries of the match and, with McMenamin’s penalty and conversion kicks, Westlake finished the match on top by a score of 58-10.
Westlake looks forward to a non-cup match this Friday night at Chaps stadium against perennial Texas rugby powerhouse Saint Thomas. The Westlake Chaps squad will play in the State Championship tournament in Houston the weekend of April 16th.
Charles Vermont