January 25, 2010

Westlake’s Mixed Traveling Side Takes on the Katy Barbarians

The Westlake rugby team took good advantage of a break in its match schedule last weekend and took a mixed traveling side to Katy last Sunday for two “friendly” matches.  With most of their more experienced players staying at home, Westlake’s younger players and players that were new to the game squared off against a decidedly older and more physical Katy Barbarian squad. 

Despite their relative inexperience, the westbank ruggers played their more experienced opponents to a 5-5 draw in the first match.  Standout defensive performances were turned in by scrummies Zane Kulhman, playing in the second row, and Adam Bartling, playing inside center.  The Westlake backs were led by Reid McMenamin at scrum half, whose crisp passes kept the ball moving and the Chaps advancing.  This effort paid off late when Jackson Smith, who was playing at wing, caught a pass and ran through a number of defenders for the tying score with less than two minutes left in the match.

The second match saw a much larger Katy squad dispatch a younger Westlake team 23-11.  However, the chaps fought harder – and the game was much closer – than the final score would suggest.  This time, it was Westlake’s scrum’s third row, especially Eric Wiggen and Chris Cantor that turned in an impressive performance.  The visitors’ efforts were also greatly aided by the defensive prowess of Zack Clark, who ran down a Katy breakaway from behind, saving a sure score.  Much needed offensive firepower was provided by Alex Lokken, who was successful on two penalty kicks despite horrendous winds, and scrum half Jordan Cox, whose try late in the second period resulted from the Westlake scrum dominating Katy in the second half.

After the match, Coach Al Niece was especially pleased with the performance of the younger players, observing, “they fought hard, never backed down, and got lots of experience against a much older, more experience squad.  That bodes well for the future of the program.”  The squad looks forward to taking on the Woodlands at 1:00 pm next Saturday at the Chaps stadium.

Charles Vermont