Westlake Ruggers Take First Cup Match
February 8, 2009
Last Saturday afternoon the Westlake rugby team played its first cup match of the season and, in front of a swollen hometown crowd, methodically and relentlessly shut out a confident Stony Point High School squad by the score of 34-0.
It was hard to miss the swagger on the east side of Chaps Stadium as the teams went through pre-match warm-ups. The week before, the visitors from Round Rock had soundly defeated a strong Strake Jesuit team from Houston and were looking to notch another victory against the Chaps.
But Westlake’s scrum, led by prop James Howe, flanker Eric Wiggen and lock Evan Zur Muehlin, played inspired rugby from the opening kick-off and helped keep the ball bottled up on the visitors’ side of the field for much of the first half. It only took a few short minutes for Westlake to capitalize on its superior scrum play when flanker Ari “the Bull” Shita scooped up the ball after a loose ruck about ten meters in front of the try line and, in a move that is quickly becoming signature for him in this young season, lowered his shoulder, began churning his legs and forced his way through a stout line of defenders and scored. Von Zur Muehlin’s conversion kick was good and the Chaps went up early 7-0.
At that point, the Chaps’ kicking game came to life. The few times in the half that Stony Point was able to move the ball and threaten to score, either fly half Markham “the Leg” Sayers or full back James Robison executed a looping kick that sent the defenders scurrying back to protect their own try line - except once. Mid-way through the period Robison electrified the home crowd when, instead of kicking the ball, he cradled it and burst through the defense. After about 30 meters he pitched a perfect pass to Sean Potter who had raced downfield in support. As Westlake rugby fans already know, there’s no catching Sean Potter once he gets a head of steam. After he downed the ball in the try zone, Westlake was up 12-0.
The Chaps’ scrum kept up the pressure and Sayers added to the Westlake tally just before the half when he took a pass after a ruck in front of Stony Point’s try line, slashed to his left and, with two Stony Point defenders wrapped around his legs, leaned in for the score. Westlake walked off the field at the half up 17-0.
By now Westlake fans know that inside center Ellis Glaw is usually good for at least one long breakaway run per match. This time he made the faithful wait until about midway through the second period. After taking a pass at midfield he began shedding tacklers like a duck sheds water and would not be denied. Shortly thereafter, scrum half Connor McNally, who was giving Stony Point’s scrum half fits with his aggressive play, retrieved the ball from a scrum and pitched to Sayers who ran to through an unbalanced defense and to his second try of the match. Sam Wakefield’s conversion kick was good and, with three quarters of the match gone, the home crowd began to breath easy.
But Westlake was clearly saving the best for last. With time running out, Stony Point’s scrum pushed the ball to the shadow of Westlake’s try line and was poised to avoid the shut out. But outside center Paul Brown somehow wrenched the ball from the opposition and raced off. With the length of the field in front of him he ran like a wild horse and, in a move that clearly endeared him to his coaches and teammates, began looking to pass off just a few meters from the try line as the defenders closed in. But there was no need to pass and Brown ambled in for the final score of the day, sealing the impressive 34-0 victory.