Behind a very strong physical performance from the forwards and major teamwork from the backs, College Park went 3-0 to win the Bronze Championship at the 2009 Kickoff Tournament in Sacramento. Over 30 teams and their fans were on hand on a beautiful day in the state’s capital.
The first game was against a young Berkeley side, and though College Park started a bit slow, they rolled in three tries in the last 10 minutes of the first half by Will Bordenave ‘10, Ben Roach ‘10, and Ryan Parrette ‘09. Parrette added 2 of 3 conversions to give College Park a 19-0 lead. In the second frame, the team kept possession and methodically worked their way down the field over and over, and rewarded with another try from game day captain Will Bordenave. Final score 26-0.
The second game was against the Lancers who played College Park to a standstill. Parrette missed two difficult penalty kicks from 40 meters out (though he was not helped by the crooked posts). Strong defense from the forward pack kept the Lancers inside their half for most of the game, but College Park was unable to come away with any points. With no time remaining and a spot in the championship on the line, The Lancers lined up for a deep penalty kick of their own, which was missed left. College Park gathered the miss and Garrett McCoy ‘09 sent a high ball to the right sideline. Mikey Schwarz ‘09 gathered the bounding ball and set a platform for his brother Timmy Schwarz ‘10 who spun the ball wide to Richie Paris ‘09. Paris offloaded to Eddie Magana ‘09 who threw an over the shoulder hook pass, that made the coaches cringe, which landed right in the lap of winger Stuart Thomas ‘09. Thomas sped his way to the goal line and dove in the left corner for an amazing game winning try with no time, that sent College Park to the finals.
The boys came out flat in the finals against a very physical Davis side. The opening kickoff saw Davis knock the ball loose into the College Park try zone, which they dove on for a quick 7-0 advantage. Minutes later, it was Davis again smashing in for a 12-0 lead after the missed 2-pt conversion. Things were not looking good as Davis kept the pressure on, but center Garret McCoy was able to intercept a floating pass and outrun the defense for an 80 yard try (though he was moving like a prop for the last 15!). The conversion was true and College Park was down only 12-7 at the intermission. The second half saw a new, re-energized College Park team take the field. They pounded the Davis forwards at every opportunity, led by numerous positive grade tackles from lock Tim O’Hara ‘10 and newcomer Hendee Wall ‘10. The backs sured up their tackling, which was a main issue in the first half. The teams traded offensive opportunities only to be stiffled by the defenses, until McCoy broke through and offloaded to fellow center Kyle Burton ‘10 who centered the ball for a 12-12 tie. Parrette came through with the conversion and College Park walked away with a 14-12 victory and champions of the bronze division.
The set piece (scrums and lineouts) were once again the strength of the team, and the forwards were great in the ruck, setting up clean ball for the backs who were dangerous with the center crashes. However, the tactical kicking game and spreading the field were areas that College Park needs to improve. You can bet those facets will be worked on at length this week in practice, in preparation for the first ever rugby game at Bellarmine, next week against league rivals Live Oak. The three wins also improved the team’s 2009 record to 4-0.
