2011 Spring Season Recap
Dec 17
Updates / Match Info:
Getting ready for the 2012 Spring season – Winter Training to start soon!
2011 Wisconsin D-2 State Champions!
State Championship Tournament (2 Games) (May 21)
Madison Westside Rugby won the Wisconsin Division 2 Boys High School Rugby Championships Saturday May 21. Westside won its semi-final match against Green Bay 28-7 and went on to defeat Kimberly in the final 28-15. Madison Westside is primarily made up of high school boys from Madison West and Edgewood but also has players from Verona and Fort Atkinson high schools and various Madison area Middle Schools.
Playoffs (Round 1): Westside v. Middleton (May 16)
Madison Westside continued its march to the State High School Rugby Championships by defeating Middleton 28-0 in the first round of the playoffs. Trys were scored by Ennis Gashi, Ben Poquette, Austin Sabers and Zach Nelson (who also received Man of the Match for his inspired play on the field). Euan Findlater converted all 4 kicks.
Westside v. Grafton (May 4)
Madison Westside defeated Grafton 55-17 to close out the regular season a perfect 6-0. Trys were scored by Austin Sabers (3), Sam Schneider (1), Tom Israeli (1), Kyle Gilbertson (1), Joaquin Selva (1), Zach Nelson (1) and Terrence Carey (1). Euan Findlater converted 5/9 conversion kicks. Kyle was awarded Man of the Match for stepping up and playing so well – in a new position too (Kyle I have your shirt).
In the B-side game, Westside prevailed 10-0 off trys by Soren Narum and Alex Merwald. Made up almost exclusively of rookies (some only a few weeks in), our second side showed good teamwork and improved skills.
Westside v. Kenosha (April 29)
That was a great game. Two unbeaten teams playing their hearts out. But in the end Madison Westside prevailed 14-0 to remain unbeaten at 5-0 with only Grafton left to face in league play before the playoffs and state tournament. Trys were scored by Kevin Clark and Zach Nelson – both right in front of the posts, allowing two easy conversions for Euan Findlater. This was a match where nobody stood out individually..and EVERYONE did. Dan and I discussed it and have awarded Man of the Match to the entire team for that effort (sorry – no t-shirts for this one).
In the B match, we continued with some really good rugby. We also had three rookies make their debut (Ricky, Eli and Alex). In the end the B side lost 14-7. The lone try was scored by Jesus Garza-Noriega with some strong running (and great defense too – a tackling machine out there). Nick Lee converted his kick.
Westside v. Elkhorn (April 25)
Madison Westside remained undefeated at 4-0 and in sole possession of 1st place in the Badgerland D2 standings after beating Elkhorn 41-15 yesterday. Trys were scored by Austin Sabers (3 – also Man of the Match), Ennis Gashi (1), Isaiah Nichols-Floyd (1), Kevin Clark (1) and Euan Findlater (1). Euan kicked 3 for 7 on conversions. The A side played very strong defense and showed off an opportunistic, fast paced offense, with only a little let down late in the game due to some fatigue. The truly scary part is that there is still so much room for improvement that this group can get even better.
The B side match was an up and down affair with some good rugby played. B side matches are often where players get the opportunity to show what they can do and make a case for making the A side top 22 selections. This was definitely the case for Haris Riza (who scored Westside only try) and Jesus Garza-Noriega both of which showed hard running and great defense. In the end the B side lost 15-5 to an Elkhorn side probably half of which were A side players.
Westside v. Menominee Falls (April 13)
Madison Westside will be heading into our Spring Break bye-week 3-0 and atop the Badgerland Division 2 standings after defeating Menominee Falls 31-8 in a well-played match at the new Rugby Sports Complex in Cottage Grove. Trys were scored by Euan Findlater, Terrence Carey (Man of the Match), Tom Israeli, Kyle Gilbertson and Zach Nelson. Euan converted 3/5 extra point kicks.
In the B match, the second side showed some good rugby after settling down from a rough first 5 minutes, however MF ended up winning 25-12 (to be fair, half of their second side was made up of A players – so that’s a pretty good showing). Trys were scored by Jesus Garza-Noriega and Dren Gashi (in his rookie debut!). Nick Lee converted 1 of 2 extra points.
Westside v. Waukesha West (April 8)
Madison Westside defeated Waukesha West 72-0 last night. Trys were scored by Austin (3), Sam (2), Kyle (2), Zack (2), Isaiah (1), Will (1) and Kevin (1). Euan scored 6 conversion kicks. Zack was awarded Man of the Match for his selfless forward play.
While there was no B-side game, everyone who brought their cleats got some playing time – including several guys who helped out Waukesha when they were down players including Lou, Eli, Joe and later on Reed at Flanker ( what Reed – not scrum half?)
This was a good game to get the offense jump-started. There were a lot of positives (and like always some things we need to work on). These little improvements we need to make between each match are critical to us growing as a team and making a run at the State Championship. The rest of our schedule will be against some tough teams. We have to
Westside v. Middleton (April 4)
Madison Westside defeated Middleton 10-5 yesterday in a windy, hard-hitting, grind-it-out match. Trys were scored by Ennis (with a great “I will not be denied” push at the goal line) and Euan who took a quick tap off a penalty and ran it in from 22 meters out before anyone knew what happened (Euan also got Man of the Match). The B-side game was more in favor of Middleton (which had some A-side players on, plus our own Isaiah – hungry for more rugby) – but they played hard and improved as the game went on. The boys played well overall but we still have some key things to work on at the next practice Wednesday.
