September 25, 2004

It was a beautiful day for rugby with only one problem – no opponent. Faribault failed to show for this scheduled league match, so we won by forfeit. We ran around and practiced a bit, and then took on Macalester in what was supposed to be a second side/old boys game. We won, they (hopefully) learned a lot, and a good time was had by all.

September 18, 2004

The Pigs took on the Feeders in the first league match of the Fall 2004 season as part of the All Minnesota tournament at the NSC in Blaine. Unlike many of our games the last couple seasons, we came out ready to go and took control right from the opening kickoff. Pressure on St. Cloud led them to lose the ball, and then commit a quick penalty. The decision was made to go for posts, and Jason Naber’s kick from 40 meters was good, giving the Pigs the early 3-0 lead. We kept up the pressure from the ensuing kickoff, and pushed the ball deep into the St. Cloud end of the field. A tough run by Mike “Buca” Lundberg took the ball to within site of the try line, and following some fine rucking by our forwards, Zac “Skillet” Bauer crashed through the defense for the first try of the match. Naber’s conversion was good, and it was 10-0 in favor of the Pigs. After this score, some costly penalties and defensive lapses set in, as the Feeders moved down the field, and eventually pushed in for a try of their own. The conversion was no good, and the score stood 10-5.

The rest of the first half would belong to the Pigs. Solid all around play, quick ball movements, and good supporting runs helped us open up a bigger lead. Next on the score sheet was Brett “Pebbles” Carter who scored an unconverted try to make it 15-5. Not long after, Philip “Psycho” Wagner broke several tackle attempts on a tough run up the middle and picked up the third try of the match. Naber’s conversion was good – 22-5 for the Pigs. The final try of the half came off another run by Buca that was quickly recycled through the hands out wide to Grant “HGSM” Dietrich who centered the try allowing for the easy conversion and a 29-5 half time lead.

The second half of the match was a different story. St. Cloud started to shore up their defence as well as setting up some good offensive moves, and soon began a fierce come back. 2 quick scores were somewhat offset, however, by Pebbles’s second try of the day, off a quick tap from a penalty and great supporting play by a number of Pigs players. At this point it looked like we had calmed things down and gotten our heads back in the game. Once again, though, penalties and a lack of discipline cost us. Buca was sin-binned for 10 minutes for a couple of allegedly high tackles, leaving us a man down. This was followed by a stretch of poor tackling, more penalties, other miscues, and still more penalties, all of which St. Cloud wisely took full advantage of. Their furious comeback continued with 2 late converted tries that put the score at 34 – 32 with just a few minutes left.

At this point, we finally showed a bit of resolve and managed to hang on to the ball for a while. Finally, after winning a number of tough rucks to maintain possession, St. Cloud conceded a penalty which we were able to kick out of bounds to end the game. All in all, it was a great match and a hard fought effort by both teams, and for the Pigs, a good way to start off the league campaign with a victory.

Lineup:
1. Ben Hanson 2. Luke Utting (Alan Martin) 3. Troy Midboe 4. Ryan Backman 5. Jason Naber 6. Zac Bauer 7. Mike Hankee (Captain) 8. Jake Hodgson (Joe Huberty) 9. Jason Rombalski 10. Steve King 11. Brett Carter 12. Mike Lundberg 13. Philip Wagner 14. Bill Bridgeman 15. Grant Dietrich

Scoring:
Tries: Bauer, Carter (2), Wagner, Dietrich
Conversions: Naber (3/5)
Penalties: Naber (1/2)

May 15, 2004

The Pigs travelled down to Northfield to play a match against Twin Ports in conjunction with Carleton’s alumni matches. We got off to a quick start and built up a large halftime lead. Despite some lack of concentration that allowed a bit of a Twin Ports come back late in the first and early in the second half, we regained our composure and held on for a solid victory. Special thanks to Phil and Seth from Carleton who ably manned the fullback and wing spots, as well as the two Carleton alumni (whose names escape me at the moment) who played in the front row for us.

Scoring:
Tries: Jake (2), Luke, Phil from Carleton, Jamarr, Steve, Drummond, Danny
Conversions: Naber (6/8)

May 8, 2004

It was a beautiful day for rugby, but unfortuantely not such a great result for the Pigs on this day. Some early pressure was wasted with some handling errors, followed by defensive lapses that allowed Metro to score. 3 first half tries and a penalty left the score at 24-0 at the break. The second half saw the Pigs shore up our defense and keep Metro off the board until giving up a converted try in the closing minutes of the match. We were unfortunately still unable to capitalize on any offensive opportunities, and the game finished with a 31-0 loss.

April 18, 2004

In our Sunday match against the Cleveland Rovers Saint Paul came out strong after a tough Saturday match. 5 minutes into the first half a Bill Bridgeman kick was chased down and the Rovers wing tackled into touch inside the 22. Off the ensuing lineout the Pigs pack set up a driving maul that rolled all the way into the try zone where Matt Sonnek touched down for the game’s first points and a 5-0 Pigs lead. The pressure continued, and minutes later after a series of 5 or 6 phases near the try line Mike “Muddy” Hankee took the ball off the back of the ruck, went weak, and broke a tackle to touch down for the try. Naber’s conversion was good this time, and it was a 12-0 lead to the Pigs. A defensive lapse on a wide ball then hurt us, as the Rovers swung the ball out to their wing who ran in a long try to cut the lead to 12-7. Saint Paul came right back, however, as Naber touched down and then converted his own try for a 19-7 advantage. Finally, just minutes before half time Brett Carter scored, and we went in to the break with a 24-7 lead.

The second half, unfortunately, was a different story. The Rovers made some changes in their back line and started getting a lot more good runs and scored a quick try to cut the lead to 10. A penalty soon followed, and then another converted try, and the score was tied. At this point the long travel as well as the second game in two days began to show as we tired and began missing tackles and showing a lot of defensive lapses. This eventually allowed Cleveland to run in three more tries and come out on top.

Nevertheless, it was a good weekend for the Pigs, and a step in the right direction.

Man of the Match: Ike Muringai

Lineup:
1. Troy Midboe 2. Matt Sonnek 3. Luke Utting (Chris Griffith) 4. Ike Muringai (Ben Hanson) 5. Grizzly Malchow (Mike Soucheray) 6. Zac Bauer 7. Mike Hankee (Captain) 8. Jason Naber 9. Jason Rombalski 10. Bill Bridgeman 11. JR Burgess 12. Kris McCoy (Danny Kieffer) 13. Jamarr Johnson (Jaffrey Blanks – Blood Sub) 14. Brett Carter 15. Ernest Wayde (Steve King)

Scoring:
Tries: Sonnek, Hankee, Naber, Carter
Conversions: Naber (2/4)

April 17, 2004

After a long bus ride on Friday, the Pigs took the field Saturday afternoon against a hard hitting Toledo side. The effects of the travel were apparent, as we got off to our usual slow start. Despite a number of mistakes and little offense being generated for the first 20 minutes, our defenese held firm and we kept Toledo from scoring. The scoreless deadlock was finally broken by a Jamarr Johnson try shortly before half time. Jason Naber’s conversion was good, and we took a 7-0 lead into the half.

The Pigs looked promising with some hard running to start the second half, but our finishing cost us, and we couldn’t add to the lead. Toledo then finally got going and broke through for a converted try to tie the score at 7 midway through the second half. Another converted Toledo try soon followed, and things briefly looked grim for the Pigs as we were down 14-7. We rebounded strongly however, and a try by Mike “Muddy” Hankee with Naber converting tied the score at 14. Shortly after that the referee blew the whistle for full time, and with the score tied we were headed for extra time.

It was to be two 10 minute overtime periods, no sudden death. The Pigs started strong off the kickoff and never looked back. Midway through the first overtime period a nice back line move saw the ball out to Bill Bridgeman who broke through the line before passing off to Brett Carter who touched down for the try. Naber’s conversion was again good, and the Pigs took a 21-14 lead. That was all we would need, as Toledo never really came close to scoring in the overtime, and as the final whistle blew we were moving on to play on Sunday.

Man of the Match: Zac Bauer

Lineup:
1. Troy Midboe (Ben Hanson) 2. Matt Sonnek (Danny Kieffer) 3. Luke Utting 4. Ike Muringai 5. Grizzly Malchow 6. Zac Bauer 7. Mike Hankee (Captain) 8. Jason Naber 9. Jason Rombalski 10. Bill Bridgeman 11. JR Burgess 12. Kris McCoy (Brett Carter) 13. Jamarr Johnson 14. Ernest Wayde (Steve King) 15. Grant Dietrich

Scoring:
Tries: Johnson, Hankee, Carter
Conversions: Naber (3/3)

April 10, 2004

Saturday’s match saw the Pigs take on a tough but undermanned St. Cloud State side on Easter Weekend. After spotting them a couple of players to fill out the side, the match got underway. A quick kick deep and good defensive coverage led to a penalty and a quick Pigs try through Zac Bauer. Next on the scoresheet was Jeff Zweber with a nice try in the corner off a good pass from Grant Dietrich. More tries followed for a total of seven in the first half. Both our normal goal kickers were absent from this match, however, and kicking duties fell to our trusty scrum half Ponch. Despite his most valiant efforts, however, he could convert only one of seven first half conversions. On the other hand, he was a perfect 1 for 1 on penalties.

The second half saw more of the same with 5 more tries by the Pigs. Ponch’s kicking challenge continued, as he went 1 for 5 in the second half (a nearly 50% improvement!). The defensive highlight of the game came in the second half as Ike Muringai, playing with the Carp, laid a devastating tackle on Mark Lynch running the ball off a ruck. Mark was ok, though, and everyone went home happy.

Special congrats to Nate who played his first game with the Pigs (although not exactly for the Pigs), and to Cros who scored his first 15s try.

Lineup:
No idea who played when, came in for whom, etc., so this is everyone who was there. More or less
Nate Biljan, Mike “Buca” Lundberg, Danny Kieffer, Ernest Wayde, Zac Bauer, Troy Midboe, Luke Utting, Jason “Ponch” Rombalski (Captain), Alan “Cros” Martin, Brett “Pebbles” Carter, Chris “Backseat” Griffith, Steve “Leprechaun” King, Jeff Zweber, Chris Rosenquest, Jake Hodgson, Jamarr “Jammer” Johnson, Grant “HGSM” Dietrich, Joe Huberty, Ben “Kramer” Hanson, Kris “Buckwheat” McCoy, Mike “Cole” Soucheray, Jaffrey Blanks, Grizzly Malchow, Ike Muringai, Mark Lynch. Dave Houle (IR), Jeff “Inspector” Lynch (Coach)

First Half Scoring:
Tries: Johnson, Dietrich, Zweber, Hodgson(2), Bauer, Utting
Conversions: Rombalski (1/7)
Penalty: Rombalski (1/1)
Second Half Scoring:
Tries: Johnson, Huberty, Dietrich, Martin, Kieffer
Conversions: Rombalski (1/5)

April 3, 2004

Saturday’s match in Des Moines saw the Pigs struggle to work out some early season kinks, but come together as a team later in the match and nearly pull out a win. From the opening kick off the Pigs had some good movement and advanced deep into the Des Moines end before giving up possession. From there, however, a spate of mistakes cost us dearly, as we gave up 2 quick tries due to some poor tackling and lack of defensive organization. After reqrouping, a nice move down the right sideline eventually saw Jamarr Johnson get in for the score. Des Moines soon came back with a try of their own, but Saint Paul answered shortly before half time with Grant Dietrich centering the ball and Bill Bridgeman making the conversion for a 17-12 half time deficit.

The second half saw a stronger effort and better team play from the Pigs, as we outscored Des Moines 12-10 and came up just short of the victory. Second half tries were scored by Jeff Zweber and Jake Hodgson.

Lineup:
1. Luke Utting 2. Zac Bauer (Chris Rosenquest) 3. Troy Midboe (Chris Griffith) 4. Grizzly Malchow (Ike Muringai) 5. Jason Naber 6. Joe Huberty 7. Mike Soucheray (Ben Hanson) 8. Jake Hodgson 9. Jason Rombalski(Captain) 10. Bill Bridgeman 11. David Houle (Steve King) 12. JR Burgess 13. Jamarr Johnson 14. Jeff Zweber 15. Grant Dietrich

Scoring:
Tries: Johnson, Dietrich, Zweber, Hodgson
Conversions: Bridgeman (2/4)

B-Side Match
The second match saw a strong Pigs side with a mixture of experience and new blood take the field for a shortened match and come out with the victory. We scored first through Jason Naber, who then failed to convert his own kick despite having scored directly between the posts. The second half saw us go down 7-5 before fighting back with a try from JR Burgess to retake the lead at 10 – 7. Finally, late in the match Luke Utting broke through to score a clinching try for the final 17-7 scoreline.

Scoring:
Tries: Naber, Burgess, Utting
Conversions: Naber (1/3)

October 26, 2003

Sunday’s late-season contest pitted the Pigs against a strong side in the Minnesota Stalkers. Winter is definitely on the way, as was evidenced by the strong winds and typical October temperatures at the National Sports Center in Blaine. Unlike the previous contests this season, the Pigs wasted no time getting into the try zone. The opening kickoff was taken by Mike “Buca” Lundberg. Three phases later, Jake Hodgson rumbled 40 meters for the try. Bill Bridgeman finished with the conversion. The remainder of the first half was a back-and-forth battle, but the Stalkers were able to use their superior outside speed and run in two tries for a 12-7 half time advantage.

The Pigs fought back to start the second half, and off a 5 Meter lineout prop Luke Utting broke through for a score and a tie game. The Stalkers were not about to give up, however, and much of the second half was tightly contested with almost every Pigs try answered with a try by the Stalkers. Pigs tries by JR Burgess and rookie Mike Soucheray put St. Paul ahead, but the Stalkers fought back to take a 24-22 lead midway through the second half. From that point, though, the rest of the game was dominated by the Pigs. A Bridgeman penalty took the lead back at 25-24, and then the Pigs finally started to exploit the weakness of the Stalker defense and put the nail in the coffin with a push-over try from the 5 meter line with 15 minutes left to play. Touching down on the play was Number 8 John “T*N” Glanton, in a rare appearance on the pitch by El Presidente. A second try by JR Burgess, converted by Bridgeman, closed out the scoring on the day just minutes from the final whistle.

The highlight of the day was the super-human running of Jake Hodgson. All day long, the mere prospect of the ball in his hands struck fear into the hearts of the challengers.

Lineup:
1. Chris Griffith 2. Danny Keifer 3. Ian Combs (Luke Utting) 4. Jake Hodgson 5. Ike Muringai 6. Mike Lundberg 7. Mike Soucheray 8. John Glanton 9. Jason Rombalski 10. Bill Bridgeman 11. David Houle 12. JR Burgess 13. Zach Bauer 14. John Germscheid (Brett Carter) 15. Steve King

Scoring:
Tries: Hodgson, Utting, Burgess (2), Glanton, Soucheray
Conversions: Bridgeman (2/6) Penalties: Bridgeman (1/1)

October 18, 2003

A strong fall league season came to a disappointing end this Saturday as the Pigs lost to the Bottom Feeders in St. Cloud.

The first half saw St. Paul off to our typical slow start, and the Feeders quickly had the ball in our end. Only a couple of missed St. Cloud penalty kicks at goal and some last ditch defending from the Pigs kept St. Cloud from taking an early lead. Finally, midway through the first half the Pigs seemed to wake up and put on some fine back line moves, eventually resulting in a fine try from JR Burgess. The conversion was missed, and the lead stood at 5 – 0. More good moves followed, but all were stopped short by poor passing, lack of support, lost balls in rucks, and other mishaps. Nonetheless, we went into the half with a 5-0 lead.

The second half started with more of the same – good moves by the Pigs that were killed by stupid mistakes. The mistakes finally cost us, as St. Cloud punched the ball in off a loose ball from a lineout and converted to take a 5 – 7 lead. The Pigs fought back, but again couldn’t finish, and a nice breakthrough run by the Feeders made it 5 – 14. St. Paul fought back again and camped near the St. Cloud try line, but still couldn’t punch it in. Fighting for a late score, we then gave up a final counter attack try for a final score of 5 – 19 and the first loss of the fall season.

On the bright side, despite the poor play and the loss, the Pigs won the 2003 Minnesota D-3 title over St. Cloud by virtue of our superiior number of bonus points.

Lineup:
1.Troy Midboe(Chris Griffin) 2.Matt Sonnek 3.Luke Utting 4.Jake Hodgson(Ike Muringai) 5.Ben Hanson 6.Mike Lundberg 7.Joe Huberty(Mike Soucheray) 8.Mike Hankee (captain) 9.Jason Rombalski 10.Bill Bridgeman 11.Brett Carter(Jeff Zweber) 12.Jamarr Johnson 13.JR Burgess(Ernest Wayde) 14.Steve King 15.Grant Dietrich

Scoring:
Tries: Burgess