Volume CXXXIII, Number 5 October 12, 2001 f

Men's ruggers bury Orono and Farmington
HUGH HILL
STAFF WRITER

The last two Saturdays have seen two monumental victories for the lads of Bowdoin's premiere club sport: men's rugby. They continued their championship season with dual destructions of the University of Maine-Orono and the University of Maine-Farmington.

Tim Yanni-Lazarus and Nat Wolf. (Karsten Moran, Bowdoin Orient)

Offensive mastermind and head coach Rick Scala encapsulated the team's successes, saying, "This is the best rugby team I have seen in years. They may be small, but they hit harder, play harder, and are a hell of a lot tougher than any other team in the league. It is my greatest pleasure to watch these boys obliterate the competition."

Scala was not alone in his praise for the team. Senior Torry Lidell, whose rough style of play can be traced to a youth misspent in NYC's toughest neighborhoods, offered some keen insights into the team's recent victories. "We were worried about Orono; they beat us last year and are always a physically huge team," he said. "In the end, our fine-tuned discipline prevailed. They might've been big, but they couldn't have organized a little girl's tea party.

"As for Farmington, well, they came out strong and with a lot of heart," Lidell continued. "However, we ran over them with our superior skills, consequentially breaking their hearts."

The morning of the Orono game was sunny, cool and crisp, but the ruggers barely even noticed the weather. Their pure and simple determination for victory was evident with the first hit of the game. Juniors Tim Yanni-Lazuras and Dave McDonald made their presence felt with powerful and effective rucking that guaranteed black possession of the ball.

The real power in the front was the dynamic duo of pack captain Billy Soares '02 and Kris Bosse '02. "For those first few minutes of the game, I just wasn't playing at my usual level. I felt really boxed in, you know like someone padlocked me in a dark room," Bosse said. "Then suddenly I exploded. It felt like I'd broken out of a box and I laid waste."

His sentiments were echoed by fellow forward Ryan "Goat" Brawn '03. The Goat was similarly tentative in the opening minutes, seeming to toy with the opposition. "Yes, I was initially just playing with them, but when they started to get feisty, I knew I had to lock them down," he said. "I mean, they couldn't go anywhere. It really made them mad. I'm glad they don't know where I live."

Under the leadership of club president Rob "Capt. Brownstar" Mandle '02, the back row was unstoppable. Sophomore Ryan Chisholm joined Capt. Brownstar in smearing many an Orono back, much to the horror of the Orono coaching staff (whose constant whining and complaining annoyed both friend and foe alike).

The real hero in the back was junior Dennis "Stumpy" Kiley. Despite suffering several cracked ribs and other, unmentionably hideous traumas, Kiley provided the key stamina in bringing the final score to a climactic 35-10.

Game conditions at Farmington were the exact opposite of those in the Orono match. Instead of the pristine serenity of Pickard Field, renowned throughout the New England Rugby Football Union for its amazing beauty and history, the boys in black were forced to slog it out in the rain and mud down by the rivers of Farmington. In the brutal struggle that ensued, only the strong survived.

A small but scrappy team, Farmington came out incredibly hard. Yet the lads of Bowdoin quickly adjusted. Senior fast forward Aryeh "Flabio" Jasper intimidated the Farmington pack in those crucial first few minutes. Saying that he had "missed breakfast," Flabio managed to rip a leg off the Farmington scrum-half and devour it on field. This gruesome display of manly prowess caused consternation amongst many, especially in light of Flabio's recent censure for his infamous and lethal "belly-flop block."

Junior Dave Kirkland also delivered some strong hits. Kirk, who has been known to have trouble identifying friend from foe, directed his fire at the opposing team with devastating results.

When asked on Saturday night about his play earlier that day, he explained the source of his fire. "On the first hit, someone tried to sit on my head. No one is allowed to try and sit on my face. So I got my revenge and they paid," he said.
Senior back captain Jason "Denunzio" Pietrafitta, who dominated much of the backfield play, described the game in the back. "The moist weather conditions led to sloppy ball handling, but we were able to stick with it and finished off strong," he said. "We have the ability to endure and go the distance, so while other teams finish with a whimper, we finish with a bang."

Senior golden boy Michael "Doza" Carlson stepped up to fill the critically-injured Kiley's shoes. Famed for his ability to play for the crowd, Doza ran into the try-zone numerous times, and was later heard to exclaim that this game was "more fun than the Coleman common-room." Though his meaning was unclear, Doza's game was definitely at its peak.

A sterling performance was delivered by rookie scrum half Tom Hazel '05. Utilizing his pasty white complexion, Hazel actually managed to blind the opposing team, allowing some amazing tries to be scored. The boys in black finished with a 36-12 victory.

This weekend, Bowdoin faces the lads of Bates. Many Bowdoin ruggers are eager for what looks to be another step on their road to the championship. However, Bates is a physical team, and should not be discounted. Pickard Field is sure to be the scene of an intense and brutal struggle.

The words of head coach Scala capture it best. "I've told these guys that we can be the national champions if we want to," he said. "We have that level of skill. I think we want it."

So bring your folks out behind Farley tomorrow. Not only will you see the Denunzio Family's fleet of armored limousines specially flown in from Sicily, but you'll also witness another victory in rugby's championship season. Go Black!