Volume CXXXIII, Number 6 October 19, 2001 f

Undefeated rugby ready for New England Championships
HUGH HILL
STAFF WRITER

The Bowdoin Rugby Football Club is ready for the New England championship. After trouncing the ill-prepared Bates Bobcats 58-5, the boys in black are looking forward to a victory over Colby this Saturday to seal the division title.

Senior Jason "Denunzio" Pietraffita evades a pack of Bates players. (Colin LeCroy, Bowdoin Orient)

The game, which promises to be a titanic struggle between the sterile White Mules and the Polar Bear Champions, will be another step on the road to the national title.

Assistant coach Richard Hyde, ecstatic over the team's chances for success, described the growth of this championship squad. "When we first came out in the beginning of the year, we had a team with a lot talent and ability" he said. "They just needed discipline. We had to crack a few heads to get them in line; my shillelagh definitely had to be used a couple of times on the more recalcitrant ones.

"But now we've the got the discipline and unity we need," he said. "These boys are going to go all the way to the top."

Back captain Jason "Denunzio" Pietrafitta '02 elaborated on Hyde's statement. "We've become a really tight, disciplined group. Everyone from our seniors to our rookies has come together to be the best rugby team in New England," he said.

"Our strength is our unity. I have a Family back in Sicily; but I can say that my Family here with the rugby team is just as close, and a hell of a lot tougher."

The familial nature of the team has been bolstered this week by the presence of many rugby alumni, who traveled all the way to Maine to witness the team's breathtaking success.

Last weekend's smearing of Bates added another laurel to the rugby championship crown. The game, played in front of a capacity crowd at the Pickard Field Rugby Stadium Complex, was a textbook example of how rugby ought to be played.

Captain Brown Star himself. (Colin LeCroy, Bowdoin Orient)

The forwards, under the excellent stewardship of forward captain Billy "Yes Lily" Soares, immediately established their mastery of the Bates pack.
Nathaniel "Crabs" Wolfe teamed up with team hooker Tim "Yanni" Lazarus to knock the Bates lads off their feet. This diminutive duo caused one spectator to comment, "Size really doesn't matter," which many Bates players mistook for encouragement.

Yanni and Crabs were not the only forwards to make their presence felt. Shane O'Neil '02, who played an amazingly hard game, was a serious force to be reckoned with. O'Neil said his sudden burst of motivation was due to "a screaming leprechaun named Rory who threatened to beat me if I didn't run harder."

Whatever that means, Shane definitely taught the Bobcats the meaning of the word respect. Additionally, fast forward Aryeh "Flabio" Jasper struck fear into the hearts of many a Bobcat when he crushed two of their players to death while diving over a ruck.

The backrow sealed Bates' doom. Tory Lidell '02, Bowdoin's most sought-after bachelor, delivered a sterling performance at fullback, effectively neutralizing any Bates kick. Club president Rob "Capt. Brown Star" Mandle left skid marks all over the Bobcat back line as he hammered home try after try.

Despite the questionable referee calls later in the game, the lads of Bowdoin never let up. Sophomore Antonio "Focus" Avacedo delivered some excellent tries later in the game. Focus, who was heard to comment that "their wing is my [female dog]" during play, had some dazzling jukes and fakes that thoroughly demoralized the Bobcats left standing.

"We came out and played the type of rugby that pros play," offensive mastermind and head coach Rick Scala said. "If we play this way next week, Colby will fall like a sack of beans. We're going to the championship. Now let's get some milkshakes."

On the injury front, doctors have given junior Dennis "Adonis" Kiley the green light to play this weekend. After sustaining a potentially cracked rib, Kiley is filled with great optimism for this weekend. "I am going to run it in and score as many times as possible," he said. "Now that I'm 100 percent, I am going to score like no one has ever seen before."

In other injury news, team panegyrist Hugh "Hank" Hill has been released from the Maine Medical ICU. He thanks the Maine Medical nursing staff for its "excellent physical therapy" and looks forward to a speedy recovery.

In closing, the words of Mikey Balulescu '03 capture it best. "We've clawed our way to the top this year," he said. "We're not the biggest and definitely not the prettiest, but we work harder and want it more than any team out there.
"Everyone should come up to Colby and watch us destroy them. Hell, I'd pick the polar bear over a mule in a fight any day. We're going to claw them to pieces," he added.

So make the trek up to the Colby Junior College in Waterville tomorrow and watch Bowdoin Men's Rugby advance to the New England tournament. Go Black!