By Dave Wheelock
Tech Rugby Coach
After advancing to the Western Rugby Union Collegiate Division Two playoffs with a 34-17 win over New Mexico State University on February 20, the Pygmies were comprehensively beaten 64-7 by Colorado School of Mines the following Saturday in Denver. With wintry Colorado weather forcing three changes in match location and kickoff time, the Tech team was fortunate to return safely to Socorro in time to prepare for Monday classes.
Tech had hoped to compensate for weaknesses in their eight-man forward pack with the superior back play which had been their hallmark since the autumn 2009 season. Absent from the scrum through injury or prior commitments were captain Jerod Aragon, veteran flanker Marcus Chavez, and hooker Blaine Trujillo. Added to the December graduations of scrum captain Bart Hegarty and Matt Kretz, hopes of containing CSM's big and athletic pack proved futile.
Tech's best run of play came in the minutes before halftime, when they scored their only try and were disappointed on two occasions when finishing passes went astray. The try came when scrumhalf Dustin Webb ran from a scrum, drew a defender and passed to fly half Royce Beaudry, who advanced the ball before finding Isaiah Sanchez running into a gap. Sanchez scored and Webb tacked on the extra two points. Webb was recognized as Tech's Man of the Match.
New Mexico Tech will challenge University of New Mexico at home on March 6.
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