Eagles Notch Huge Road Win in Dallas

St. Thomas and Dallas Jesuit have been playing rugby against each since 1999 and over the course of the rivalry there have been some extremely close matches.  It has always been a large task for the Eagles to travel to Dallas and find a win on Jesuit's home turf.  The Eagles were looking to do just that on Friday night when they traveled to the "Big D" for an important Cup match. 

The Eagles entered the game with a 3-0 record and were looking for a perfect start to the season. STH had one lineup change as Javier Gonzalez started at wing. Gonzalez was in the starting 15 for the first time this season as a result of soccer obligations.  The Eagles were all healthy and ready for the challenge.  The weather was dry and cold with game time temperatures hovering in the high thirties.

 

STH started the game with sustained pressure on the Rangers.  The pressure paid off when center Keon Broadnax scooped up a loose ball at the DJ 10 meter line and darted in for the score (8:12).  Keegan Mills added a penalty kick (13:40) to give the Eagles a 8-0 lead, but they squandered a number opportunities because of knock-ons and penalties.  Eddie Caballero added the next score after Brent Miles made a fantastic run off after gathering a high ball from DJ.  Caballero was in support immediately after Miles was tackled and dove over for the score (18:43), pushing the score to 13-0.

 

Buddha Chavez manhandling a Ranger

The Eagles maintained most of the possession in the 1st half and Reed Hogan smashed over for another try after a sustained effort by the forwards (26:25).  This was followed a few minutes later by a Kurt Hanson score (30:10).  Hanson took the ball off the base of the ruck with four Jesuit players hanging on him before rolling and placing the ball down, a fantastic demonstration of individual effort. The final score of the half came when Broadnax made a nice run before offloading to the fleet Gonzalez who put it away in the corner (35:36).  The Eagles went into halftime with a commanding 28-0 lead.

 

Captain Keegan Mills started the second half with a nice try after the Eagles pushed into Ranger territory after the restart.  Mills received the ball from Caballero and slid between two defenders before beating the rest of the defense to the corner from 30 meters out (35:45).  Gonzalez added his second try of the game after another long run (42:45) pushing the Eagle lead to 38-0.  However, the Eagles were not done yet - Hogan (50:20), Mills (53:25) added tries pushing the score to 50-0.  Nate Devlin who came on as a reserve for Parker White in the second half scored the last two tries (58:15, 69:40) both of which were fantastic efforts at the goal line. 

 

The final score was 62-0, moving the Eagles to 4-0 in Cup play and more importantly giving them two road wins in a row.  The Eagles play rivals Strake Jesuit this Friday (7:00 - Granger Stadium). 

 

 

Varsity II Roster for Kingwood

Here is the Varsity II roster for those players travelling to Kingwood on Saturday (03-02-13).
1. Michael Zartler
2. Andrew Scroggins
3. Will Rose
4. Glenn Cordua
5. Marek Hamilton
6. Nate Devlin
7. Daniel Clay
8. Patrick Dwyer (C)
9. Matt Richards
10. Jonathan Wall
11. Tommy Esquivel
12. Meyson Garcia
13. Brady Roth
14. Jaren Bradford
15. Nick Williams
16. Jon Morin
17. Dominique Mendietta
18. Andrew Layden
19. Patrick Blanchard
20. Josh Harris
21. Michael Walker
22. Luke George
23. Nathan Parent

Eagles Announce Lineup for Strake Jesuit Tilt

Senior Eddie Caballero

The Eagles announced their varsity lineup for their matchup against rival Strake Jesuit on Friday night.

1. Kurt Hanson Jr.

2. Chris DeAyala

3. Alejandro Chavez

4. Reed Hogan

5. Alex Snyder

6. Zach Krus

7. Payton Pardee

8. Parker White

9. Eddie Caballero

10. Keegan Mills (c)

11. Brent Miles

12. Peter Bedell

13. John Gentempo

14. Sam Milholin

15. Michael Reul

16. Andrew Scroggins

17. Will Rose

18. Nate Devlin

19. Jacob Caudell

20. Calvin Shaw

21. Pearson Garnett

22. Keon Broadnax

23. Michael Zartler

Photo Links for Dallas Jesuit

Follow the links below for pictures of Friday night's matches against Dallas Jesuit.

STH vs. Dallas Jesuit - VARSITY: http://photobucket.com/STHEaglesVarsityvDJ-022213

STH vs. Dallas Jesuit - JV:  http://photobucket.com/STHJVEaglesvDJ-022213

Rugby for a Cause Match - March 22!

The 2012 Lady Hager Cup squad

The Sixth Annual Rugby-for-a-Cause - Lady Hager Cup will be played March 22 at Granger Stadium.  The Eagles will be hosting Dallas Jesuit that evening and we hope all of our fans and supporters will join us and help us raise funds for the Pink Ribbons Project in their fight against breast cancer.  More details will be posted shortly.  

Man of the Match (Forward) - Westlake

Kurt Hanson prepares for a lineout against Westlake

The Man of the Match for the forwards in the Austin Westlake game was prop Kurt Hanson.  Kurt was a physical presence on the field.  He dominated his opponent in the scrums and was all over the field in loose play.  He also contributed some key runs off the edge that kept STH moving forward throughout the match and he scored his second try of the season.  The Eagles believe in leading by example and Kurt was a perfect example of how a forward should play - well done!

Man of the Match (Back) - Austin Westlake

Bedell rumbles along against Westlake

The Man of the Match for the backs against Austin Westlake was Peter Bedell.  Bedell came off the bench to replace an injured Keon Broadnax in the opening minutes of the match and provided a massive lift to the back division.  Peter's hard runs and line-breaks caused the Chaparrals all kind of problems throughout the night.  Peter's physicality and athleticism has been a huge addition to the Eagles lineup this season!

Video Link for Eastwood (Division II)

Below is the link for the video for the Eastwood (Division II) match.
http://youtu.be/MxlquZiayis

Eagles Get Big Win on the Road Against Westlake

The Eagles travelled to Austin to play Austin Westlake in a rematch of last year's state championship game last Friday.  Westlake is an extremely well-coached team and always a tough opponent, especially when they are at home.  Westlake was off to an amazing start this season beating both Lake Travis (7-5) and Dallas Jesuit (72-5).  All conference opponents are playing a home and away schedule this season, so a road win is always huge when it comes to conference standings. The Eagles knew they had a major challenge ahead of them, but were ready for this important cup match. 

The Chaparrals played aggressively from the onset and managed to punish the Eagles early for errors at the breakdown.  An STH penalty in their own end allowed the Westlake fullback to strike a beautiful penalty kick to put the home side up early (4:57), 3-0.  The Eagles did not wait long to respond to the challenge and after regaining possession marched the ball deep into Chaparral territory.  They were awarded a 5 meter scrum and #8 sensation Parker White smashed over for the try after taking the pick off the base (10:45).  Keegan Mills added the conversion putting the Eagles in front 7-3

Austin responded with a penalty kick (17:35) after yet another penalty by the Eagles.  The Eagles fought back in excellent fashion, moving the ball through multiple phases. Prop Alejandro "Buddha" Chavez punched over for a short try right as time expired in the first half (36:14), with Mills adding the extras, St. Thomas entered halftime with a 14-6 lead.

The second half was a massive defensive struggle with neither side gaining much advantage.  Both teams missed shots at goal, before the Eagles managed to get a long break by wing Javier Gonzalez down the sideline.  Gonzalez was caught before he could score, but a quick recycle by the STH allowed hooker Chris DeAyala to dive over for a try (61:20).  Mills added the conversion and with less the nine minutes left in the match, the Eagles held a 21-6 lead.  However, they made a number of poor tactical decisions over the next couple of minutes that almost allowed the Chaparrals back into the game.  An ill-advised quick tap that was turned over, a kick to touch that missed, missed tackles, and penalties ended with Austin's scrumhalf Brown  scrambling for a late try (68:46).  Although they added the conversion, it was too little, too late for the Chaparrals as the St. Thomas Eagles headed back to Houston with a 21-13 victory.

Eagles's front-row prepares to engage.

The win moved the Eagles to 3-0 in conference play and gave the squad a great win on the road against an extremely tough opponent.  Congratulations to Men of the Match, Kurt Hanson Jr. (forward) and Peter Bedell (back).  This was an extremely good win for the Eagles!

Man of the Match (Forward) - Katy

Alex Snyder running over the competition

The Man of the Match for the forwards in the Katy game was Alex Snyder.  Alex, a three-year starter, was a physical presence on the field against the Barbarians.  He played extremely physical defense and dominated at the breakdown.  In addition, Alex managed to score a great try off a rumbling run.  Outstanding match - well done Alex! 

Man of the Match (Back) - Katy

Gentempo with the ball

The Man of the Match for the backs in the Katy match was John Gentempo.  John scored two tries on the night and played exceptional defense as well.  He is off to a fantastic start in his first year as a varsity starter and continues to grow each game - great work John!

Eagles Smash Katy 60-0

The Eagles faced off against their old foe, the Katy Barbarians on Friday, Feb. 8 at Granger Stadium.  Katy was the second club opponent in a row to face the Eagles during the early 2013 season.  Over the years STH and Katy have had numerous spirited matches, however, with the exception of one game in the series, the Eagles came out on top every time.  Fortunately for the Eagles, this game kept that tradition rolling along by winning big, 60-0.

The Eagles scored 46 seconds into the match after a pick off the base by Parker White at a 10 meter scrum. White got corralled and offloaded to Eddie Caballero who dove over for his first score of the season (:46).  After a period of sustained pressure, lock Reed Hogan added another try (10:46) when he marched in from 10 meters out off the back of a ruck.  Mills hit both conversions and the score was an early 14-0.

Man of the Match Alex Snyder

The forwards continued to dominate Katy when prop Kurt Hanson punched his way over the try line for a score (15:18).  Mills added a penalty kick (17:40) and the Eagles moved in front 22-0.  Despite the scoreline, it was a bit of a sluggish first half for STH.  The match was chippy throughout and St. Thomas was thrown off their game throughout much of the first stanza.  They gained some momentum toward the end of the half when wing Sam Milhollin took a cutout pass from Mills in for a score (28:15).  The Eagles ended the half with a 40 meter try by #8 Parker White, who took a pass from Milhollin the distance (34:15).  White has been devastating on offense so far this season and creates a great deal of problems for the opposition when he starts a run.  The Eagles went into the half with a comfortable 33-0 lead.

Keegan Mills started off the second half with a penalty kick (41:20) and center John Gentempo scored the first of his two tries (50:10).  His second came roughly two minutes later when Mills took a quick tap, darting upfield before offloading to Gentempo who then took it the rest of the way for the score.  This was followed by another Mills penalty kick (54:08) and a brilliant try by lock Alex Snyder.  Snyder made a thundering 30 meter run through the heart of the Katy defense before touching down for the score (56:30).  Mills capped off another big day with a 32 meter drop goal (61:10), slotted right down the middle.  He ended the match with a total of 20 points and 2 assists.  With that, the Eagles walked away with a 60-0 victory.

Alex Snyder was named the Man of the Match for the forwards after putting in a tremendous effort on the night and John Gentempo was named the Man of the Match for the backs.  Both of these players had fantastic games and were well-deserving of the honor!  Congratulations to all the Eagles on their hard-work and great play - great victory!

 

Scoring Summary (02-21-13)

Varsity Rugby Scoring Summary 2013
Player			Tries	Conv.	PK	DG	Assists	Total
Keegan Mills			0	8	8	1	3	43
Parker White			4	0	0	0	1	20
John Gentempo			2	0	0	0	0	10
Jaren Bradford			1	0	0	0	0	5
Eddie Caballero			1	0	0	0	1	5
Alejandro Chavez			1	0	0	0	0	5
Chris DeAyala			1	0	0	0	0	5
Kurt Hanson			1	0	0	0	0	5
Reed Hogan			1	0	0	0	0	5
Sam Milhollin			1	0	0	0	0	5
Alex Snyder			1	0	0	0	0	5
Totals			14	8	8	1	5	113

Mills Makes Eagle History Second Week in a Row

Senior STH Rugby Captain Keegan Mills

Senior captain Keegan Mills wrote his name in the record books for the second week in a row.  Against the Woodlands Mills broke the single game record for penalty kicks (5) and against Katy, he became the second player in St. Thomas and Texas High School history to hit a drop goal in a match.  He joins his brother, Conor Mills (who finished his STH career with 10 DGs) as the only players to hit drop goals during a match.  Congratulations to Keegan for these fantastic accomplishments!

Man of the Match (Back) - Woodlands

The Man of the Match for the backs in the Woodlands match was team captain Keegan Mills.  Keegan scored 17 points in the match and broke a school record with five penalty kicks.  His out-of-hand kicking was superb all night, pinning the Woodlands deep in their own territory with a number of booming kicks.  He also did a magnificent job of running the offense and keeping the Woodlands off-balance throughout the evening.  Congratulations Keegan!

Man of the Match (Forward) - Woodlands

The Man of the Match for the forwards in the Woodlands match was senior Parker White.  White picked up where he left off last season when he had prodigious offensive production.  Parker scored two tries against the Woodlands.  His second try was a highlight reel score as he dodged in-and-out of Woodland defenders before scoring from 35 meters out.  White also dominated defensively and was very strong on the restarts.  Opponents are going to be depressed as Parker has entered his senior year bigger, stronger, and faster then last year which spells trouble for them all! 

JV Roster for Dallas Jesuit (02-22-13)

1. Dominique Mendietta
2. William Doheny
3. Joseph Minnis
4. Kyle Walker
5. Charlie Vatterott
6. A. Tran
7. George Michael
8. Christopher Reul
9. Nathan Parent
10. Josh Harris
11. Ethan Battaglini
12. Ben Neukomm
13. Dennis Duffy
14. Derek Allen
15.Richard Roetzel
16. Peter Scamardo
17. John Jack Varcados
18. Daminh Tran
19. Jake Duron
20. Jeffrey Landreneau
21. Seth Beavers
22. Blake Steele
23. Michael Blanchard
24. Cameron Hall
25. Stephen Cardenas
26. Joseph Conti
27. Joshua Kitziger

D-2 Roster v. Eastwood Academy (02-21-13)

1. Michael Zartler
2. Andrew Scroggins
3. Will Rose
4. Glenn Cordua
5. Marek Hamilton
6. Nate Devlin
7. Daniel Clay
8. Patrick Dwyer (C)
9. Matt Richards
10. Jonathan Wall
11. Tommy Esquivel
12. Jake Helmberg
13. Brady Roth
14. Jaren Bradford
15. Nick Williams
16. Jon Morin
17. Dominique Mendietta
18. Michael Slaughter
19. Andrew Layden
20. Patrick Blanchard
21. Michael Walker
22. Luke George
23. Nathan Parent
24. Josh Harris

Eagles Announce Travel Squad for Jesuit

The following individuals will be traveling to Dallas on Friday for the varsity match against Dallas Jesuit.
1.  Kurt Hanson
2.  Chris DeAyala
3.  Alejandro Chavez
4.  Reed Hogan
5.  Alex Snyder
6.  Zach Kruz
7.  Payton Pardee
8.  Parker White
9.  Eduardo Caballero
10.  Keegan Mills (c)
11.  Brent Miles
12.  Keon Broadnax
13.  John Gentempo
14.  Javier Gonzalez
15.  Michael Reul
16.  Andrew Scroggins
17.  Nate Devlin
18.  Peter Bedell
19.  Jacob Caudell
20.  Matt Richards
21.  Jaren Bradford
22.  Sam Milhollin
23.  Michael Zartler
(Brady Roth will also be travelling with the varsity squad)

Eagles Dominate Woodlands at BBVA

Woodlands players smashing Keegan Mills after a kick

The Eagles had a big night last Friday when they hosted The Woodlands at BBVA Compass Stadium in a Cup Match. STH had a rare and unique opportunity to play in a professional stadium for their season opener. The match against The Woodlands was held after the final Day 1 matches of the IRB Womens Houston 7s event. The Eagles took advantage of their opportunity by forging a 32-17 victory.

Due to a league restructure last spring, clubs and school teams have been brought back together in the same conference. While this move disappointed many in the school rugby community, it did provide STH with an opportunity to play a long-time opponent in The Woodlands. The Woodlands were the defending state club champions and the match promised to be an exciting and challenging affair.

The venue also provided the Eagles with some challenges. The match did not start until 8:45 on Friday evening and both sides received (despite protest) about eight minutes to warm-up before the start of this important game.   The referee for the match was long-time Texas Referee Society veteran Greg Varnell.

The Eagles got off to a very poor start when The Woodlands took the opening kickoff, worked it wide and scored under the posts (:50).  Poor kickoff coverage was responsible for allowing the try, which could be partly attributed to the short warm-up.  However, the Eagles quickly recovered and the forwards began to assert a dominance that lasted throughout the game.  STH got an opportunity for a penalty kick (6:42) which Captain Keegan Mills slotted.  Mills followed with another penalty kick (13:49) a short time later, bringing the score to 7-6. 

Parker White smashed over the try line off a 5 meter scrum (20:52), and Mills hit the conversion for the Eagles first lead, 13-7 of the match.  Mills added to the lead with his third penalty kick of the night (24:48) and it appeared that STH was getting ready to run away with the match as the score moved to 16-7.  However, St. Thomas lost its concentration right before the half and misplayed the ensuing kickoff.  The Woodlands gathered the ball and despite a ferocious goal line stand by the Eagles managed to punch in a try (28:01).  The Eagles managed to get out of the half with a 16-12 lead.

The Eagles struck first blood in the second half when Mills smashed another penalty kick (34:20).  St. Thomas refused to yield pressure and momentum and after spending a great deal of time in The Woodlands half of the field, reserve Jaren Bradford scored the second try of the night from 1 meter out (42:00).  The Eagle forwards kept their pressure on their opponents and force yet another penalty which resulted in Mills's fifth penalty kick of the night (37:48), moving the Eagles into a comfortable 27-12 lead.  Mills's five penalty kicks set a new school record, breaking the previous record of four held jointly by Conor Mills and Sebastian Gracia.

St. Thomas suffered another mental error right before the end of the match on defense which allowed The Woodlands winger to score in the corner (54:08).  They managed to respond properly however, when Parker White made the play of the game with a rumbling 35 meter run off the base of the scrum for a spectacular score (58:48).  The Eagles went to 1-0 in Cup play with a 32-17 final score over The Woodlands.  This was a fantastic effort by the defending state champions as they overcame a number of distractions.  A great start to the 2012 season!
 

Photo Link for Woodlands Match

Click on the link below to view pictures of the STH v. Woodlands match at BBVA Stadium:
http://photobucket.com/STHEAGLESvWoodlands-020113