On Saturday, Oct. 12, Winona State University’s rugby team took on the University of St. Thomas, losing 5-57. Two hours away from home, the game was held at Afton Heights Park in Maplewood, Minnesota. It was a tough matchup, but the Dogg’s put forth all their effort despite taking a hard loss.
The first quarter of the game was fierce as both teams fought tooth and nail. It was a very fast-paced and active game. St. Thomas scored several tries, but contrary to what one might expect, the Winona State Dogg’s had not lost a single scrum in the first quarter.
The scrum was a particular strength for Winona State in the first quarter, with Jared “Chewy” Sanchez, Jenaro “JD” Delgado, Parker “Minor” Buth, Noah Poston, Jorvik Jensen, Cade Illg, and Parker “Major” Dallek were key players, putting up some of the toughest plays seen on the field. They all displayed their impressive strength, tactical prowess, and coordination.
Besides the scrums, Winona had been well prepared and practiced for every kick executed by St. Thomas during the match. Their diligent preparation paid off as they successfully caught every kick without fail, demonstrating Winona State’s attentiveness on the field.
Of course, alongside the Dogg’s accomplishments, certain aspects of the game needed some improvement.
“The most challenging thing as a forward today was how much we hesitated getting the ball out,” fourth year Illg said. “We were catching the ball at the line, so we couldn’t really drive, and we were flat-footed.”
As the first quarter ended, several players faced injuries. Two of the players, Connor Long and Kenneth Goroztieta Gama, suffered from big hits which led to Aiden Luhmann and Lincoln Brandt taking their places.
“In rugby, it is important for players to trust their teammates to make a tackle and to stay focused on the man marked,” third year Kenneth Goroztieta Gama said. “Tackle after tackle will eventually toss people out of position if we’re not careful.”
During the second quarter, the Winona State Doggs continued doing their best against St. Thomas. The referee, otherwise known as “Sir,” was majorly involved in the game, being one of the fairest they have seen all season. She called every high tackle, monitoring closely to ensure that both teams maintained fair play.
Still, players continued taking hard hits. Chris Hopper subbed in for Gage Larsen after getting injured on the field. As a result, positions were changed as Joe Ryan replaced Larsen, and Hopper took Ryan’s previous position. Major twisted his ankle, and Ethan Greene was subbed in for the remainder of the game.
One of the highlights of the second quarter was soon after a scrum that was won by Winona State. With a combination of precise passing, the Dogg’s executed a flawless try by Diego Ramierez. Especially since it was clean off the scrum, Minor had offloaded to Joe. Soon after, Joe offloaded to Ramierez, putting points on the board.
While the game was a bittersweet loss for Winona State, they still managed to gain a few points against St. Thomas. After the game, rugby alumni provided food for the team, ending the game on a good note.
“We had a lot of alumni watching today, two of which were founders,” Illg said. “Win or loss, I just wanted to show them I was giving it my all.”
The last game of the fall season is set against St. John’s University at Collegeville, Minnesota. Winona State Doggs will continue to put forth their best effort.
