Alumni Rugby Football

Undergrad Updates

(Most Recent Posting Listed First)

July 30, 2008

Fall 2008 Schedule

Sept 6 - Scrimmage @ Canisius
Sept 13 - SBU @ Hobart College
Sept 20 - Niagara @ SBU (Family Weekend)
Sept 28 (Sunday) - SBU @ U of Rochester
Oct 4 - SBU @ Fredonia
Oct 11 - Geneseo @ SBU
Oct 18 - Buffalo State @ SBU

October 11, 2007

SBU Outlaws Rank #16 in National Poll

The St. Bonaventure Outlaws are ranked 16th in this week's Division II poll from Goffonrugby.com: http://www.erugbynews.com/article.php?sec=475&a=1373

 Link Requires Subscription

October 10, 2007 - The latest DII men's college top 20 shows few changes at the very top. But Missouri does shoot up thanks to Dan Besmer, Scott Smuth and DJ Stanger as they scored the tries, whiloe Jeff Rehder hit the kicks that beat a very strong DI Nebraska team.

Mizzou are undersized but they used speed and fitness to win and did a smart job of finding weaknesses in their opponents.

Arkansas State stays on top after beating #12 Ole Miss 60-0. Darrin Oliver led the scoring parade with three tries and Tommy Parrish got two in the rout. They take on Albright this weekend.

In the West the teams to watch out for are Northern Colorado, who put a nice scare into Colorado State, and Regis, who, led by the Seigel brothers Tyler and Derek. The former Jesuit High stars are starting to score tries and helping put together some nice games.

Further down, Utah Valley didn't play at the Snake Bite and Utah State were just OK. Not enough when St. Bonaventure is beating up on everyone in New York. Bonny's moves in.

Ohio wins yet again, this time over Michigan. Radford won, but coach Mick Turk just shook his head and had one word for the game "ugly." He just said it 14 times.

And Baylor is coming up again. They won Cowtown (tying one game and winning three). They were in four very close games, but they won, and that counts for something.

October 10 Men's DII Top 20  

1 Arkansas State 4-0 (1)  60-0 over Ole Miss. Just speeding by people now.

2 Coast Guard Academy 4-0 (2) 24-5 over Bentley

3 Salisbury University 6-0 (3) Forfeit over George Mason

4 Albright College 8-2 (4)  45-0 over Drexel

5 Northern Colorado 2-4 (6) Still making it tough on themselves. Lost 40-33 to ranked DI Colorado State

6 University of Missouri-Columbia 5-0 (11)  Well, they beat Nebraska. Now do we believe? 25-14 over the Huskers.

7 Ohio University 5-0 (9) 31-13 over Michigan

8 Middlebury 4-0 (5) 54-13 over UMass

9 Colorado School of Mines 4-3 (7) Won again.

10 Maine-Orono 4-0 (8) 46-5 over Maine-Farmington

11 Radford 4-1 (10)  22-17 over Richmond

12 Bentley 3-0 (14) Lost 24-5 to Coast Guard, which isn't bad, but you've got tot think they wanted better.

13 Vassar 4-0 (13) 62-5 over Sacred Heart.

14 Baylor 5-2-1 (16)  Won the Cowtown tournament and if you wanted to be pessimistic you'd say that all the games were really close. Still, they did well.

15 Ole Miss 2-1 (12) Lost 60-0 to Arkansas State, so have a ways to go yet.

16 St. Bonaventure 6-0 (Unranked) Yes they are toiling away there in Western New York, but they have not had anyone even come close to them so far this season.

17 Texas State 4-5 (15)  Mixed sides at Cowtown, but weren't overwhelmingly happy with the results.

18 UW-Madison 4-1 (17)  42- 14 over UW-Lacrosse

19 UW-Stout 3-0-1 (18) 17-13 over UW-Whitewater

20 Regis 1-1 (19) Rookies got a good run against Air Force Cs

 Coach Clarence Picard adds:

This is great recognition for all the hard work the boys have put in.  Now we have to go out and prove we belong to be listed with so many national powerhouses.

 Cheers,

 Clarence

Fall 2007 Season Game Recaps - Most Recent Game First

10/6 Backline puts it all together; Outlaws thrash U. of R.

In their cleanest played outing of the season, St. Bonaventure (6-0) touched down 11 times and played stifling defense to blank University of Rochester 67-0.  Powerful 8 Pat Harnisch and mercurial 11 Darren Kmicinski each scored four tries with Craig Chatfield, Matt Finney and Charlie Specht adding singles.

Like they have done all year, Harnisch and the forward pack got the Outlaws going early.  Led by flankers Tom Conley and Nick Maurer and hooker Chris Grys, the SBU defense quickly turned over the opening kickoff and moved their way deep into Rochester territory.  Harnisch took the ball from the base of a ruck and was better than the three defenders – and goal post – that were in his path to the try zone.

Determined to play smooth, forward oriented rugby, another strong series of Outlaw forward play allowed the backs to move the ball wide with ample space for outside center Specht to score his second try of the year 14 minutes in.

A determined side, Rochester (2-2) was able to stop several waves of SBU attack for the next 10 minutes but eventually their line broke and the Outlaws ran all over the visitors, scoring 3 tries in four minutes and seven in the next 25.

On a five-meter attacking scrum, St. Bonaventure nicely executed a tricky set play when Harnisch took the second of a double switch from inside center Will Atkinson and broke a tackle for his second try.

Shortly following the ensuing kickoff, Atkinson took a switch from fly half Chatfield at midfield before making a 20-meter line break.  Atkinson was able to hold off a tackle long enough to offload to Chatfield who chipped behind the Rochester defense and outraced their fullback for a spectacular diving try.  Kmicinski converted for the 22-0 lead 25 minutes in.

Having found the Rochester weakness of fielding kicks, the Outlaw backline continued to attack.  Atkinson kicked deep into U of R territory with Specht and Gabe Martinez chasing.  The pressure led to a turnover when a hard charging Grys offloaded in a tackle to give Harnisch an easy 15-meter run for the score and a hat trick.

Another classy backline moved ended the first 40’s scoring when a fake switch sucked the Rochester defense in tight enough to allow fullback Mike Hanrahan to burst through the line and run untouched for 40 meters before passing wide to give Kmicinski an easy score.

In the second half, the Outlaw point-a-minute attack continued immediately when Harnisch passed up his fourth try by flipping wide to give Kmicinski his second try.

The eight-man’s selflessness paid off two minutes later when he scooped up a loose ball inside his own half, chipped over the Rochester defense à la All Black great Zinzan Brooke and galloped in for his 13^th score of the year.

Sophomore utility forward Mark Hanna, playing no. 8 in place of Harnisch, showed the position is in good hands for the future when he stole a lineout and charged ahead for dozens of hard-earned meters.  The ball eventually moved wide to the centers when Specht split a pair of defenders and threw a jumping pass to Kmicinski for the hat trick and a 53-0 lead at the 48 minute mark.

Past St. Bonaventure teams may have tried to get cheeky with such a dominating lead but these Outlaws’ disciplined play is what has allowed them to suffocate opponents thoroughly.

When a loose ball rolled out of a ruck to scrum half Matt Finney, the junior coolly moved the ball wide where Kmicinski took the ball at full pace along the touchline 60 meters out.  The flying winger was undeterred by a pair of body checking defenders who bounced off him on his way to a try and conversion to finish his 26 point match.

To finish the scoring, Finney – having moved to wing from scrum half in favor of senior Mike Gallagher – chased down a Gabe Martinez kick for his first try of the year.  Chatfield converted the score to give SBU 67 points in just 61 minutes of play.

In other league news, Fredonia (2-2-1) drew with Buffalo State (1-2-1) 5-5.

The Outlaws are off this weekend before taking on South Buffalo RFC in Buffalo on Oct. 20.  SBRFC (4-1) is currently in 2^nd place in NYS Men’s Division III and features Dan Hager ’05 at eight-man and Adam Deisinger ’07 at center.

SBU will play in the Division II State Finals on Oct. 27 at a site to be named shortly.  Colgate leads the Eastern Division with 4-0 record.

Man of the Match

Craig Chatfield must be mentioned for being the only man to play all of the season’s 400 minutes and orchestrating the backline – and of course Harnisch’s 45 minutes were all you could ask for and more – but Darren Kmicinski deserves the award for his four try, 26 point haul.

Scoring

Tries – Harnisch (4), Kmicinski (4), Chatfield, Finney, Specht

Conversions –Kmicinski 3-7, Chatfield 3-4

Lineup

15 Mike Hanrahan (Mike Gallagher @ 60)

14 Gabe Martinez

13 Charlie Specht

12 Will Atkinson

11 Darren Kmicinski (Ben Kirnie @ 56)

10 Craig Chatfield

9 Tom Theurkauf (Matt Finney @ 40)

8 Pat Harnisch (Aaron Lilga @ 45)

7 Nick Maurer

6 Tom Conley

5 Pat Monreal (Mark Hanna @ 40)

4 Zibi Pawlowski

3 JT Sheehan (Jim Welles @ 60)

2 Chris Grys (Brian Kelly @ 40)

1 Jason Wolfe

9/29: Outlaws Top Buff. St.; Clinch Division Championship   

 In front of a large Family Weekend crowd, St. Bonaventure controlled Buffalo State 53-7 in an exciting but sloppy affair.

 Pat Harnisch led the Outlaws (5-0) with a hat trick of tries while wings Gabe Martinez and Darren Kmicinski picked up a pair each.  The deep trio of Martinez, Kmicinski and fullback Mike Hanrahan accounted for 33 of 53 Outlaw points.

 As they have all season, the Outlaws got off to a quick start when Harnisch took an 8-Man pick from 15-meters out and couldn’t be stopped by the Mad Dog flanker, scrum half or fullback.

 After the forward pack dominated the score sheet last week, the backline was determined to pull their weight this week.  After a won lineout, Harnisch moved the ball wide to fly half Craig Chatfield who sent the ball wide to outside center Charlie Specht.  Specht adeptly sucked in the BSC defense before offloading to Kmicinski for the final sprint to the try zone.  The speedy winger’s second conversion put SBU up 14-0.

 Just minutes later, Will Atkinson made the play of the game when he scored a 55-meter solo try by running great angles and using his speed to split their fullback and weakside wing.

 Firmly in control with just 13 minutes off the clock, the Outlaws lost their focus for the next 25 minutes.  Mishandling the kickoff following Atkinson’s try, Buff. St. (1-2) used their beefy forward pack to batter the Outlaw defense.  After five minutes of constant pressure, the Mad Dogs broke the line for a hard earned try.  To literally add injury to insult, flanker Bob Owens broke his hand on the play.

 Buff. St. continued to pressure the Outlaws for the remainder of the half until the 40 minute mark.  Hooker Chris Grys turned over the ball in a maul and scrum half Matt Finney moved it to the backs.  The ball moved wide and Martinez dashed in for the try at the final whistle with SBU leading 26-7.

 After a fiery half time speech from Harnisch, the senior captain provided the spark to finally put BSC away.  After a deep kick off by the Outlaws, Buff. St. ended up with a 5-meter scrum deep in their territory.  The powerful St. Bona scrum drove over the ball with Harnisch touching down the turned over ball.  Just nine minutes later Harnisch finished off another phase when he joined the backline to outrun the Mad Dog defense and put them out of reach at 36-7.

 By scoring his second try minutes later, Kmicinski was able to keep his team scoring lead with 52 points from six tries and 11 conversions.  Harnisch trails with 45 points but now has nine tries.

 Fullback Mike Hanrahan added his first try when he joined the line off a 5-meter scrum.  Martinez finished the scoring when a smart pop kick at the 50 found space behind the Buffalo State defense.  Martinez recovered his kick, broke a tackle and beat a last ditch scramble by the Mad Dogs for his second try, tying him with Atkinson for four on the year.

 The B-Side continued to show promise as they dominated several scrums, led by the solid front row of Jim Welles, Brian Kelly and Al Lilga.  Freshman Nick Maurer continues to impress at flanker for the A and B-sides.  Freshmen speedsters Jared Vos and Drew Serrato made impressive long runs but BSC collapsed a defensive 5-meter scrum that could have led to an Outlaw try as time expired.

 In other league news, Le Moyne (2-3) snuck past University of Rochester (2-1) 20-19.  SBU will take on U of R next week to secure an undefeated league record.

 Man of the Match

Harnisch did a great job pulling everyone together after a mediocre first half and Atkinson thrilled with several line breaks – including a fantastic solo try – but Gabe Martinez deserves the award for his first half-closing try and consistent running, tackling and kicking at wing and fullback.

 Scoring

 Tries – Harnisch (3), Kmicinski (2), Martinez (2), Atkinson, Hanrahan

Conversions –Kmicinski 4-9

 Lineup

15 Mike Hanrahan (Jim Zele @ 67)

14 Gabe Martinez

13 Charlie Specht

12 Will Atkinson

11 Darren Kmicinski (Ben Kirnie @ 72)

10 Craig Chatfield

9 Matt Finney (Tom Theurkauf @ 40)

8 Pat Harnisch

7 Bob Owens (Nick Maurer @ 18)

6 Tom Conley

5 Mark Hannah (Pat Monreal @ 57)

4 Zibi Pawlowski

3 JT Sheehan (Aaron Lilga @ 65)

2 Chris Grys (Brian Kelly @ 72)

1 Jason Wolfe

9/22 Outlaw Pack Batters Blackhorse    

Fredonia Blackhorse rugby is known for its hard hitting, conservative style and Saturday it got a taste of its own medicine as the St. Bonaventure forward pack scored five tries in a dominating win.

When the Outlaw pack wasn’t busy stonewalling Fredonia’s offense or stealing their ball in set pieces, they were continually setting up clean ball for the backs to move out wide.

Captain Pat Harnisch made sure things got off on the right foot as he ran through three Fredonia defenders five minutes into the match to take the early lead.  Wing Darren Kmicinski seemed to remedy the early season kicking woes as he converted the first of his five successful kicks on seven attempts.

SBU (4-0 including forfeit win over Hobart) continued to pressure Fredonia throughout the first 20 minutes of play.  Several long runs by Will Atkinson, Charlie Specht and Kmicinski were wasted by sloppy ball handling and passing.  At the 20 minute mark the Outlaws finally broke through when they wheeled a defensive scrum deep in Blackhorse territory.  Bob Owens picked up the turned over ball and passed to Harnisch for his second try of the day and sixth of the year.

Harnisch again got things going five minutes later when he spun the ball wide where Specht and Kmicinski combined for a 60 meter gain.  Hooker Chris Grys received the ball on a weak side run and crashed in for the 17-0 lead.

Sloppy play continued to hamper flashes of brilliance until junior vice-captain Gabe Martinez burst through the Fredonia (2-2) defense at midfield and sprinted deep into the opponent’s territory.  Just when it looked like he was bottled up, Martinez quickly offloaded to a charging Owens who ran in untouched for the try, ending the half with SBU firmly in control 24-0.

With all momentum going their way, the Outlaws pack continued to pressure Fredonia.  Harnisch took the ball to the weak side off a scrum before freshman scrum half Tommy Theurkauf worked the ball to the openside where freshman prop J.T. Sheehan threw a classy skip pass to Atkinson for the try.

Fredonia was finally able to gain some momentum with the help of the referee.  A wheeled scrum by the Outlaws went unnoticed – shortly after the same call was incorrectly made in favor of Fredonia – and Blackhorse was able to string together several phases.  After only gaining an inch at a time for several minutes, Fredonia’s big substitute prop received a forward pass and crashed over the line for the score.

With momentum swinging to the opposition, Grys again came up big.  The veteran front rowman – only one of three players remaining from the club’s last State Championship in 2004 – beautifully read the Fredonia scrum half and intercepted a pass for an easy 15-meter try, ending hopes of a come back.

As Fredonia tried to slow down the game by repeatedly moving the ball no wider than their inside center, they were again able to break the Outlaw line on a series of forward charges to make the score 38-12.

SBU ended the scoring when a long kickoff by Atkinson pinned Fredonia deep.  The referee finally punished Fredonia’s continual rucking penalties and Theurkauf took a quick tap and dished wide to Atkinson who setup his midfield partner Specht for the try.

In other league news, Hobart (0-6) has forfeited all their matches while Geneseo (3-1) handled Le Moyne (1-3).

The Outlaws will finish their league schedule with consecutive home matches on September 29^th and October 6^th against Buffalo State (1-1) and University of Rochester (2-0) respectively.  They follow that up with a friendly match at Division I SUNY Cortland on October 13^th.

Man of the Match – All the backs made long gains and scrum half Theurkauf did well directing traffic but in a forward oriented game, hooker Chris Grys deserves the award.  Grys’ created the turnovers that led to the first two tries – a poach and a steal in a defensive scrum – and scored the third on a hard, tight run.  His intercept try put Fredonia away just when they started to gain some momentum.

Scoring

Tries – Grys (2), Harnisch (2), Atkinson, Owens, Specht

Conversions –Kmicinski 5-7

Lineup

15 Mike Hanrahan

14 Gabe Martinez (Matt Finney @ 43)

13 Charlie Specht

12 Will Atkinson

11 Darren Kmicinski (Ben Kirnie @ 78)

10 Craig Chatfield

9 Tom Theurkauf

8 Pat Harnisch

7 Bob Owens (Dennis Mulligan @ 72)

6 Tom Conley (Nick Maurer @ 64)

5 Pat Monreal (Mark Hannah @ 40)

4 Zibi Pawlowski

3 JT Sheehan

2 Chris Grys (Brian Kelly @ 70)

1 Jason Wolfe

9/15 St. Bonaventure Overpowers Le Moyne in Road Opener

[Coach’s Note – Special Thanks to Nate Smith ’07 and Jeff Nogaj ’07 for making the trip to Le Moyne and helping the team in my absence.]

On an undersized pitch outside of Syracuse, the Outlaws continued their winning way, stomping Le Moyne 39-3.  St. Bona’s strong pack continued to set a clean platform for the half backs while the speedy backs again had too much panache for their opposite numbers.

Early in the first half, vice-captain Gabe Martinez used his top rate ball skills to pop kick behind the defense, chase down that ball and touch down for an Outlaw lead.  The junior winger again touched down to give himself his first and second scored of the young season.

Windy conditions wreaked havoc on the kickers as freshman fly half Craig Chatfield went 0-3 and sophomore wing Darren Kmicinski slotted only two of four.  Kmicinski added a try to give him a nine point haul on the day and four tries on the year.

Keeping pace on the score sheet was Pat Harnisch, who added his third and fourth tries on the year.  The senior Eight Man’s play continued to inspire the Outlaws after his Man of the Match performance last week.

Freshman scrum half Tommy Theurkauf earned his first start of the season and went the full 80 minutes, guiding the potent SBU attack.  Prop J.T. Sheehan was again a force in the loose and tight play.  Fellow newcomer Will Atkinson’s versatility had him at outside center – filling in for an injured Charlie Specht – after playing inside center last week.  His ability to draw in defenders and effectively distribute to outside backs led to several long gains and points and he also dotted down for himself for the second time this year.

On the small pitch, field position and defense were critical and areas SBU proved to be the better side in.  Junior second row Zibi Pawlowski controlled the lineouts while senior hooker Chris Grys and junior flanker Bob Owens continually stopped Le Moyne attackers behind the gain line.

Man of the Match – Once again this week, Pat Harnisch and Gabe Martinez led and played as captains should.  Veteran Chris Grys and rookies J.T. Sheehan and Will Atkinson also proved to be quite valuable but the hard work from Bob Owens deserves special mention this week.  After spending last season at wing and the spring at lock, Owens has found a home at openside flanker.  In only his third full match at the position, his tackling, rucking and incredible work rate could go unnoticed but has allowed the team to average 43.5 points while only allowing 5.

Scoring

Tries – Harnisch (2), Martinez (2), Atkinson, Kmicinski, Sheehan

Conversions – Chatfield 0-3, Kmicinski 2-4

Lineup

15 Mike Hanrahan

14 Gabe Martinez

13 Will Atkinson

12 Greg George

11 Darren Kmicinski

10 Craig Chatfield

9 Tom Theurkauf

8 Pat Harnisch

7 Bob Owens

6 Tom Conley

5 Mark Hannah

4 Zibi Pawlowski

3 JT Sheehan

2 Chris Grys

1 Jason Wolfe

9/8 Outlaws repay Warthogs; Dominate 48-7

St. Bonaventure’s season-ending 48-0 loss to SUNY Geneseo last fall put the club on a mission to regain not only Empire West dominance but also self respect.  Roughly ten months later, the effort seems to have translated to the pitch as the Outlaws (1-0) nearly reversed last years score by beating the defending division champions 48-7.

Coming out intent on setting the tone early, SBU forced a turnover off of the opening kick and working the ball down field off of several tight phases.  Senior hooker Chris Grys finally broke the gain line when he took the ball weak side and sprinted into the try zone for a 15-meter try three minutes into the match.

From that point on, the tone was set as the Outlaws continually disrupted the Warthogs’ ball in the rucks and shut down their backline when they did try to attack.

At the 30 minute mark, the hard work paid off when senior no. 8 Pat Harnisch poached the ball from a ruck and used his power to score from 20 meters out.  Sophomore wing Darren Kmicinski showed off his pace five minutes later when he knocked the ball lose from a Geneseo weakside attack, chipped ahead and outraced the Warthog fullback for a 50 meter jaunt.  Freshman fly half Craig Chatfield converted for the 17-0 lead.

Sloppy play ensued for the next several minutes, leading to a Geneseo 5-meter scrum.  Their 8-Man picked to the strong side and slipped past the Outlaw defense for the try as the half ended with SBU leading 17-7.

St. Bona’s depth proved to be an asset in the second half as freshman Tom Theurkauf came in at scrum half and sophomore transfer Will Atkinson came in at inside center, bumping sophomore Greg George to blindside flanker.

The Outlaws’ crushing defense continued early in the half and Atkinson’s fresh legs burst through the line and moved the ball wide through sophomore Charlie Specht to give Kmicinski his second try ten minutes into the half.

Aided by strong scrummaging disrupting the Warthog attack, more pressure defense and brilliant tactical kicking, SBU kept the ball deep in Warthog territory.  George charged down a kick and junior flanker Bob Owens pounced on the ball in the try zone.  Chatfield converted for the 29-7 lead and the route was on.

Kmicinski completed his hat trick minutes later when Harnisch moved the ball wide in Outlaw territory and the winger sprinted down the touchline before dotting down under the posts for the 36-7 lead.

A Chatfield grubber through the line gave Atkinson his first try in black and gold and Harnisch powered over on an 8-man pick from 5 meters out to finish the scoring at 48-7.

In B-Side action, several young players stood out, showing the club will continue to be in good hands for years to come.

Man of the Match – Kmicinski showed flashy try-scoring ability that was sorely lacking last fall and Gabe Martinez played with class all afternoon.  All eight forwards put in hard work all over the pitch but Pat Harnisch proved invaluable above all.  From hard running and powerful tackling to flawless decision making, Harnisch led from the front for 80 minutes.  Time and again he proved impossible for the Warthogs to tackle, seemingly breaking off 15 meter runs every time he found the ball in his hands, which was often.

Scoring

Tries – Kmicinski (3), Harnisch (2), Atkinson, Grys, Owens

Conversions – Chatfield 4-8

Lineup

15 Mike Hanrahan

14 Gabe Martinez

13 Charlie Specht (Jim Zele @ 60)

12 Greg George

11 Darren Kmicinski

10 Craig Chatfield

9 Matt Finney (Tom Theurkauf @ 40)

8 Pat Harnisch

7 Bob Owens

6 Tom Conley (Will Atkinson @ 40)

5 Mark Hannah (Sam Giordano @ 75)

4 Zibi Pawlowski (Pat Monreal @ 70)

3 JT Sheehan (Al Lilga @ 70)

2 Chris Grys (Brian Kelly @ 65)

1 Jason Wolfe

Fall 2007 Season Preview

A brief look at the schedule.  All games will kickoff at 1:00 with B-Side to follow.  We love having alumni come support the Outlaws in person: 

Sept 8 - vs. SUNY Geneseo - Geneseo steamrolled their way to the division championship last year but graduated several key players.  Nevertheless, their outstanding Inside Center returns and he could be enough to keep them near the top of the league.  This could potentially be a battle for the division championship. 

Sept 15 - @ LeMoyne College - LeMoyne joins the west division after going 0-5 in the tough east last year. 

Sept 22 - @ SUNY Fredonia - Fredonia is always one of the top teams in the league and our top rival for several years.  They dealt us a close loss last fall.  As always, they will be competing for the State Championship. 

Sept 29 - vs. Buffalo State College - Buff. St. has been down as of late but they are always gritty and could easily replicate their dominance of the early part of this decade. 

Oct 6 - vs. University of Rochester - U of R is another team that was down last year but is typically a solid club.  They could easily return to the top of the league after a sub par season. 

Oct 20 - @ Hobart College - Hobart is typically the whipping boy of the league.  They've found a way to back out of our matches with them several times but they did prove to be gritty last fall. 

Oct 27 - State Championship vs. Empire East Winner - Albany dominated the East last year and has a tough schedule that will have them ready to repeat. 

After a disappointing 3-2 finish last year, the guys put in extra effort over the winter and summer to improve their fitness and skills.  Traveling to Cherry Blossom in Washington, DC and playing Bowling Green in Ohio showed the team a level of play it had rarely seen.  It should pay dividends. 

38 committed players have been working hard so far this season.  Through the hard work of our recruiting coordinators, we have easily the most talented group of freshmen in team history and likely the most impressive recruiting class in school history since Bob Lanier showed up.  It's not hyperbole when I say there are potential All-Northeast and All-Americans in the group. 

At prop we return starting Loose Head Jason Wolfe (Sr).  At Tight Head Al Lilga (So) is battling Met NY U-19 representative JT Sheehan (Fr) for starting duties.  Both will see plenty of action.  Sheehan has worked with the top coaches in the country and adds great size and skills to the tight five.  Recruit Jimmy Welles (Fr) from Harvey School - coached by our own Phil Lazzaro - backs them up. 

Chris Grys (Sr) has the hooker position locked up.  He is backed by Brian Kelly (Jr) and Dennis Mulligan (Fr) who has exciting potential. 

6'7" Zibi Pawlowski (Jr) will be big for us in lineouts and scrums at lock.  He will be joined by Mark "Sparks" Hannah (So) who is also the backup 8-Man.  Big Pat Monreal (Jr) is also pushing for playing time. 

Juniors officers Tom Conley and Bob Owens man the blindside and openside flanker positions, respectively.  Conley brings a physical presence while Owens brings an incredible amount of hard work and determination.  Along with captain Pat Harnisch (Sr) at no. 8, they form the strongest position group on the club.  Harnisch's decision making, speed and strength are ideally suited for 8 after donning the 10 jersey last year.  They will key our success. 

Matt Finney (Jr) has replaced Jeff Nogaj at scrum half but he is being pushed by Tom Theurkauf (Fr), another recruit from Harvey.  Mike Gallagher (5Sr) and Waldo Maldonado (So) provide a lot of quality depth. 

Fly half is most likely the most hotly contested position with two top recruits battling for playing time.  Will Atkinson (So) - a transfer from national powerhouse Kutztown and a Harvey product - is up against Peraza Scholarship winner Craig Chatfield (Fr).  Atkinson paired up with Theurkauf at halfback to lead Harvey to High School Nationals while Chatfield was MVP on the New England DII championship club.  Both will see plenty of action. 

At center Sophomores Greg George and Charlie Specht look to build on their improvement from last spring and summer.  Both are athletic, hard hitter with a lot of potential.  They've shown a willingness to do the dirty work.  George will also get work at flanker.  Atkinson and Jim Zele (Sr) will also see time in the midfield. 

Out wide, Vice-Captain Gabe Martinez (Jr) shows a lot of class and ball skills at the openside wing.  His experience is a steadying influence on the young backline.  Wearing no. 11 is rangy speedster Darren Kmicinski (So) who is able to score a try from anywhere on the pitch.  He could provide the scoring punch we sorely lacked last year.  Brian "Red" Fuller (Sr) adds size and depth to the position after starting much of last fall. 

Mike "Hammer" Hanrahan (Sr) provides an excellent last line of defense at fullback.  He worked incredibly hard over the last several months to improve his ball skills and should start contributing on offense after being mainly a punishing tackler last year.  He is backed up by Sam Giordano (Fr) from WNY U-19 power Kenmore West.  Like Hammer, Sam has a wrestling background and adds speed and solid tackling deep. 

There are too many more up and comers to mention but the team is stocked for an excellent run over the next 4 years.  Our goal remains a Division II National Championship in 2010.  We can't do it without all of you so thanks for your ongoing support. 

Cheers, 

Clarence Picard '05

Fall 2006 (& Prior)

Warthogs Stomp Outlaws in Regular Season Finale

             In one of the low points of recent St. Bonaventure rugby history, SUNY Geneseo (5-0) thoroughly beat SBU by the score 48-0.  The Outlaws (3-2) were denied a spot in the playoffs by a big, fast club, skilled in all areas of the game.

            On a windy, snow afternoon, Geneseo started quickly and didn’t look back.  The Warthogs hard-running inside center opened the scoring less than three minutes in with a 60-meter try, breaking four tackles on the way to touching down.  It was the first of three tries for the Warthog star.

            Throughout the match, the Warthogs outclassed SBU in the forwards and backs, dominating possession and getting the ball wide with ease.  Geneseo’s bruising tighthead prop and speedy 8-man led the way off of set pieces where they proved too good to be stopped by one man.  The SBU forwards failed to win a ruck until the second half.  One of the few bright spots on the afternoon was senior lock Boomer Meyer’s strong work in the lineout where he consistently beat Geneseo.

            Senior scrum half must be commended for his hard-nosed play on the afternoon and throughout the season.  Nogaj was forced out of the match when a gash was opened on his head on a tackle of their 8-man, the only time he has stopped in the open field all match.  Nogaj led from the front all season and never shied away from contact.

Outlaws Stifle Hobart in Midweek Match

            In a midweek makeup match, St. Bonaventure (3-1) shutout Hobart 17-0 in a dominating win to move into second place in Division II Empire West.

            Hobart (1-3) was able to keep the game close with some opportune penalties and effective rucking.  The Outlaws were too fast, however, taking a 10-0 halftime lead in sloppy conditions.  Freshman winger Charlie Specht and senior scrum half Jeff Nogaj touched down for unconverted tries.

            Hoping to pick up 25 points for a bonus point in the standings, SBU lost a lot of possession by trying to move the ball wide too often.  Senior prop Steve Smaldone bulldozed his way into the try zone on a penalty play early in the half to give SBU the 15-0 win.  Nogaj converted to close the scoring at 17-0.

Scoring

Tries – J. Nogaj, S. Smaldone, C. Specht

Conversions – J. Nogaj 1-3

Penalties – J. Nogaj 0-1

SBU Rugby 36, University of Rochester 17

            University of Rochester (0-3) has given St. Bonaventure a lot of trouble over the past three years but that was not the case Saturday as SBU’s halfbacks combined for 26 points in a 36-17 win.

            Making sure they did not get off to a slow start like they did against Fredonia (3-0) and Buffalo State (0-3), the Outlaws started attacking U of R from the opening kick.  On a small pitch, SBU quickly moved deep into U of R territory.  Junior flyhalf Pat Harnisch busted through the line off a five-meter scrum and touched down near the posts.  Senior scrumhalf Jeff Nogaj converted to give St. Bona’s the 7-0 lead.

            Minutes later Nogaj added a penalty to put the Outlaws up 10.  Keeping U of R on the back foot, SBU forced another rucking penalty deep in Rochester’s territory.  Senior prop Steve Smaldone bulled his way into the try zone to move SBU up 17-0.

            Rochester slotted a long penalty kick to close first half scoring at 17-3.

            Momentum from the penalty kick gave U of R some new life early in the second half.  Hard running by their big number eight led to some rucking penalties in favor of Rochester.  U of R capitalized to bring the score to 17-10.

            After receiving the ensuing kickoff, U of R could find no holes in the SBU defense.  A poached ball by SBU in U of R territory led to a series of hard runs and solid rucks.  Hard-charging freshman 8-man Mark Hannah moved the ball to the try line and Nogaj punched it in on the next phase.

            Stellar kicking by the backs and hard work by the forward pack led to tries by Harnisch and sophomore outside center Bob Owens, the first of his career.

            A late Rochester try closed the scoring at 36-17.

            The Outlaws will take on Hobart (1-2) in Geneva on Wednesday October 11.  Hobart picked up their lone win against Buffalo State, 20-15.  In other league action, Fredonia will take on SUNY Geneseo (3-0) for first-place. 

             SBU will battle Geneseo on Saturday, Oct. 14 with the playoffs on the line.

SBU Scoring

Tries – P. Harnisch (2), J. Nogaj, B. Owens, S. Smaldone

Conversions – J. Nogaj 4-5

Penalties – J. Nogaj 1-1

SBU Outlaws Outmuscle, Outrun Buff State Mad Dogs, 40 - 10

            Coming off their bruising loss to Fredonia (2-0), St. Bonaventure needed a match to work out some kinks and build some confidence.  Buffalo State (0-2) was just what the doctor ordered.

            In the early going the squad looked slightly hung over from the Fredonia loss.  There was some lackadaisical play, poor tackling and stupid penalties.  The veteran Mad Dogs capitalized with a try in the first five minutes.  The score seemed to shock SBU out of their lull and the boys never looked back.

            On the ensuing kickoff, front row veteran senior Steve Smaldone drove the receiver into the ground, kicking off a series of heavy tackles from the Outlaws.  St. Bonaventure dominated possession for the rest of the half as hard work by the forwards led to tries by junior flyhalf Pat Harnisch, sophomore fullback Gabe Martinez and senior outside center Dane Barclay.  Senior wing/scrum half Jeff Nogaj converted all three scores.

On all three scores the SBU forward pack pounded the BSC defense before the ball was spun out wide for the score.  Sound decision making by Harnisch and senior scrum half Mike Gallagher led to the easy tries.

In the second half it was more of the same as Harnisch’s boot kept Buffalo State pinned deep.  The junior’s work paid off as he scored his second try of the match early in the half.

With the match outcome decided, both teams began looking for the big play.  Hard hitting by the forwards, led by sophomore blindside flanker Tom Conley and senior number 8 Boomer Meyer, kept the Mad Dogs on their heels.  An ill advised kick by Buff State’s flyhalf was received by freshman wing Charlie Specht around the 22 and ran into the try zone, giving Specht his first try and St. Bonaventure a 33-5 lead.  Nogaj missed his only conversion in an otherwise sterling performance.

Less than five minutes later, Nogaj made up for his missed kick when, off of a scrum, he grubbed a kick through the Buffalo State line, beat their fullback to the ball and sprinted in for the score.

A late try by the Mad Dogs can be attributed to the Outlaws trying to score on every touch.  The referee seemed to feel sorry for Buff State, allowing several infractions to go unpunished but SBU should have never gotten away from their game of hard running and sound, fundamental ball work.

Up next for SBU is a match at the University of Rochester (0-2).  Their record does not indicate the quality of their team as they have played Fredonia and SUNY Geneseo (2-0) thus far.  They are always well-coached and skillful with the ball in hand.

SBU Scoring

Tries – P. Harnisch (2), D. Barclay, G. Martinez, J. Nogaj, C. Specht

Conversions – J. Nogaj 5-6

Outlaws Fall to Fredonia in Defensive Battle  (21 Sept 06) 

            Coming off a tough scrimmage loss to Niagara University, the Outlaws were looking to open the regular season with a win at Fredonia.  With four first semester players making their debuts and several veterans looking to redeem themselves after the Niagara loss, St. Bonaventure came out firing on all cylinders.

            After a series of successful runs by the forwards to open the match, Fredonia was forced to kill a ruck and take the penalty.  Senior scrum half Jeff Nogaj converted the kick to give St. Bonaventure the 3-0 lead.

            The stunned Fredonia side was quickly on the back foot again as SBU dominated in the rucks and lineouts.  Nogaj slotted another penalty for the 6-0.

            The Outlaws were not done.  A series of kicks and counter kicks kept Black Horse off balance and their defense disorganized.  Sophomore fullback suffered an injury but hard rucking by the forward pack gave SBU plenty of good ball.  The effort paid off when junior wing Brian Fuller blew up his opposite number and trotted into the try zone.

            The route appeared to be on when an intercepted pass between the centers near the 22 gave new life to Fredonia.  The intercepted pass was ran directly into the try zone and as the conversion kick sailed wide, the referee called the first half with the score 11-5.

            With newfound confidence, Fredonia began crashing their forwards with some success.  Handling errors by the Black Horse backline gave SBU opportunities but a lost offensive ruck by St. Bonaventure led to a Fredonia try ten minutes into the second half.

            The Outlaws came back strong but solid tackling by both clubs led to a 20 minute stalemate in the middle of the half.  The hard hitting nature of the game forced SBU to make substitutions that hurt the organization in scrums and on defense.  A run off of a lineout by Fredonia’s number 8 gave Black Horse possession deep in SBU territory.  A Fredonia knock-on in the try zone was missed by the referee and Fredonia took the 17-11 lead with 10 minutes remaining.

            With the game on the line St. Bonaventure turned up the intensity and drove to the Fredonia 22 meter line.  SBU successfully retained ball for several phases but could not break the Fredonia line.  A lost offensive ruck and a subsequent penalty for not rolling away in a ruck by St. Bonaventure sealed the outcome in Fredonia’s favor.

            Overall it was a clean, hard-fought match and Fredonia made the only big play to pick up the win.  St. Bonaventure will look to turn things around in their home debut versus Buffalo State College.  Buff St. will have plenty of motivation after falling to SBU by 70 last Fall.

SBU Scoring

Tries – B. Fuller

Conversions – J. Nogaj 0-1

Penalties – J. Nogaj 2-2

Clarence Picard Named New Coach (9 Sept 06)

We are happy to announce that Clarence Picard ‘05 has accepted to volunteer for the Head Coaching position for the undergraduate club. Please welcome and thank Clarence for dedicating his time and energy to this cause and for making this commitment to the club! Clarence was a very well respected player leader when he played at Bonas and he is certified by USA Rugby as a Level I Coach. He will be in full control of the club- running practices, recruiting new players from the high school and university level, organizing game plans and making team selections. It has been a long time since we have had a dedicated head coach running the show and this will be a major step in taking the club to the next level. We now have “Rob Peraza Rugby Scholarship”, a dedicated head coach and a quality group of guys playing for the SBURFC. The club’s credibility is at an all time high and hopefully this is just the beginning! Clarence played tight head prop for two years at St. Edward High School in Lakewood, Ohio. As a junior he captained the B-side and was the fourth prop for the A-side which won the U-19 Cleveland City Championship, finished second in the state tournament and fourth in the Midwest tournament. As a senior he co-captained the A-side which once again won the city championship and finished second in the state. He was coached by US Atlantis 7's coach Jason Fox and Ohio State All-American Matt Hudak. Clarence started four years at St. Bonaventure and was treasurer as a senior, graduating in 2005. As a sophomore I was certified by USA Rugby as a Level I coach, eligible to coach high school and college.