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Nightmare Post a 2nd Straight Road Win

3/24/2017

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The Nightmare traveled to St. Louis to take on Eureka in the second match of the season. Since both teams had low numbers, the coaches and referee agreed that rolling substitutions would be allowed. The Nightmare were a little slow to start the match, and Eureka capitalized in the 5th minute on some poor rucking to win possession and pick off the back of the ruck into the try zone. The Nightmare tried to answer, but some mental mistakes and a lack of support in the rucks kept them from taking advantage of scoring opportunities. Both sides battled back and forth, but Eureka broke the stalemate in the 25th minute with a converted try after a handling mistake in the Nightmare’s backline. This brought the score to 12-0 in favor of Eureka.

The Nightmare seemed to come alive after this, and kept possession through numerous phases of play. A penalty on Eureka near their own 10 meter mark gave an opportunity for the forwards to crash through the try line, with senior prop Kyle Mitchell ultimately putting the ball down in the try zone with an assist from 8-man Jake Burnett. Flyhalf Diego Silva converted the kick to bring the Nightmare within 5 at the close of the first half.

The boys kept the momentum going to start the second half, and took advantage of Eureka leaving the last man in the lineout open. A good throw from hooker Victor Leon sailed to the back of the lineout and into the hands of Jake Burnett, who made a bruising run close to the try line. Scrum-half Gabriel Elizondo capitalized by picking the ball off the back of the ensuing ruck and crossing the try line. Silva converted the kick to give the Nightmare a 14-12 lead. Eureka stepped up the effort after this score, and again the Nightmare’s own mistakes kept them from increasing their lead. After the Nightmare turned the ball over, Eureka organized an effective attack and drove down the field; but a stolen ball in the ruck in the 53rd minute, followed by a well-timed kick from Silva, provided some breathing room. Flanker Preston Robinett was able to take advantage of Eureka’s misplay on the kick to make a long solo run into the try zone. Silva converted again to make the score 21-12.

Eureka answered by keeping the Nightmare on the defensive and backed up in our own end, and finally punched through in the 67th minute with some passing along the backline. Unable to convert the kick, Eureka came within a try of overtaking the Nightmare with only a few minutes remaining. A strong effort by the forwards helped the Nightmare maintain possession in the final minutes, and Burnett put the match away with a pick from the back of the ruck after the forwards drove down to Eureka’s end. Silva was not able to convert the kick, but the try was enough to give the Nightmare the victory, with a final score of 26-17.

It was a hard-fought victory for the Nightmare, but mainly because of the boys not playing to their potential. As Coach Stevie stated, it was more of Marilyn Manson match instead of a Marilyn Monroe one. The margin of victory easily could have been much wider. We have a lot of things to work on, but fortunately we have plenty of time to do so with a bit of a break before we take on Columbia on April 1. The boys will continue to work on fixing simple mistakes and playing as a unit.

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Nightmare Open 2017 with Win Against Springfield

3/11/2017

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​The Nightmare started off the 2017 season by traveling down to Springfield. With low numbers, Springfield combined with some players from the newly formed Columbia team to field a full side. The match started with the Nightmare facing into a strong wind that made kicking difficult. Both sides spent the first part of the match feeling each other out and the new players getting their bearings, but the Nightmare didn’t take long to put up points. After driving down the field with some good passing and deep runs, Senior lock Issiah Sampson plunged across the try line in the 11th minute from a pick off the back of the ruck. He was followed in the 23rd minute by senior 8-man Jake Burnett, who caught a long lineout throw and weaved his way through Springfield’s backline for a long run across the try line. Not to be outdone by the forwards, the backs quickly organized their own scoring drive, playing off of several deep runs. Outside center Javier Salazar punched through for the try in the 31st minute for the final scoring of the first half, giving the Nightmare a 15-0 lead at half.
 
With the wind at their back, the Nightmare turned up the pressure in the second half. With punishing tackles and effective defensive movement, Springfield could not create attacking opportunities. The Nightmare had plenty though, and in the 40th minute inside center Ernesto Melgar kicked off the scoring in the second half with a bruising run off a pass from the lineout. With easier kicking conditions, flyhalf Diego Silva converted the try. Springfield came to life after this and play continued back and forth, with a few errors in judgment preventing the Nightmare from taking advantage of scoring opportunities. Springfield then took advantage of the Nightmare napping near the try line, and in the 48th minute scored a sneaky try off the ruck after a maul. Again play continued back and forth, with the Nightmare unable to keep consecutive phases on attack due to poor decision making and fatigue. That momentary lapse was finally broken by 8-man Jake Burnett, who picked the ball off the back of a ruck after a powerful run from the penalty by prop Sean McGrail and crossed the try line in the 65th minute. Silva converted the kick to bring the score to 29-5 in favor of the Nightmare. Shortly after, Ernesto Melgar picked up his 2nd try of the day as well after a nice bit of passing among the backs off a penalty. Silva converted the kick to close out the Nightmare’s scoring for the day. Springfield was able to sneak in a final try at the end, taking advantage of a tired Nightmare team and picking off the back of the scrum. The converted kick ended the match, with a final score of 36-12.
 
For the first match of the season, the Nightmare showed a lot of promise. There are things to be worked on, but overall the boys played well – especially the brand new players. The defense, though at times not properly aligned, was bruising. Simple mistakes kept the Nightmare from using more scoring opportunities, but there was no doubt that the boys were in control of this match the entire time. We’ll continue to work on these things at practice this week; but for now it is clear that the Nightmare will a force to be reckoned with this year. 
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