The Nightmare took the field Saturday afternoon against the Francis Howell Force in the opening
match of the 2016 season. The match was broken into three periods to allow the coaches from
both teams more opportunities to discuss the action with their players and for substituting new
players into the match. The match kicked off with the Nightmare receiving. The first 10 minutes
were a feeling out period for both clubs. Francis Howell found their feet first and scored a
converted try on a long run by the #8. Jefferson City 0 – Francis Howell 7. The Nightmare
settled down and held Francis Howell out of the try zone for another 10 minutes until Francis
Howell added a second converted try. Jefferson City 0 – Francis Howell 14. That was the score
at the end of the 1st period.
Jefferson City used the first intermission to correct their defensive alignment and chose to play at
a faster tempo. The changes made a difference right away as senior captain, Andrew Bennett,
picked from the back of a ruck and ran 30 meters for the Nightmare’s first score. Junior Sean
McGrail successfully kick the conversion. Jefferson City 7 – Francis Howell 14. The score gave
the Nightmare an energy boost which was quickly turned into another strong passage of a play
where Jefferson City moved the ball down field. Senior Jordan Kemple took a pass and broke a
tackle to score under the posts. McGrail made his second conversion and the score was level.
Jefferson City 14 – Francis Howell 14. Francis Howell regrouped and earned a scrum penalty in
the Nightmare’s half. The Francis Howell #8 picked from the back of the scrum and ran down
the sideline to score. Jefferson City 14 – Francis Howell 21. That score held until the end of the
2nd period.
The third period saw the Nightmare defense play very strong and the offense take better shape.
Jefferson City got into the Francis Howell half and made dozens of strong runs into the Francis
Howell defense. Eventually the Francis Howell defensive line was broken by a hard charging run
from Kemple for his second try which drew the score line back to even. McGrail recorded his
third conversion. Jefferson City 21 – Francis Howell 21. The ensuing kickoff was caught and
immediately passed to senior Ethan Podorski who rumbled 60 meters untouched to score the go-
ahead try. Jefferson City 26 – Francis Howell 21. The Nightmare defense continued to hold
Francis Howell at bay and Jefferson City was unable to add to its lead. Final Score Jefferson City
26 – Francis Howell 21.
The Nightmare played very well for their first match of the season and to win is a big confidence
boost. The defense had a strong showing and improved markedly from the start of the match to
the end of the match. The offense showed itself to be effective when players looked to pass to
space rather than run to it themselves. This first match, as is always the case, has given the
players and coaches plenty to think about. We will continue to put in the work at practice to
improve on our weaknesses and refine our game plan. The next match is at home this Saturday
March 26 in Jefferson City against the St. Louis Mustangs. Kickoff is at 12:00pm. See you all
there.
match of the 2016 season. The match was broken into three periods to allow the coaches from
both teams more opportunities to discuss the action with their players and for substituting new
players into the match. The match kicked off with the Nightmare receiving. The first 10 minutes
were a feeling out period for both clubs. Francis Howell found their feet first and scored a
converted try on a long run by the #8. Jefferson City 0 – Francis Howell 7. The Nightmare
settled down and held Francis Howell out of the try zone for another 10 minutes until Francis
Howell added a second converted try. Jefferson City 0 – Francis Howell 14. That was the score
at the end of the 1st period.
Jefferson City used the first intermission to correct their defensive alignment and chose to play at
a faster tempo. The changes made a difference right away as senior captain, Andrew Bennett,
picked from the back of a ruck and ran 30 meters for the Nightmare’s first score. Junior Sean
McGrail successfully kick the conversion. Jefferson City 7 – Francis Howell 14. The score gave
the Nightmare an energy boost which was quickly turned into another strong passage of a play
where Jefferson City moved the ball down field. Senior Jordan Kemple took a pass and broke a
tackle to score under the posts. McGrail made his second conversion and the score was level.
Jefferson City 14 – Francis Howell 14. Francis Howell regrouped and earned a scrum penalty in
the Nightmare’s half. The Francis Howell #8 picked from the back of the scrum and ran down
the sideline to score. Jefferson City 14 – Francis Howell 21. That score held until the end of the
2nd period.
The third period saw the Nightmare defense play very strong and the offense take better shape.
Jefferson City got into the Francis Howell half and made dozens of strong runs into the Francis
Howell defense. Eventually the Francis Howell defensive line was broken by a hard charging run
from Kemple for his second try which drew the score line back to even. McGrail recorded his
third conversion. Jefferson City 21 – Francis Howell 21. The ensuing kickoff was caught and
immediately passed to senior Ethan Podorski who rumbled 60 meters untouched to score the go-
ahead try. Jefferson City 26 – Francis Howell 21. The Nightmare defense continued to hold
Francis Howell at bay and Jefferson City was unable to add to its lead. Final Score Jefferson City
26 – Francis Howell 21.
The Nightmare played very well for their first match of the season and to win is a big confidence
boost. The defense had a strong showing and improved markedly from the start of the match to
the end of the match. The offense showed itself to be effective when players looked to pass to
space rather than run to it themselves. This first match, as is always the case, has given the
players and coaches plenty to think about. We will continue to put in the work at practice to
improve on our weaknesses and refine our game plan. The next match is at home this Saturday
March 26 in Jefferson City against the St. Louis Mustangs. Kickoff is at 12:00pm. See you all
there.
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