The Nightmare Wins Big In Its Home Opener

On Saturday afternoon the Nightmare took the field against the St. Louis Mustangs. The boys 
were aiming to build on last week’s win and looked to be in for a challenge. The Mustangs 
traveled with large numbers and looked ready to play, but the Nightmare brought the pressure 
early. Senior captain Andrew Bennett opened up the scoring in the 3rd minute after some strong 
phases from the forwards brought the ball all the way down the field. That was quickly followed 
by another try in the 6th minute from scrum-half Jordan Kemple, who picked the ball off of the 
back of a defensive ruck and made a great 60 meter solo run. The kick was converted by flyhalf 
Jose Estrada, giving the Nightmare a 12-0 lead. 

The Nightmare continued to apply pressure to the Mustangs’ defense and came close to adding 
another try, but the Mustang defense stood tough and held the ball up in the try zone two times. 
Center John Curley was finally able to break through the defense in the 22nd minute for a try. The 
kick was converted by Estrada and the Nightmare had a comfortable lead of 19-0. The Mustangs 
fought back quickly though. With a Nightmare player down with an injury, the Mustangs drove 
over the try line for their first score of the match in the 27th minute, cutting the Nightmare’s lead 
down to 14. Not to be outdone, the Nightmare answered quickly. A strong return by Estrada off a 
Mustangs kick set up Bennett for a pick off the back of the ruck in the 30th minute. The half 
ended with the Nightmare leading 24-5. 

The Nightmare started the second half just like the first – coming out strong and keeping the 
Mustangs on their heels. A steal by Kemple set up a great phase of passing all the way down the 
field by Kemple, junior Sean McGrail, and Yunil Jeon, finishing with Jeon scoring the try in the 
39th minute. This was quickly followed up in the 46th minute with a great bit of support from 
several players. Styles Fountain started it off with a strong run, Kemple followed suit, and 
Bennett finished it off for another try. 

At this point in the match the Nightmare were showing some fatigue. The Mustangs took the ball 
off the kickoff and drove right down the field, taking advantage of a lack of defensive line from 
the Nightmare. The Mustangs managed to squeeze through a gap in the defense for their second 
try of the match in the 48th minute. The Nightmare seemed to wake up after this, and in the 52nd 
minute Bennett stole the ball in a defensive ruck and ran in for his 4th and final try of the match. 
This was followed quickly by Kemple in the 56th minute when he picked the ball off the back of 
the scrum. Estrada converted to finish out the Nightmare’s scoring for the day. The Mustangs 
caught the Nightmare napping in the 59th minute and scored off a quick-tap penalty. The 
Nightmare slowed down their attack for the remainder of the match, and both sides continued to 
go back and forth without gaining much ground. Final score: Nightmare 46 – Mustangs 15. 

The return of the MMA players and a focus on a faster pace of play seemed to be a huge boost 
for the Nightmare. The attack was strong throughout the match, though a bit chaotic. The defense 
held firm for the most part, but setting up the defensive line and moving forward will need 
improvement. We’ll continue to work on these things at practice this week. The next match is 
our first District match of the season and is at home this Saturday, April 2, in Jefferson City 
against Park Hill United. Kickoff is at 1:00pm. See you all there.