The Wolverines pressured the entire 80 minutes, including holding Ann Arbor scoreless in the second half en route to a 31-13 win at Elbel Field.
Scoring began just about as soon as the bagpipe rendition of “Hail to the Victors” ended as Jamie Hickey of Ann Arbor kicked for points in the first minute. The UMRFC responded back quickly with newcomer to the team, Christian Mentzer, placing the ball into the try zone after an Ann Arbor turnover deep in their end. A conversion by captain Grady Bridges put the score at 7-3. The Ann Arbor side kept with their collegiate counterparts by capitalizing on another penalty kick by Jamie Hickey. An exchange of tries brought the score to 14-13. Matt Pilon dotting down for U of M, with Grady Bridges converting, after a turnover and Ian Etheart pass. With only minutes to play in the half, Michigan strung together some strong phases in the attacking 22 and a quick pass from Mentzer to Kenny Andutan put another try on the board for the Wolverines. An unconverted kick put the score at 19-13 at halftime.
In the second half, play went back and forth between the teams with each bringing the ball within scoring distance but failing to finish. While the men’s side seemed poised to score several times, the conditioned college side was just too tough along the goal line. Subs started to make their way onto the field and the fresh legs proved vital. Aided by subs and an Ann Arbor yellow card, Mentzer added another try for the Maize and Blue in the 70th minute. The Men in Blue had an attacking line-out five meters from the try zone. The throw was long but Andutan scooped up the loose ball and took it in field where Mentzer picked and scrambled in.
This time around, the Ann Arbor men’s side had no response. With the game winding down, another Ann Arbor penalty and a quick Grady Bridges pass saw Sequoyah Burke-Combs finally break free down the sidelines for a try to make the final score 31-13.
A full team effort made the victory possible for U of M. Dave Hiltzik was outstanding at flanker, leading the team with nine tackles. Nic Bishar returned from shoulder surgery to play admirably at tighthead prop. Brennan Arnett, Terence Taylor, Nick Lazurka, and Will Miller all made their first first-side appearances.
1. Brennan Arnett (Rourke 45′)
2. Pete Melgren (Scolnick 57′)
3. Nic Bishar (Harrison 55′)
4. Matt Pilon (Rocha 60′)
5. Drew Vecchio (Miller 76′)
6. Dave Hiltzik
7. Kenny Andutan
8. Mike LaCivita
9. Ian Etheart
10. Grady Bridges
11. Sequoyah Burke-Combs
12. Christian Mentzer (Palladino 75′)
13. Jared Bosma (Taylor 13′, 66′)
14. Chris Padmos (Lazurka 75′)
15. Joel Conzelmann
16. Evan Rourke
17. Sebastian Harrison
18. Sergio Rocha
19. Will Miller
20. Spencer Scolnick
21. John Palladino
22. Terence Taylor
23. Nick Lazurka
Tries: Mentzer 3′, 70′, Pilon 12′, Andutan 40′, Burke-Combs 76′
Cons: Bridges 4′, 13′, 77′
In the second match, the second-side faced a mix of Ann Arbor and U of M players. The action began with a flurry of knock-ons resulting in a stop-start first ten minutes. As things started to settle in, the B-side was pressured near their own goalline when Ann Arbor turned over the phone and Zach Burns hacked it on. Burns continued to chase the ball, gathered, and raced all the way to score under the posts. This sparked the Men in Blue and they ran in two more tries by Joe Poznanski and Ben Clemens with Colin Ward converting on one. The Wolverines took this 17-0 lead into halftime.
The second half saw more fluid rugby as the passes started to stick. Danny Finn, looking dangerous all night, scored twice for Ann Arbor with Grady Bridges converting one. Max Arevuo answered for U of M from fullback with John Palladino converting. U of M continued to find space with Evan Rourke and Terence Taylor putting in five-pointers with the Taylor try being converted by Jared Bosma. Mike LaCivita countered with a strong run for Ann Arbor with Grady Bridges converting. Grady Bridges then added a try by dummying his way into the try zone. Scott Miller ended the game with a long breakaway try that he nailed under the post for Bosma to convert. Final score, U of M up 41-26.
1. Kazem Alidoost
2. Pete Melgren
3. Ben Shapiro
4. Scott Miller
5. Will Miller
6. Cam Watson
7. Olly Gregerson
8. Evan Rourke
9. Colin Ward
10. Zach Burns
11. Ben Clemens
12. Justin Bedford
13. Nick Lazurka
14. Joe Poznaski
15. Max Arevuo
16. Kevin Linder
17. John Palladino
18. Terence Taylor
19. Jared Bosma
Tries: Burns, Clemens, Arevuo, Poznanski, Rourke, Taylor, Miller
Cons: Palladino, Ward, Bosma (2)
U of M on Ann Arbor’s squad
3. Nic Bishar
9. Shawn May
11. Vino Ravichandran
12. Danny Finn
13. Tim Kuzel
14. Neal Slabbekoorn
18. Mike LaCivita
21. Grady Bridges
Tries: Finn (2), Brides, LaCivita
Cons: Bridges (3)
