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Bombers Down Lions in 2008 Opener
March 1, 2008 - St. Louis, MO
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The St. Louis Bombers defeated the Chicago Lions 26-24 in a very competitive RSL preseason match. St. Louis raced out to a 19-0 halftime lead on the back of two tries from fullback Conail Boyd, then held off a late Chicago rally for the well earned victory.
The Bombers opened the scoring at 3 minutes when hooker Josh Witten raced in from halfway off turnover ball from flanker Brandon Hamburg. There would be no more scoring for the next 30 minutes as the teams battled evenly with the bulk of play occuring between the 22's. Conail Boyd extended the Bomber's lead to 12-0 with a try from halfway from phase ball. Boyd's second of the day came on the last play of the half, stepping the defender to race in from 40 meters. Flyhalf Justin Mastroianni's second conversion of the day brought the halftime score to 19-0 in favor of St. Louis.
Chicago came out of the gate strong in the second spell and were rewarded with a try from wing Eddie Bluemel at 44 minutes to cut into the Bomber lead 19-5. Lions flyhalf Scott Peterson pinned the Bombers deep with his foot, resulting in the Lions second try of the day as Micky Franco pounced on a misguided ball at the back of a St. Louis scrum. The converted try narrowed the Bomber lead to 19-12.
St. Louis quickly answered, taking a Lions lineout and sending the ball through the hands to score center TJ Ebner and push the score to 26-12. Chicago's Jeremy Nash scored in the corner after multiple phases of play to pull the Lions back to 26-17. Lions flanker Tommy Dolan crashed over at full time to end the scoring and the match, with the Bombers holding on for the hard fought 26-24 victory.
Both teams received strong performances from their respective captains. Lions lock Dustin Hugen led by example and was strong in the lineouts. Bombers lock and captain Hayden Mexted did the same and was very strong at the point of contact. Bomber prop John Tarpoff returned to action after a lengthy break recovering from knee surgery and put in a solid performance. Ben Meyers from the Randwick club in Sydney had a good debut in the Bombers jersey, pairing nicely with Mexted at lock.
Bomber Whites 15 Lions B 12
The Bomber White side repeated the theme for the day, racing out to an early lead and then hanging on for a 15-12 victory. Bombers lock Jason Isaacson led the way with a very strong performance in the lineouts, with ball in hand and at the tackle. Isaacson scored a try at the 10 minute mark to give St. Louis a 5-0 lead. These would be the only points of the first half as both sides made several charges into their opponents end- only to be denied by good defense and the occasional handling error.
19 year-old Bomber center Nick Godfrey notched the second Bomber try to put his team up 10-0 early in the second half. The Lions responded with a converted try to cut the lead to 10-7. Center Joe Mertz made several runs through the Lions backline on the day, and was finally rewarded with a try to put the Bombers up 15-7. The Lions again answered with a try to narrow the lead to 15-12. The Bombers held on as the Lions were camped in their end most of the final minutes. Strong defense sealed the Bomber win as the Whites opened their 2008 season with a 15-12 victory.
Veteran hooker Pat Hess did an excellent job as captain in keeping his youthful teammates focused. The Bombers currently have an abundance of good young talent brewing, and many of these players perfromed well on the day. Prop Tom Klepzig put in his best performance to date with a strong effort in the scrum and around the pitch. Flankers Kyle Manley and Matt Viox were all over the pitch and into everything. #8 Sam Stahnke and halfback Kevin Tucker worked well together at the base of the scrum. Flyhalf Jim Morrison managed the match well with some good decisions and educated kicks. Wing Andrew Bell showed that he is a real threat on the outside, and has the size to go along with his speed. Wing Pat Ryan performed well in his Bomber debut.
The White side reserves did an excellent job of lifting the team in the second half with fresh legs. Props Dan Wachter and Jahaan Ashfaq, hooker Ben Virtue, flankers Kevin Brown and Jim Hoffmann and #8 Alex McPheeters made an impact in the forwards. Backs Scott Wozniak, Chris Wilson, Nick Adams and Woody Woodicker did their part in bringing home the Bomber victory.
Spotted on the sideline were Bomber alumni Vic Miller, Terry Swap, Sterling Hayden, Kurt Kinderfather, Jim Boggeman, Mark Sasser, John Kyle, Sam Lawson, Bob Jones and many more. The active players and coaches certainly appreciate their support and hope to see many more alumni at home matches this season.
The Bombers opened the scoring at 3 minutes when hooker Josh Witten raced in from halfway off turnover ball from flanker Brandon Hamburg. There would be no more scoring for the next 30 minutes as the teams battled evenly with the bulk of play occuring between the 22's. Conail Boyd extended the Bomber's lead to 12-0 with a try from halfway from phase ball. Boyd's second of the day came on the last play of the half, stepping the defender to race in from 40 meters. Flyhalf Justin Mastroianni's second conversion of the day brought the halftime score to 19-0 in favor of St. Louis.
Chicago came out of the gate strong in the second spell and were rewarded with a try from wing Eddie Bluemel at 44 minutes to cut into the Bomber lead 19-5. Lions flyhalf Scott Peterson pinned the Bombers deep with his foot, resulting in the Lions second try of the day as Micky Franco pounced on a misguided ball at the back of a St. Louis scrum. The converted try narrowed the Bomber lead to 19-12.
St. Louis quickly answered, taking a Lions lineout and sending the ball through the hands to score center TJ Ebner and push the score to 26-12. Chicago's Jeremy Nash scored in the corner after multiple phases of play to pull the Lions back to 26-17. Lions flanker Tommy Dolan crashed over at full time to end the scoring and the match, with the Bombers holding on for the hard fought 26-24 victory.
Both teams received strong performances from their respective captains. Lions lock Dustin Hugen led by example and was strong in the lineouts. Bombers lock and captain Hayden Mexted did the same and was very strong at the point of contact. Bomber prop John Tarpoff returned to action after a lengthy break recovering from knee surgery and put in a solid performance. Ben Meyers from the Randwick club in Sydney had a good debut in the Bombers jersey, pairing nicely with Mexted at lock.
Bomber Whites 15 Lions B 12
The Bomber White side repeated the theme for the day, racing out to an early lead and then hanging on for a 15-12 victory. Bombers lock Jason Isaacson led the way with a very strong performance in the lineouts, with ball in hand and at the tackle. Isaacson scored a try at the 10 minute mark to give St. Louis a 5-0 lead. These would be the only points of the first half as both sides made several charges into their opponents end- only to be denied by good defense and the occasional handling error.
19 year-old Bomber center Nick Godfrey notched the second Bomber try to put his team up 10-0 early in the second half. The Lions responded with a converted try to cut the lead to 10-7. Center Joe Mertz made several runs through the Lions backline on the day, and was finally rewarded with a try to put the Bombers up 15-7. The Lions again answered with a try to narrow the lead to 15-12. The Bombers held on as the Lions were camped in their end most of the final minutes. Strong defense sealed the Bomber win as the Whites opened their 2008 season with a 15-12 victory.
Veteran hooker Pat Hess did an excellent job as captain in keeping his youthful teammates focused. The Bombers currently have an abundance of good young talent brewing, and many of these players perfromed well on the day. Prop Tom Klepzig put in his best performance to date with a strong effort in the scrum and around the pitch. Flankers Kyle Manley and Matt Viox were all over the pitch and into everything. #8 Sam Stahnke and halfback Kevin Tucker worked well together at the base of the scrum. Flyhalf Jim Morrison managed the match well with some good decisions and educated kicks. Wing Andrew Bell showed that he is a real threat on the outside, and has the size to go along with his speed. Wing Pat Ryan performed well in his Bomber debut.
The White side reserves did an excellent job of lifting the team in the second half with fresh legs. Props Dan Wachter and Jahaan Ashfaq, hooker Ben Virtue, flankers Kevin Brown and Jim Hoffmann and #8 Alex McPheeters made an impact in the forwards. Backs Scott Wozniak, Chris Wilson, Nick Adams and Woody Woodicker did their part in bringing home the Bomber victory.
Spotted on the sideline were Bomber alumni Vic Miller, Terry Swap, Sterling Hayden, Kurt Kinderfather, Jim Boggeman, Mark Sasser, John Kyle, Sam Lawson, Bob Jones and many more. The active players and coaches certainly appreciate their support and hope to see many more alumni at home matches this season.