Bombers over Fort Worth 66-5
Headed to West "Final 4"

Saturday, April 17, 2004

 
Temperatures were pushing 90 degrees in St. Louis and the pitch was so hard and dry that the earth was literally cracking. Was it an ideal day for a big rugby match? One team thought so. It was the Bombers that heated up for ten tries and a 66-5 victory. It was Ft. Worth that cracked under the relentless pressure from the much fitter and faster Bombers.

It looked to be an exciting, close match in the beginning as both sides traded attacks only to be stopped by stingy defense. But one could sense the dam was about to break as play became increasingly one-sided in favor of the Bombers.

Fullback and former Eagle Chris Schlereth scored in the corner after stretching Ft. Worth's defense to the limits through several phases to start the onslaught. Center Brian Meyer finished off another sideline to sideline adventure that began with Schlereth's quick throw in to himself at midfield. Halfback Brian Lay next dotted down after a heavy build up of punishing runs from the potent Bomber forwards. Ft. Worth capitalized on one of the few Bomber mistakes and applied some pressure of their own near the St. Louis line and #9 Ryan Love scored his team's only points on the day. Inside center John Ruzicka's intercept try just before the half dealt a severe blow to Ft. Worth's spirit and hopes. The Bombers lead was 24-5 at the half.

The second spell was all one way traffic for St. Louis. Lock Hayden Mexted scored two tries by shredding the defense with his signature rampaging runs. Wings Chris Welch and Steve Bosse did their jobs and finished off three more tries that began with the big men putting the defense on their heels. Center Brian Meyer out-sprinted the speedy Michael Harvey to score his second on the day and seal a convincing victory for St. Louis.

Bomber flankers Shaun Tegethoff and Alex McPheeters were outstanding in their tackling and support. Loosehead Scott "Bowling Ball" Lay lived up to his nickname again as he pummeled Ft. Worth's defense repeatedly to set the table for many of the Bomber's tries. Captain John McBride and hooker Dan Hartwig were also very active around the park.

St. Louis coach Ron Laszewski commented: "That was a great effort on a grueling day. We were able to get the job done by the 60 minute mark. We did the simple things well and kept the pace up and were rewarded with a good win. Today's playing conditions will be identical to what we'll see down in Texas in a couple weeks, so it was a productive afternoon."

The Bombers travel to Fort Worth, TX April 30th to compete in the Western Rugby Union "Final 4" Championship. If the Bombers finish 1st or 2nd they will travel to Grand Rapids, MI to compete in the USA Rugby "Sweet 16" the weekend of May 14th. The USA Rugby final four will be held in Pittsburgh, PA the weekend of June 4th.