Whites 24 Kohlfeld Scorpions 22

Saturday, September 24, 2005

 
The Bomber White side notched their second MRFU Cup victory this fall by narrowly defeating the Kohlfeld Scorpions 24-22 in Cape Girardeau, MO. The Whites gutted out the win on a steamy southern Missouri afternoon, while blooding two more newcomers to add to the many Bomber youngsters joining the ranks this season.

Some adept tactical kicking from both sides kept the result in doubt until the final whistle. In what was a seesaw battle, the Bombers got on the board fast as loosehead prop Gio Lafata pounded in a try after only two minutes of play. The always athletic men from Cape came firing right back, setting a good platform after a Bomber turnover. Scorpion flyhalf Alan Nillson split the uprights from 35 meters with a drop goal that was never in doubt. The Scorpions capitalized on another Bomber turnover deep in their own end to dot down their first try of the day, resulting in an 8-5 Scorpion lead. The Bombers bounced back with a converted try with just 4 minutes remaining in the first half as debutante Kevin Brown used a bit of space to taking his opposite number to task and touch down in the corner. Halftime score 12-8 Bombers.

After narrowly being denied on two overloads to start the second half, the Bombers wouldn't be stopped on their third chance as Julius Mingala crossed the tryline to notch another 5 pointer for his side at the 50 minute mark. The Scorpions made good use of a Bomber penalty and some hard running into the fringe defense to score a converted try under the posts, cutting the Bomber lead to 17-15.

After nearly 70 minutes of play in a September sauna, flanker Zach Giljum and No. 8 Chad Tsitovich took a free kick headlong into the heart of the Scorpion forwards with two impressive runs to get within 5 meters of the tryline. Captain Corey Gunnell made good on his mates fine work, sending two defenders reeling as he crashed over the line for a converted try to extend the Bombers lead to 24-15 with 12 minutes left to play. The Scorpions came storming back, scoring another converted try closing the gap to 24-22 with just 5 minutes to play. The Scorpions forays into Bomber territory were thwarted by reserve lock Dan "Big Bird" Aten who stole two crucial Scorpion lineouts in the waning moments of the match to preserve the Bomber 24-22 victory.

Zach Giljum and Chad Tsitovich led the Bombers effort on defense and were tough to drag down in attack on the day, turning in two much needed gritty performances for their side. Hard running center Eric Hinson showed well against his former mates while the ageless Jim Boggeman gave the young Bomber side a boost late in the match with his usual steady service and leadership. Young lock Dan "Big Bird" Aten impressed again with his workrate while displaying plenty of poise in some crucial lineouts late in the match. Kevin Brown and Will Lenz were also solid in their Bomber debuts. Kudos go out to a gutsy Cape team that battled to the end and gave the young Bomber side all they could handle.