Bouncing Back Big
by: Jonny Rea
Atlanta Old White played its second consecutive home matrix match on Saturday, this time taking care of business against Greenville. Greenville travelled well and played a vastly improved style of rugby since Old White defeated them on the road in the fall. Old White appears to have improved as well, as it was another lobsided game, with the hometown team winning 64-17.
Old White played their system well and opportunities opened for tries to be scored by players all over the pitch. However, Atlanta will look to get back to the defensive effort we saw last week, when they gave up just 3 more points to the first-placed Renegades.
Tries were scored by Tim Acker, Zach Jessell, Gio Douyon (2), Caleb Lindsay, Jarryd Dick, Be’john Baker, Mitch Shea, Austin Fernandez, and Mike Young. Acker was 4-for-5 on conversions, while Old White debutant Pierre Wansbury was 3-for-5.
Caleb Lindsay was selected Man of the Match for his forceful defense, strong running, and constant motor. The props named Zach - McAfee and Jessell - shared the Golden Meatball Award for their dynamic play in the forward pod structure, particularly in one instance where a loop was allegedly performed, leading to a try. The roster was:
Zach McAfee
Mitch Shea
Zach Jessell
Derek Grant
Adam Satz
Caleb Lindsay
Be’John Baker
Joe Christian
Jarrett Gartin
Jarryd Dick
Mike Young
Austin Fernandez
Tim Acker
Gio Douyon
Joshua Federico
CJ Anderson
Jose Barrera
Lucas Obara
Eric Ombasa
Alejandro Ospina
Pierre Wansbury
Derrick Keyoga
Sam Ngethe
Atlanta’s D3 side took on an old familiar opponent on Saturday, High Country. High Country came out strong and played their usual brand of well-rounded D3 rugby, but Old White met the challenge well. Although they were not able to come out on top, the home team is showing improvement week to week and put together a lot of really solid rugby.
Tries were scored by Zach Miller, Sheldon Kelly, Harrison Duncan, and Mike Williams. Miller was 3-for-4 on conversions, and was also selected as Man of the Match for his leadership and direction on the pitch. The roster was:
Darian Blanchard
Miguel Olivier
Tim Moody
Ken Korcak
Taner Guven
Zach Price
Tune Ashaka
Brandon Corbitt
Harrison Duncan
Zach Miller (c)
John Correa-Eagle
Sheldon Kelly
Harlan Faddis
David Goosens
Ike Owens
Matt Vera
Mike Williams
Michael Annis
Shaquille Desouza
Menelik Zafir
UP NEXT: An Alabama double-header. This time it’s all friendly, as D2 takes on the University of Alabama and D3 will face Birmingham. Both matches will be at home again.
