Wake Forest bested the Myrtle Beach men's club 38-36 in a scrimmage today in Conway, SC. Myrtle Beach, fielding many players from the defending Division 3 Collegiate National Champions Coastal Carolina University, jumped all over Wake in the opening minutes. Myrtle Beach dominated the point of contact and looked to be the physically superior team as they ran out to a 19-0 lead with only 13 minutes gone in the match. Wake looked to be in for a long day, and things looked even bleaker when senior captain Mike Wills was forced to leave the field with an injury. But the Wake forwards began to match the physicality of the Myrtle Beach side and improved rucking set a good platform for the Demon Deacon backline. The result was three tries by freshman fullback Johnny McMurray in the second quarter of the match and when the halftime whistle blew, Wake was back in the game trailing 19-17.
Wake opened the second half where it left off the first, with the forwards rucking hard and allowing the backline clean ball with which to attack. Senior center David Sage went over under the posts, followed by a 50 meter scamper for a try by sophomore flyhalf Brendan Shea. With less than 15 minutes remaining in the contest, Wake held a commanding 31-19 lead. Myrtle Beach was not done, however, and as the Wake forwards tired from going toe to toe with the powerful opposing pack, Myrtle Beach ran on some fresh legs and big bodies and bullied over another try to bring the score to 31-24. Wake answered back with a fantastic backline movement around midfield which led to a try from sophomore wing Brandon Turner. The conversion by McMurray put the score at 38-24. Again however, Myrtle Beach exploited gaps left by a fatigued Wake defense and two late tries brought the score to 38-36. Myrtle Beach pressured again, but came up just short and the final whistle blew with Wake clinging to a two point advantage.
Wake opened the second half where it left off the first, with the forwards rucking hard and allowing the backline clean ball with which to attack. Senior center David Sage went over under the posts, followed by a 50 meter scamper for a try by sophomore flyhalf Brendan Shea. With less than 15 minutes remaining in the contest, Wake held a commanding 31-19 lead. Myrtle Beach was not done, however, and as the Wake forwards tired from going toe to toe with the powerful opposing pack, Myrtle Beach ran on some fresh legs and big bodies and bullied over another try to bring the score to 31-24. Wake answered back with a fantastic backline movement around midfield which led to a try from sophomore wing Brandon Turner. The conversion by McMurray put the score at 38-24. Again however, Myrtle Beach exploited gaps left by a fatigued Wake defense and two late tries brought the score to 38-36. Myrtle Beach pressured again, but came up just short and the final whistle blew with Wake clinging to a two point advantage.
The scrimmage was another positive step for Wake in its 2009-2010 preseason, as it eventually fronted up against a very physical side and looked very strong in the set pieces and rucks. Senior flanker Trent Justice stood out on the day with his tireless work around the field at the breakdowns. Meanwhile, the Wake backline weathered the loss of its leader Mike Wills early on and made linebreak after linebreak for long-range tries. Wake will continue to work on its overall game plan and pattern of play as it prepares for a fun Homecoming weekend which will feature matches against the Wake Forest Rugby Alumni and the Charlotte Barbarians men's club. Kickoff for the Alumni Match will be at 12pm on Saturday at Poteat Field, followed immediately by the match with the Barbarians.Wake Lineup vs Myrtle Beach
1. Nick Conte (So.)
2. Chris Ryan (So.)
3. Ken Forte (Sr.)
4. Christian Jewett (Sr.)
5. Ross Hilton (Sr.)
6. Justen Robinett (So.)
7. Trent Justice (Sr.)
8. Jeff Millar (So.)
9. Will Hank (So.)
10. Brendan Shea (So.)
11. Tyler Vanston (So.)
12. Mike Wills (Sr.)
13. David Sage (Sr.)
14. Brandon Turner (So.)
15. Johnny McMurray (Fr.)
16. Perry Salvagne (Sr.) (on @ 15 for Wills)
17. Devin Henry (Jr.) (on @ 60 for Conte)
18. Barrett Corrigan (Fr.) (on @ 70 for Ryan)
19. Jon Coates (Fr.)
20. James Jeffrey (Fr.)
Unavailable
Mike Duffy (Sr.)
Hunter Lostan (Jr.)
Matt Storck (Jr.)
Clay Robinson (Jr.)
Ben Cohen (So.)
Charlie Crockett (So.)
Drew Mehrmann (Fr.)
Tommy Hopkins (Fr.)
Michael Guju (Fr.)
Ty Pierce (Fr.)
Billy Caster (Fr.)
Tries: McMurray (3); Sage; Shea; Turner
Conversions: McMurray (4)
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