Tyler Vanston Awarded Rugby Scholarship

Freshman center/wing Tyler Vanston was recently named one of the inaugural recipients of the Kevin Higgins Scholarship by the United States Rugby Football Foundation. This scholarship is given to standout high school rugby players who pledge to continue their education and rugby in college.

For more information on the Kevin Higgins Scholarship, visit http://www.usrugbyfoundation.org/site/pp.asp?c=9fLHJVOxHmE&b=4040743.

To read more about Tyler, visit http://www.usrugbyfoundation.org/site/pp.asp?c=9fLHJVOxHmE&b=4614111

Coastal Carolina Defeats Wake 24-14

Wake Forest fell to Coastal Carolina 24-14 on Saturday in Conway, SC. After dominating the first 15 minutes of the match, Wake took a 7-0 lead after senior wing Critter Commins finished off a nice series of phases with a try under the posts which was converted by junior flyhalf JD Harrison. Coastal then began to dictate the style of play, using a very forwards oriented attack which led to a try in the corner that was uniquely converted with a toeball from Coastal's lock. Coastal continued to exert their smashmouth style of play throughout the remainder of the half and looked to threaten the Wake tryline on numerous occasions but were turned away by strong defense from the Demon Deacons. As the half wound to a close, Wake found an offensive spark and moved the ball inside the Coastal 22 meter line. On a defensive 5 meter scrum, Wake's forwards, who won the scrum all afternoon, stole the put in and #8 Timo Kawira picked off the base of the scrum and touched down near the corner. Harrison made good on the difficult conversion and Wake went into the break up 14-7.

The second half belonged almost exclusively to Coastal as Wake was unable to ever establish an offensive rhythm. Three tries by Coastal, one being converted, sealed the match for the Chanticleers as Wake was unable to put any points on the board in the second stanza.

While Wake showed promise during this match, it was an overall poor performance by a team that has high expectations for the spring league season. Wake's league rivals ECU, Appalachian State and NC State are performing extremely well this fall, meaning that Wake will need to raise its level of play if it hopes to repeat the success of its initial Division II season in which it finished second in the South.

One huge positive for Wake was the performance of its second side, which tied Coastal 14-14. The first Wake try was scored by freshman Charlie Crockett, while the second try was a penalty try awarded after freshman Jeff Millar was high tackled by a Coastal player on a breakaway. A number of Wake second siders will likely see significant action next weekend with the first side as Wake faces off against Clemson in Winston-Salem. Kickoff is currently scheduled for 1pm on Poteat Field.

Wake v. UNC Cancelled

After two days of steady rainfall in Winston-Salem, Wake Forest's scheduled Saturday matches with the University of North Carolina were cancelled. A waterlogged Poteat Field was not going to be able to withstand two full matches of rugby, so Wake informed Carolina that only one match would be able to be played on Saturday. Wake offered to play either a first side or second side match, but Carolina indicated strong preference to play two matches. Efforts were made to reschedule the match for Sunday, but Carolina had significant player availability issues that prevented that rescheduling. Wake and UNC will likely face off later this season in either the North Carolina Rugby Union Tournament on Oct. 25-26 or in the Atlantic Coast Invitational on January 17-18. Additionally, the Tar Heels have agreed to travel to Winston-Salem on January 31 for a preseason friendly prior to the start of league play for both teams.

Wake Forest will travel to Myrtle Beach, SC next weekend to play Coastal Carolina University. Kickoff for the first side match is scheduled for 12pm with a second side match to follow.

Wake Falls From Rankings

After opening the season ranked #20 in the county in Division II by erugbynews.com, Wake Forest has fallen from the rankings, the victim of not having yet played a first side match while other teams around the country are in full swing. Wake can regain its spot in the rankings with a solid showing against the University of North Carolina this Saturday. UNC is a Division I team who last year finished third in the South D1 competition. UNC opened its season last weekend with a sloppy 12-8 victory over North Carolina State but is sure to be playing improved rugby this weekend against the Demon Deacons. The match kicks off at 12pm on Saturday at Poteat Field. A second side match will follow.

Seven Wake Players Named to All-Star Team

Seven Wake Forest players were named to the North Carolina Rugby Union Men's College All-Star team after a tryout was held this past weekend in Chapel Hill on the University of North Carolina campus. The team is coached by Andy Richards, the UNC head coach, and will play in the South College All-Star Championship on Nov. 1 in Greenville, SC. The players who made the team are:

Kenton Forte, Junior, Prop
Matt Storck, Sophomore, Prop
Christian Jewett, Junior, Lock
Ross Hilton, Junior, Lock
Timo Kawira, Senior, #8
Drew Legge, Senior, Scrumhalf
Ben Cohen, Freshman, Wing

Last year six Wake players made the team, including Jewett, Storck, and Kawira. They finished second in the tournament, beating Georgia and then losing in the final to the Mid-South (Tennessee and Arkansas).

Wake Defeats Davidson 18-17

In a sloppy game between two inexperienced sides, the Wake Forest second side defeated Davidson 18-17 on a beautiful Saturday afternoon on the Davidson campus. Davidson opened the scoring early with an unconverted try as Wake Forest looked completely out of sorts. But the Wake forwards settled down, lead by the solid play of captain Dave Poplaski and freshman flanker Brendan Shea, and Wake eventually responded with a try of its own when flyhalf JD Harrison lofted a perfect kick to the corner where it was gathered in and touched down by freshman outside center Ben Cohen. The touchline conversion fell short, but Harrison was good with the boot on penalty goals twice more before half and Wake went into the break up 11-5.

Davidson scored another unconverted try to start the second half and cut the lead to 11-10, but Cohen responded by matching his second try of the day after a solid individual effort where he chipped over the Davidson defenders into the tryzone and then outpaced the defense to touch down. Harrison converted to put Wake ahead 18-10. Davidson responded with another try, this one converted, to close the gap to 18-17. The Wake defense then held on for the final ten minutes as Davidson pressured hard to win the match and the final whistle blew with Wake inside their own 22 and on their heels.

In all it was a great day of rugby and Wake showcased some impressive depth as no fewer than 26 players took the field for the Demon Deacons with at least a dozen playing their first ever official rugby match.

Wake is next in action on Saturday against the University of North Carolina, who escaped with a 12-8 win over NC State on Saturday. Both a first and second side match will be played. Kickoff for the first side match is at noon on Poteat field.

Wake Open Season Against Davidson on Saturday

Wake Forest will kick off its fall exhibition season with a match against Davidson College, in Davidson, NC. Kickoff is scheduled for 2pm. Wake will be fielding its second side against the Division III Wildcats, who are in the process of ressurrecting their program.