Double-Header Victory for Water Dogs and Water-Silver-Foxes

The Water Dogs launched their spring campaign in strong form this weekend with victories for both A and B sides against the Highlanders at Jacobs Park. Over 40 players suited up on the warm spring day, featuring a rowdy mix of current Water Dogs, Glendale legends, and Colorado Rush players who all turned out to honor their late teammate in the Jon Snow Memorial match.

The afternoon kicked off with the B-side contest, with a strong turnout of Water D.O.G.s (Da Original Glendales) constituting the spine of the team. Tighthead Scotty Smith repeatedly splintered Highlanders scrums and dented the defensive line with hard carries, Matt Lytle soared in the lineout, and Ryan Lumpia stunned defenders with both his fresh haircut and a series of brutal stiff-arms. In the halfbacks, Kevin Mann sold a wild dummy on his way to setting up a try, while Greg “Stormin’ Mohrman” Mohrman secured a career first by managing to avoid starting any fights. Phil “Superman” White defended his well-earned nickname with another try and several line breaks, and Derek Smith defended flawlessly with 0 missed tackles (from 0 attempted). Brandon Rayburn was a welcome addition to the squad, having traveled all the way up from Texas for the match; just as welcome was Ben Cappa getting through the day with two healthy knees, and the only thing that outshone Greg “Gramp-o” Campo’s luscious locks were his outstanding runs. Current Dogs and Rush players filled out the rest of the side and helped secure a 24-12 victory against the Highlanders’ second string over the course of three 20-minute periods, though with such a hard-hitting squad the result was never really in doubt.

The Water Dogs’ B-side saw several generations of Water Dogs and Rush players unite to deliver a strong victory.

The A-side entered their match focused on bedding in the tactical systems new coaches Mose Timoteo, Ted Browner, and Travis Haugen have installed over the last few weeks. Although the Dogs started slowly, taking the first quarter of the match to find their rhythm and set-piece cohesion, they grew into the match and by halftime had built up a comfortable lead. Though injuries mounted throughout the second half, denting that hard-earned cohesion, the Water Dogs were able to defend their lead and hold out for the win with a 35-25 final scoreline.

The A-side leaned on the systems being installed by the new coaching staff to secure a second win on the day for the Water Dogs.

Though pleased with the victory, the Water Dogs agreed that Saturday’s performance constitutes only a baseline on which they’ll hope to build throughout the season as they look to a matchup with Boulder on April 12th and back-to-back contests against the rival Denver Barbarians on the 19th and 26th.

We thank all Water Dogs members past and present who turned out on the pitch and the sideline, as well as our Colorado Rush teammates who showed out alongside us, and the Denver Onyx for running against us in a couple hotly contested training scrimmages. Spring has sprung, Denver rugby is back, and the Water Dogs are howling for more!

Water Dogs Squad

AJ Anani

Brandon Rayburn

Scott "El Jefe" Smith

Matt "Dinero" Lytle

Marty "Crash" Chenery

James Loehr

Daniel Trump

Ryan Buchanan

Kevin "Hombre a Cargo" Mann

Greg "Stormin' Mohrman" Mohrman

Philip White

Ben Cappa

Adam "Bateador Pesado" Tymn

Derek Smith

Eddie Arvizu

Brandon Neale

Joe "Old School" Bradley

Mike Nugyen

"Million Dollar" Shamus

Chip "The Local Legend" Zodrow

Barrett Weiss

Sam Patterson

Kelab Zewedu

Allen Gonzalez-Lopez

Matt "Alamo" Anglin

Api Api Api

Harrison Howe

Ethan Acton

Jace Jackson

Yared Belay

Rodney Cordova

Andrew "Shazza" Sroczynski

Diego Rao

Zack "The Jessell" Jessell

Heath Ross

Christian "Cappy" Wiessing

Jesse "I Am Engaged" Adelberg

Sean Kilfoyle

Sefo Selevasio

John Ryberg

Francis Goonan

Casey "Stickers" Miller

Harold Hernandez