Your Denver Water Dogs kicked off the fall season with a statement victory against the Wichita Barbarians at Cook Park on Saturday, August 24th. Braving the late-August heat to deliver a resounding 59-29 result, the Dogs reclaimed the prestigious I-70 Cup and avenged the combined Dogs/Oklahoma City squad that lost at Wichita in April.
In a nod to their Misfits heritage, the Water Dogs spent the first several weeks of August roaming the public parks of Denver and Glendale in search of open practice space. Undeterred by the challenges of this itinerant lifestyle, the Dogs booted up on Saturday with a squad of more than 30 players, blending experienced heads with exciting new talent. Head coach Scotty Smith and backs/skills coach Kevin Mann ran the show from pitchside, waiting to see whether any of their sage guidance and masterful tactical planning had actually stuck in the players’ heads. Giddy fans packed themselves shoulder to shoulder along the touchline to cheer the return of Water Dogs rugby.
Led by props Duncan Frost and Zack Jessell, the Denver pack asserted its dominance early on. Splintering the Wichita forwards at scrum after scrum, the Big Dogs established a strong platform for the back line commanded by debutant Tyler Ingram at fly-half. The relentless pressure kept the ball in Wichita’s half for most of the first 20 minutes. Although the Barbarians drew first blood, capitalizing on a turnover with a clever counterattack that resulted in a run in under the goalposts, the Dogs responded with a pair of their own tries to claim the lead, including a glorious score for the forwards as they mauled off a 5-meter lineout and muscled over the whitewash. An unfortunate head injury to skipper Chris Wiessing resulted in scrum-half Trevor Wilder assuming the captaincy late in the first half, and after a few more tries to each side, the Dogs entered the halftime break with the lead.
With the relaxed rules of an exhibition match, the Water Dogs took advantage of their depth and swapped in a nearly full set of fresh players for the second half, including first-time Doggies Nick Zinn, Allen Gonzalez-Lopez, and Matt “Alamo” Anglin. As heat and fatigue started to take their toll later into the afternoon, the Dogs’ discipline began to falter and ultimately resulted in a yellow card, allowing Wichita to start clawing their way back into the match. Yet the relentless Dogs scrum retained its supremacy, and at the second-half water break, both teams agreed to move to uncontested scrums for player safety—a disappointment for the shove-lovin’ big boys in purple, but a clear psychological victory that ushered in a second wind for the Denver side. Despite losing what had been one of their most powerful weapons throughout the match, this mental boost steeled the Dogs to deliver a strong final 15 minutes, sealing the win.
The Water Dogs thank Wichita for making the long drive out, contesting a well-fought match, and rising to the occasion of a rowdy Pitbull AKA Mr. Worldwide AKA Mr. 305-themed social. Our heartfelt thanks go as well to the many fans that turned out to support, proving that the Dog pack rolls much deeper than the 15 men on the pitch. We look next to our first league match on September 7th against the Denver Barbarians, where the Water Dogs will seek to follow up with another victory and start staking their claim to the top of the table.
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