Mystic River 64 | Hartford Wanderers 12
Hartford travelled to Mystic on Saturday to play last season’s league champions. Sometimes in the sporting arena you have to hold your hand up and admit that you were beaten by a better side on the day and Saturday was one of those occasions. The opening 25 minutes of the game was one way traffic, as Mystic clinically executed their gameplan with a pace and precision that Hartford couldn’t counter. Despite Hartford showing 100% commitment in the tackle, the constant waves of attack and fast recycling of the ball at the breakdown led to the defense being over-stretched and breached on a number of occasions and enabled Mystic to go in at the half 45-0 up. However, with pride to play for, Hartford came out after halftime determined to have an impact on the game and narrowly lost the second half 19-12, with tries from Brian Grzelka and Kurt Link and a conversion from Jeff Drogosek. The second half was a much better reflection of Hartford’s capabilities but, by then, they had succumbed to the first half onslaught by the home side. Despite the heavy defeat, a couple of Hartford players in particular warrant a mention. Matt McPartland led the defensive battle, never taking a backward step and finishing with 18 tackles, while Brian Sheridan narrowly finished behind his team-mate with 17 tackles and was offering himself as a forward runner throughout.
A side lineup:
1. Will Ertel
2. Sam Giovannini
3. Tom McAuley (Jake Diltz)
4. Brian Sheridan
5. Mike Scanlon (Chris Ziggy)
6. Sam Brown
7. Matt McPartland
8. Brian Grzelka
9. Mike Knowles
10. Scott Truss (Tyler Kania)
11. Long Lin (DJ Plis)
12. Kurt Link
13. Frank Colaninno (Nick Vargas)
14. Tackeem Cleary (Frank Lionheart)
15. Jeff Drogosek
B side: The B side game was almost a carbon copy of the A side’s game, but in reverse. Hartford conceded an early try but, otherwise, put Mystic under a lot of pressure in the first half with Mike Patrizz and Carvo particularly destructive in the tackle areas. With Tyler Kania pulling the strings at 10 and the backline looking dangerous in space, it came as no surprise when Nick Vargas, Jake Diltz and Tackeem Cleary all crossed for tries, with one being converted by Frank Lionheart. Despite the parity on the field, Mystic always managed to stay ahead on the scoreboard and a couple of tries as the half closed, had the home side leading 31-17 at the break. Unfortunately, the second half was more like the A side’s first half, as Mystic were able to bring on a number of fresh players, while Hartford’s injury list mounted, and the home side ran away with the game in the latter stages. The one highlight, though, was DJ Plis’ solo try, where he beat a number of defenders with quick feet and a chip over to score Hartford’s only try of the half.
1. Kevin Potter
2. Dillon Quadrato (Nigel Hill)
3. Jake Diltz
4. Ted Fisher (Joe ?????????)
5. Corey George
6. Carvo
7. Mike Patrizz
8. Ziggy
9. Ryan Joanis
10. Tyler Kania
11. Ed Charamut
12. Frank Lionheart
13. Nick Vargas
14. DJ Plis
15. Tackeem Cleary