Bobcats Compete in North Country Tourneys to Start Spring Season
Potsdam, NY ~ The Paul Smith's College men's rugby team traveled to the north country over the past two weekends to take part in a pair of rugby 7s tournaments in Potsdam, NY.
Last weekend's Clarkson 7s Mud Dog Tournament gave the Bobcats their first win as they defeated the Clarkson B team 24-17. Some great ball movement and solid defense allowed the team to regroup after a 50-0 defeat in the first game to the Clarkson A team. The final match of the day against SUNY Oswego's A team started well, with the Bobcats jumping out to a 5-0 lead. But injuries and sickness took their toll and the Lakers came back to win 25-5.
Tyler Stegina (Deep River, NY), Gianni Santonastaso (Hillsboro, NJ), Quinn Barbeau (Pownal, VT), Tristan Klotz (Frankfort, NY), and Jack Bricca-Hall (Midland Park, NJ) all scored trys for the Bobcats, while Bricca-Hall made two conversions for four points.
This weekend's SUNY Potsdam Kickin Chicken 7s Tournament resulted in two more wins as the team finished 2-3 on the day.
The first game saw Paul Smith's College take down Hobart 19-5. Two subsequent losses to Clarkson 32-12 and SUNY Plattsburgh 19-7 were followed up by the Bobcats' second win of the day, a convincing 25-10 drubbing of SUNY Potsdam. Their fifth and final match was a 39-0 defeat to Clarkson as the long day of rugby had an affect on the team's longevity.
The Bobcats were able to get some new players on the pitch which led to valuable experience and much-needed action. Scoring tries for the Bobcats were Nolan Gardner (Rossie, NY), Noah Heil (Groton, CT), Porter Wood (Malone, NY), Jaquan Wright, Barbeau, Klotz, and Santanostaso. Bricca-Hall was terrific with kicks, hitting five of seven conversions for 10 points on the day.
The team travels to Hamilton College next weekend for rugby 10s. You can follow the men's rugby team on Instagram at @pscmensrugby or follow the Paul Smith's College Athletics account at @smitty_nation for scores, highlights, pictures, and much more!
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