The Western Warthogs took the University of Puget Sound to the woodshed Saturday, routing the Loggers 63-12 on the turf field next to the Wade King Student Recreation Center.

The Warthogs ran over, through and around the Logger defense to capture the club team’s season opener.

The win put the Warthogs atop the Pacific Northwest Rugby Union standings at 1-0 to start the year.

Leading Western’s barrage of scoring in the 51-point blowout were juniors Gavri Grossman and Matt Colleen and sophomore Robert Boenish, each scoring two 5-point tries. A try is equivalent to a touchdown in American football.

Warthog members Matt Jensen, Austin Colvill, Brian Jensen, Daniel Espinoza-Gonzalez and Josh Lott each added to the team effort with a try of their own.

Western freshman Josh Lott said scoring his first try was an exciting experience.

“The guys were really excited for me,” Lott said. “Rugby is a team sport and I was just in the right place at the right time.”

Warthogs coach Corky Foster said the team played well for the first match of the season.

He said they played a hard-fought, good, clean game.

“Coaches can never really be happy with a team’s performance, but [the players] remembered a lot from last year and played well together,” Foster said. “I learned I like the guys more than I already do. They are very coachable and a great group of guys.”

Foster also said he was excited about the number of players that play in the game.

Typically there are 15 starters and 7 subs, but the Warthogs were able to get 27 players in Saturday’s match.

Team Vice President Colleen said he was satisfied with the team’s performance.

He said for a season opener, the Warthogs are right where they need to be.

“We had a lot of heart out there,” Colleen said. “I didn’t see anyone shying away from tackles or backing down at all.”

Despite the Warthogs’ steamroll victory, team President Brian Jensen said there are kinks that need to be worked out, as typical with any new season.

“Everyone’s individual skills looked good, but we need to start working better as a team,” Jensen said. “We had a lot of guys out there and we were not hurting for subs. We’ve all been training hard and it really paid off.”

Colleen echoed Jensen’s sentiments about the team’s progress.

“We have a lot of work to do,” Colleen said. “Our formations were pretty flat. We also need to work on catching balls and eliminate knock-on penalties.”  

Jensen said he is optimistic for the 2009 season, as the Warthogs have two new coaches, a new style of play and a new attitude for the club.

“We’ve got a new system that we’re working with this year that is going very well,” Jensen said. “Last year was a little less formal; everyone knows what’s going on this year. We have a pre-arranged plan of attack when we go out and play.”

Colleen said he was very excited about the fan turnout for the first match of the season.

 

The Warthogs passed out fliers before the game, and Colleen said approximately 150 people were in attendance.

“We thought it was fantastic how so many people came out to see the game,” Colleen said. “It was so cool to hear the fans roar as we ran down the field.”

The Warthogs’ next match is against Eastern Washington University in Cheney, Wash. on Saturday, Oct. 17, where they will look to continue their hot start of this young season.

Fans will have to wait awhile to watch the Warthogs on their home turf. Their next match in Bellingham is not until Nov. 7, when they butt heads with Seattle University Rugby.

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