May 5:  MUSTANGS WIN PLAYOFF OPENER AGAINST NORTH MECK! Myers Park played their first playoff game this past Saturday against a very physical North Meck team. After a rash of injuries from the previous game, the Myers Park squad played without many of starters and had to look to some first year players to fill the gaps. Special recognition goes out to Andrew Synder, Chandler Headen, and Jacob Ford for making their first starts, and more impressively, they are all first year players that earned this opportunity through hard work.

Both Myers Park and North Meck started the game off strongly, looking to advance in the hunt for a state championship. North Meck used strong rucking and strong wing play to break out to a 5-0 lead early into the game. Myers Park kept within calm and used strong forward play to come back to take a 14-5 lead going into halftime. Despite some imposing forwards on the North Meck squad, Myers Park dominated the lineouts and scrums, and would continue this throughout the remainder of the game. The second half began as the first half had ended, with Myers Park dictating pace of play. Each team played hard, knowing that the loser's season was over, and each team's determined play resulted in points. In the end, Myers Park defeated North Meck by a score of 26-10, and will move on to play Union County Lions in the semi-finals of the state playoffs next weekend. The Myers Park backs started to show signs of better play in this game by displaying good ball support, better rucking, and some excellent offload passing. This improved play in the backs will be needed to advance in the playoffs.

The Myers Park team would like to send our best wishes to the North Meck player injured at the end of the game. Here's hoping that he makes a quick recovery.

THE MUSTANGS LOSE TO EAST CHAPEL HILL   Myers Park was defeated by East Chapel Hill 35-0 in the A-side game, and 3-0 in the B-side game.

GAME SATURDAY! Our first playoff game has been announced to be against North Meck at 11:30. Please see the calendar for more details.


RUGBY DEFEATS UNC-CHAPEL HILL 29-15:  On Saturday, April 13, a mixed Myers Park side of A and B players accepted an invitation to have a rematch with UNC-CH's "Killer B's" at Carolina's rugby field. The game kicked off at noon, and UNC looked like a team determined to rectify a 0-0 draw from earlier in the season. UNC played a very technical game in the backs with an assortment of switches, dummies, and skip passes; many times, overloading the strong side with loose forwards. Myers Park responded with a "bend, but don't break" defense that saw a handful of UNC players make promising breaks, but were tackled before scoring. The constant defensive pressure applied by UNC resulted in shaky decision-making by the Myers Park, and this resulted in a 15-0 deficit going into halftime for Myers Park.

The second half saw a Myers Park team that turned up the concentration and intensity, determined to erase the deficit and get a victory. Just as in the first half, play was in the middle 50% of the field and the intensity was high. The Myers Park forwards started to take charge and used the maul to eat up large chunks of field. The play by the forwards began to open up the field for the backs, and this resulted in promising breaks downfield. The determined play by Myers Park began to wear down UNC, and began resulting in points. With play beginning to stay in UNC's side of the field, Myers Park eventually took a 17-15 lead in the game with a penalty kick. The strong play continued from there, but with time running out and Myers Park in the lead 22-15, UNC began a promising last push to finish the game with a draw. In the last play of the game, strong defensive pressure from Myers Park resulted in a 3/4 field run from CJ Christianson for game clinching try. UNC was kind enough to name Myers Park's Travis Connor as the man of the game. We appreciate their hospitality and hope to continue this relationship into future seasons.


RUGBY SOUNDLY DEFEATS  WEST MECK 34-10 March 15, 2008:  The A-side played a league match this morning against West Meck and came away with a 34-10 victory. Myers Park came out of the gate and had control of the match with two early scores. Mental lapses and silly penalties prevented the team from putting the game out of reach, and West Meck used its size and speed to grind their way back into the game with a 12-10 score going into halftime. Clinging to an uncomfortable lead after one half of play, the team made a strong effort to regain their focus and retake control of the game. The team focus did not come immediately after the second half kickoff, allowing West Meck to continue with the style of play that got them back into the game. However, after a few minutes of nervous play, Myers Park slowed down the pace of play and imposed its style of play on West Meck. The change of pace resulted in a flurry of Myers Park tries, and a comfortable margin of victory.


RUGBY WINS BIG AGAINST POWERHOUSE CHARLOTTE CATHOLIC
Both the A side and B side come up with big wins against Charlotte Catholic.  Friday night's games under the lights at Charlotte Catholic delighted the large crowd and both squads gave a lot of reason to cheer, especially if you're a Myers Park fan!  The A side defeated Charlotte Catholic 10-5.  The B side totally dominated the entire game, defeating Charlotte Catholic 22-3.