May 05, 2002 - Brentwood "A" Finally takes title as State Champions

Murfreesboro, TN- The final matched Brentwood A against Murfreesboro Oakland. Brentwood had stopped the Fighting Irish from Father Ryan 40-0 in a semi final match with Oakland edging Knoxville Bearden 20-17 in the other.

Brentwood’s size and quickness to the breakdown would make the difference in the Cup Championship. Brentwood A got on the board just a few minutes into the match after going weak off a 5-meter scrum with wing David Ellis touching down in the corner for a 5-0 lead. About 20 minutes into the half, the ball went wide to Ellis and he cut back inside before dishing to fullback Trammel Hoehn who zipped into the try zone. But touch judge Keith Burnett had spotted a penalty and referee Jerry McLemore called the try back because of obstruction. But four minutes later the Brumbies would get their score as flanker Kevin Hartley burst through the heart of Oakland’s defense off a lineout. Hartley cut back left and outran Mud Dog fullback Josh Yates to touch down. Inside center Jon Deveau’s conversion put Brentwood up 12-0.

Just after the second half started, Deveau was yellow-carded for an infraction as the Brumbies were backed up near their try zone and Oakland took advantage as prop Brandon Zimmerman crashed through for a score to make it 12-5. Both teams slugged it out through the rest of the game but couldn’t breach the defenses. Deveau’s penalty kick with six minutes left ended the scoring at 15-5.

Hartley was chosen the Cup division’s Most Valuable Player.

A-panel referee McLemore said the difference in play between the 2001 and 2002 championship games was very noticeable, with this year’s game flowing right from the beginning instead of being a stop-start affair.

Brentwood A
1-Chapman / 2-Ura / 3-Sullivan / 4-Abernathy / 5-Bratton / 6-Cohen / 7-Hartley / 8-Leper
9-Easterday / 10-Woods / 11-Ellis / 12-Deveau / 13-Jones / 14-Bledsoe (a) / 15-Hoehn
a-Owens at 30 minutes

Murfreesboro Oakland
1-Zimmerman / 2-Brackeen / 3-Douglass / 4-Wotzkowitz / 5-Handly / 6-Russell / 7-Hannah / 8-Lokits
9-Jordan / 10-Day / 11-Fields / 12-Hill / 13-Pack / 14-Maxfield / 15-Yates (b)
b-McNeese at 55 minutes

Referee: Jerry McLemore (Mid-South)
Touch judges: Keith Burnett, Phil Thielke

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May 05, 2002 - Brentwood "B" Wins Bowl Championship over SMAC's Seymour High

By Pat Dorwin, Sports Writer
The Mountain Press

MURFREESBORO — Led by a strong defense, and helped by Seymour turnovers, Brentwood B defeated Old Blue 28-10 Sunday in the Tennessee High School Rugby League Bowl Championship. The Brumbies scored three first-half tries to lead Seymour 15-10 at the half. Brentwood picked up a couple second-half tries off Seymour errors to seal the win. Brentwood also saw its top side win the Cup Championship with a 15-5 win over Murfreesboro Oakland.

Old Blue got on the scoreboard just a minute into the match Bowl final when fly half Ben Williams booted a 21-meter penalty kick to put Seymour ahead 3-0. At the 6:30 mark of the 35-minute half, Brentwood punted deep downfield. Seymour let the ball bounce and the Brumbies’ Ori Armstrong tipped the ball, gathered it in and burst under the goal posts for an 18-meter try. The conversion missed and it was 5-3. Fourteen minutes into the first half, Brentwood had a lineout deep in Old Blue’s half of the pitch. Seymour stole the lineout and the ball was passed back to Williams in his try zone to attempt to kick the ball downfield and clear pressure. But a Brentwood player blocked the kick and Will Higgins fell on the ball in the try zone for a score and a 10-3 lead. Five minutes later, Seymour outside center Isaac Allen broke a couple of tackles and went on a long run before the ball went out of bounds, setting up a Brentwood lineout. Old Blue stole another lineout ball and forced Brentwood into coming off sides for a penalty. Seymour took a quick tap penalty and Derek Percy burst through the Brumbies’ defense. Percy was tackled and set the ball behind him where Jimmy Collins scooped it up. He wasn’t able to break through the defense, but big Justin “Bear” Whited drove into the maul and pushed the pile of players into the try zone where Collins landed for the score. Williams kicked the conversion to level the scores at 10. With about eight minutes left in the half, Brentwood fly half David Walker scored a try to make it 15-10.

Brentwood added a penalty kick 10:50 into the second half for an 18-10 lead. A few minutes later, a Seymour back was isolated after getting tackled and Walker picked up the turnover and raced in for the try and a 23-10 Brentwood lead. Seymour scrumhalf Josh Clanton helped move Old Blue downfield with a couple of quick taps, but with Seymour just five meters from the try line, an Old Blue player was penalized for playing the ball on the ground with 17 minutes left in the game and Brentwood kicked the penalty downfield. Brentwood’s Brad Echols then went on a 70-meter run before Williams chased him down, made the tackle and picked up the ball and booted it into touch. Toward the end of the match, Walker again picked up a loose ball off a Seymour turnover and raced in for his third try as the Brumbies won 28-10.

Walker was named the Bowl division Most Valuable Player. In the Bowl division semifinals on Saturday, Seymour beat Upperman 36-5 and Brentwood B stopped Knoxville West 18-3.

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May 15, 2002 - MTRC All Conference Team Selected

Brentwood "A" David Ellis - Wing Eric Easterday - Scrum Half Jeff Chapman - Prop Jon Deveau - Inside Center Kevin Hartley - Lock Luke Woods - Fly Half Martin "T" Cox - Lock Matt Sullivan - Prop Micheal Cohen - Flanker Noah Ura - Hooker Trammel Hoehn - Full Back Will Bratton - Lock Brentwood "B" David Walker - Flyhalf Jared Crum - Eight Man Morgan Crigger - Scrumhalf Nathan Quinn - Flanker Nick Maupin - Flanker Father Ryan A.J. Wendell - Scrum Half Blake Shelide - Wing Nathan Mistler - Back Steve Donoghue - Flanker Tommy Ragsdale - Eight Man Franklin Blake Ashwood - Flanker Camp Myers - Flanker Curtis Nolte - Hooker Thomas Hardin - Lock Hillsboro Charles Manning - Eight Man Michael Ferguson - Wing Jonathan Drinkwine - Center Scott Stephens - Wing

Oakland Brandon Lokits - Forward Brandon Zimmerman - Prop Brian Pack - Wing Chris Hill - Inside Center Chris Wotzkwitz - Lock Jimmy Douglass - Prop Josh Yates - Back Kyle Edwards - Full Back Richard Day - Fly Half Riverdale Eric Wheeler - Flanker Kyle Kaker - Wing Louie Torres - Scrum Half Smyrna / LaVergne Brain Castleman - Full Back Chad Barnes - Inside Center Lucas Madorin - Lock Upperman Chris Simpson - Unknown Jimmy Hale - Flanker Michael Sliger - Fly Half Wyatt Arms - Lock Warren County Aubrey Green - Scrum Half Chris Stout - Fly Half Jeff Beechum - Prop Ryan Kesey - Lock Terry Tilton - Wing Travis Shockley - Eight Man

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June 1, 2002 - All State Team Selected

Jeff Pereira - Farragut Noah Ura - Brentwood Thomas Hardin - Franklin Charles Manning - Hillsboro Wayne Chermley - Bearden Camp Myers - Franklin Travis Chadwick - Bearden Tommy Ragsdale - Father Ryan A. J. Wendell - Father Rayn Luke Woods - Brentwood Kyle Edwards - Oakland

Bobby Berry - Bearden Kyle Kaker - Riverdale Blake Sheldie - Father Ryan Trammel Hoehn - Brentwood Dylan Roskop - Bearden Thomas Lilly - Farragut Wyatt Arms - Upperman Nick Maupin - Brentwood Jared Crum - Brentwood Eric Wheeler - Riverdale Chad Barnes - LaVergne

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June 22, 2002 - TN All-State Team Completes Successful Trip for National All-Star Championship

South Bend, Indiana

Indiana vs. Tennessee
The Tennessee High School All Stars played their first game against the Indiana All Stars. AJ Wendell, of Father Ryan, was elected captain of the side on Friday night before the game. The pace of the game was very fast from the start of the game. Early in the game, Tennessee was able to maintain some possession. The referee seemed to be unfriendly toward the Tennessee side throughout the game. Three minutes into the game, Indiana was able to maintain possession and move the ball down the field. Indiana punched the ball in the try zone for the first try of the game under the post. They missed the conversion (0 - 5). After the kick-off, Tennessee came back hard. We were able to maintain possession and were able to achieve some go forward. The rucking and ball possession during this period of the game was outstanding. At the 10-minute mark, Tennessee maintained possession for several phases, achieved go forward, moved the ball to space and Kyle Edwards was able to turn the corner. Kyle outran the Indiana defense to score. Kyle Edwards made the conversion and Tennessee took the lead (7 - 5). After Tennessee took the lead, the referee would not allow us to contest for the ball in breakdowns. We were called for several penalties. At the 20-minute mark, Tennessee was under extreme pressure inside our 22-meter line. We held them out for several phases of attack. Our boys were playing with heart and desire. Indiana was awarded several penalties near the Tennessee goal line. After a penalty we were able to gain possession. We tried to set the ball, but Indiana regained possession and scored under the post. Indiana made the conversion and retook the lead (7 - 12). The game went back and forth for the next 10 minutes. Very late in the half, Indiana scored off a line out movement. Indiana made the conversion to extend the lead (7 - 19) at half time.

Tennessee continued to play hard in the second half with a lot of heart. Neither team was able to gain much of an advantage in the game. The referee would not allow the ball to flow. He continued to stop the flow of the game. The constant whistles did not allow either team to maintain a consistent flow of the game. At the 45-minute mark, Tennessee did a poor job of handling a kick, got caught in possession and Indiana came up with the ball. Indiana had numbers and took the ball in for the only score of the second half. Indiana made the conversion to extend the lead (7 - 26). Tennessee continued to play hard but was unable to mount a serious scoring threat. The game was played in extreme heat that took a lot of energy out of the boys. The Tennessee boys were smaller than the Indiana team but appeared to have more fitness. The game ended with the Final score of Tennessee 7 and Indiana 26.

Luke Woods was awarded the man of the match award from the Indiana side. Overall this was a very good game for the first game as a team. We played well as a team. We showed our inexperience several times which hurt us in scoring opportunities and on defense. Although we lost by 19 points, we were in the game and our boys were not afraid to compete. Speaking for all of the coaches, we were very proud of our play. We played with heart and conducted ourselves as gentlemen on the field.

1. Jeff Pereira (Farragut)
2. Noah Ura (Brentwood)
3. Eric Wheeler (Riverdale), 27 min. Thomas Hardin (Franklin)
4. Wayne Chermley (Bearden)
5. Jerred Crum (Brentwood), 30 min. Wyatt Arms (Upperman)
6. Nick Maupin (Brentwood), 30 min. Camp Meyers (Franklin)
7. Travis Chadwick (Bearden), 30 min. Thomas Lilly (Farragut)
8. Charles Manning (Hillsboro)
9. AJ Wendell (Father Ryan)
10. Luke Woods (Brentwood) (man of Match)
11. Blake Shelide (Father Ryan), 30 min. Kyle Kaker (Riverdale)
12. Chad Barnes (LaVergne), 30 min. Dylan Roskop (Bearden)
13. Bobby Berry (Bearden)
14. Kyle Edwards (Oakland), 30 min. Trammel Hoehn (Brentwood)
15. Trammel Hoehn (Brentwood), 30 min Kyle Edwards (Oakland)

Scoring
Tries- Kyle Edwards
CK- Kyle Edwards

Finial Score: Indiana 26 (vs) Tennessee 7

Michigan vs. Tennessee
Tennessee and Michigan meet in the consolation game of the four-team tournament. Michigan lost to Chicago 12 to 7 to play in the consolation game. From the opening kickoff Tennessee was able to maintain possession and pressure on the Michigan team. 10 minutes into the game, Tennessee was awarded a penalty in front of the post. We missed the kick but maintained the pressure on the Michigan side. At the 15-minute mark, AJ Wendell made a penalty kick to put Tennessee in the lead. Two minutes later, the ball came out of a breakdown and Luke Woods found a gap and ran 60 meter for the first try of the game. The conversion was missed (8 - 0). Tennessee continued to dominate the game. Michigan was not able to maintain possession any length of time. Tennessee maintained possession and kept Michigan under pressure the entire half. At the 29-minute mark, Wayne Chermley stole a line out ball inside the Michigan 22 meter line. Wayne taped the ball to Noah URA who drove the ball forward. Someone on the Tennessee side mauled the ball into the try zone and Noah URA was awarded the try. The conversion was missed and the score was Tennessee 13 and Michigan 0 at half time.

In the second half, Tennessee maintained the pressure on the Michigan side. At the 36-minute mark, Travis Chadwick scooped up a loose ball and set the defender. Travis off loaded the ball to Bobby Berry who score and centered the try. Kyle Kaker made the conversion to extend the lead to 20 to 0. Tennessee maintained the pressure and the Michigan team began to crack. The heat of the day was getting to the Michigan team. They began to take minutes after every play. At the 22-minute mark, AJ Wendell got into a scuffle with the Michigan number 7. I believe the heat was getting to the Michigan team and they were frustrated. Both players received yellow cards. Both teams played with 14 men the remainder of the game. The referee blew the game up early since the Michigan team began to show signs of heat exhaustion. The final score was Tennessee 20 and Michigan 0.

Bobby Berry was awarded the man of the match from the tournament organizers. Travis Chadwick was recognized as setting up the try for Bobby, which won him the man of the match award. Luke Woods was awarded the MVP award by the coaches of the Tennessee All Stars. Gentlemen, this was a very good game for the Tennessee side. We maintained the majority of the possession and controlled the game. Michigan did not mount a serious scoring attempt during the entire game.

1. Jeff Pereira (Farragut)
2. Noah Ura (Brentwood)
3. Thomas Hardin (Franklin)
4. Wayne Chermley (Bearden)
5. Jerred Crum (Brentwood), 30 min. Wyatt Arms (Upperman)
6. Camp Meyers (Franklin), 30 min. Nick Maupin (Brentwood)
7. Travis Chadwick (Bearden)
8. Thomas Lilly (Farragut), 30 min. Charles Manning (Hillsboro)
9. AJ Wendell (Father Ryan)
10. Luke Woods (Brentwood)
11. Blake Shelide (Father Ryan), 30 min. Kyle Kaker (Riverdale)
12. Chad Barns (LaVergne), 30 min. Dylan Roskop (Bearden)
13. Bobby Berry (Bearden) (man of Match)
14. Kyle Edwards (Oakland), 45 min. Blake Shelide (Father Ryan)
15. Trammel Hoehn (Brentwood)

Scoring
Tries- Luke Woods, Noah URA, Bobby Barry
CK- Kyle Kaker
PK- AJ Wendell
Finial Score: Michigan 0 (vs) Tennessee 20

Postscript - Indiana defeated the Chicago team 36 to 0 in the championship. All of the coaches enjoyed the entire Tennessee All Star Rugby experience. I hope all of the boys also enjoyed the experience. We were happy to see over 30 parents and supporters on the sidelines! We were competitive in our first year of having a Tennessee All Star Team. By improving Rugby across the entire league, the level of Rugby will improve across the state and next year we have the goal of winning the Midwest Championship for the South.

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