Atlanta, GA  April 12, 2008
 
            High Country Rugby’s undefeated season came to an abrupt end Saturday with a home quarterfinal loss to The Montgomery Yellow Hammers.  Unfortunately for the men in blue, the USA South playoffs are knockout, with no chance for redemption this spring. 
 
            High Country jumped out to a rapid 7-0 lead with brilliant individual play by Kevin Stewart who beat at least 6 Yellow Hammers on his way to a 70 meter try.  Several yellow jocks were left on the pitch as Kevin seemed to tap into his old Bronx kick return skills and eventually scoring under the posts for an easy conversion.  Any momentum gained from that try were quickly nullified by Montgomery as they rattled off a total of 29 points before the final whistle.  High Country could only manage one Matt Hernandez PK during that 29 point run.
 
            The story of the game was aggression at the breakdowns.   Hats off to Montgomery for beating us every which way to Sunday at the rucks and mauls.  They had very quick support at their own possessions and were extremely crafty at our breakdowns.  There may have been only a couple times in the match where High Country was able to string 3-4 phases together.  Support play for the ball carrier left a lot to be desired and they took advantage of it. 
 
            To add insult to injury, High Country had to play too much defense and started to wear down in the second half by allowing several unimaginative line breaks to occur against them.  Finally, the back three (FB, W, W) had their worst game of the season and did not seem to support each other in general play, nor did they clear the ball down the pitch.  Field position was horrible in the first half and did not improve much in the 2nd.
 
            However, this coach could not be prouder of his men on this day.  They did not give up even though it was obvious that there was no team energy or continuity.  It was very obvious looking into the eyes of the guys that a special season was coming to an end.  Several players tried taking the team on their backs and tried many tactics to inspire each other.  Unfortunately, as this team “gelled”, they played well together, but also played poorly together as they did on Saturday.  Final score:  Montgomery 29 – High Country 10.
 
            Very enjoyable season with a frustrating end.  We were not outclassed by any opponent and should hold our heads high and train like we want it.
 
Mitch