14. Andy Wentworth

Brewers Start Out Season on Right Foot
27 September 2014 - Corvallis, OR

The Corvallis Brewers welcomed the Bend Roughriders to town to get their new season underway.  Bend got started at home a week earlier and squeezed by the Salem Spartans 30-25.  Corvallis started the match strong and Bend had a small scoring flurry near the end of the match but the Brewers took the 36-17 victory.

Despite it being the first match for the Brewers they started the match well by keeping the ball alive in the tackle and thwarting Bend's aggressive quick rucking style.  Eventually Ned Stearns broke through for the Brewers first try.  Corvallis kept up the pressure and scored two more tries from Ryan Hanson and Joel Aranda to hold a seemingly comfortable lead of 17-0 with just a quarter of the match played.  Bend then contained possession for most of the rest of the first half with their continual quick rucks and forward runners as Corvallis committed many penalties.  Bend worked their way down the pitch and dotted down at the end of the first half with Corvallis holding the 17-5 lead.

Corvallis seemed pleased with their lead to start the second half and Bend controlled play for the first 10 minutes until Hanson and then Alexander McElfish both broke through for long tries to seemingly put the match away at 31-7.  Bend was not done playing though as they kept pressure on the retreating Brewers defense and struck with 2 tries leaving about 5 minutes left in the match and a score of 31-17.  The Brewers came back with a long run from Aranda who eventually scored in the corner to end the match with a Brewers victory of 36-17.

Bend 17 :: (Tries: 3 -- Conversions: 1-3)

1. Christian Blinn
2. Nicolas Huerta
3. Sean Brady
4. Brandon Christensen
5. Zack Johnson
6. Isaac Kratzer
7. Ben Elliott
8. Dave Takush
9. Shane Card
10. Joe Fradella
11. Andrew Wentworth
12. Jeff White
13. Ned Stearns
14. Joel Aranda
15. Ryan Hanson

Substitutions::  Jamie Anderson, Andrew Futerman, Dave Malone, Josh Merritt, Alexander McElfish, Neil McLain, Richard O'Neil

Salem started the second half with the same offensive game plan as they scored a try from 7 meters out from a pick off the back of a scrum and they led 34-13.  Salem kept the pressure on and scored another try from a multiple phase possession and it once again looked like the match might turn into a blowout as Salem led 39-13.  The Brewers then flipped the switch.  Corvallis picked up the pace of the match and took a long run off of a quick tap penalty into the try zone but failed to force the ball down in goal.  On the ensuing 22 drop out Salem tapped the ball over the line and took off for 50 meters but Corvallis was able to turn the ball over and then work the ball back into Salem territory off of multiple quick tap penalties as Salem was not retreating the required 10 meters.  The ball was worked out to John McCullough who just dotted the ball down in the corner and brought the score to 39-18.  Corvallis continued the pressure as Dylan Riggs created his own offense and zig zagged 70 meters through most of the Salem defense to score an impressive try and Ben Elliott slotted the conversion to shrink the lead to 39-25.  Time was running out and it seemed like a long shot but Corvallis had a chance to pull out the win and then Salem hit right back with a 50 meter run off of the back of a retreating scrum to increase the lead to 46-30.  With about 7 minutes left it looked like the game was over but Corvallis kept up the pressure and a few minutes later Elliott scored a try from the back of a 5 meter scrum to bring the score to 46-35.  Two tries with one conversion would win the match for the Brewers and the momentum and flow of the game was on their side but Salem had the dwindling time left in the match in their corner.  Mike Estis busted through the Spartan defense for a long run and off loaded to the uncovered Eli Goodwin for a try but there was less than a minute left as the score stood at 46-40.  Salem kicked off and Corvallis needed to maintain possession and work the ball down field to win the match but it wasn't to be as Salem was able to steal the ball from a Corvallis ruck and kick into touch to end the match and Salem took the victory 46-40.

Brewers 56 :: (Tries: Joe Fradella 3, Ryan Hanson 2, Mac Baldner, Mike Estis, Mr. Forward, Tim Linn, Dylan Riggs  -- Conversions: Fradella 4-10 -- Drop Goals: Fradella 0-1)
Columbia County 5 :: (Tries: 1 -- Conversions: 0-1)

1. Josh Merritt
2. Eli Goodwin
3. Christian Blinn
4. Tim Linn
5. Caleb Aguiar
6. Baruch Smalley
7. Isaac Kratzer
8. Mac Baldner
9. Andy Wentworth
10. Joe Fradella
11. Andrew Futerman
12. Mike Estis
13. Jordon Guerrero
14. Alan Stanton
15. Ryan Hanson
Substitutions:: Dave Malone, Dylan Riggs

Brewers Take Undefeated Record to San Francisco

4-5 May 2013 - San Francisco, CA

The Corvallis Brewers headed to San Francisco and the Pacific Coast Championship to take on host San Francisco Golden Gate.  Corvallis looked to be a bit over matched as the San Francisco squad was much larger but the Brewers started the game with the upper hand.  Corvallis controlled possession for the first fifteen minutes of the match as Golden Gate continually committed penalty after penalty and their wing was yellow carded for a dump tackle.  The Brewers weren't making much ground until Keegan McAllister scooped up a Golden Gate knock on and went 50 meters for the try.  From there on the Brewers just tried to hold on but the match got out of hand.  SFGG began to control the match and broke through the Brewers defense for 3 unanswered tries.  Then SFGG's penalty problems surfaced once again until Corvallis was able to move the ball deep into Golden Gate territory, they were hit with another penalty and Shane Card quick tapped and burrowed under the defense to bring the score to 21-12.  Golden Gate kept the pressure on scoring another try and went into half time with a 26-12 lead.
Early in the second half Golden Gate put a couple of more tries on the board until Corvallis was finally able to break through with a nicely worked try of their own as Ryan Hanson made a break and offloaded to Shane Potter who took the ball forward and passed back inside to Tito Williams was able to dot down with some help from fellow Brewers pushing him over the line.  Corvallis' undefeated season ended with the 50-17 defeat but there was a rematch with Budd Bay slated for Sunday morning.

1. Joe Hogland
2. Yonatan Weiss
3. Chris Perkins
4. Jamie Anderson
5. Brandon Christensen
6. Mike Estis
7. Mac Baldner
8. Justin Vaughn
9. Shane Card
10. Jake Jones
11. Dylan Riggs
12. Sean Clark
13. Keegan McAllister
14. Kieran McCullough
15. Ryan Hanson

Substitutions::  Dave Dickson, Ben Elliott, James Holmes, Andy Lunsmann, Josh Merritt, Shane Potter, Andy Wentworth, Tito Williams 

Brewers 17 (Tries: Keegan McAllister, Shane Card, Tito Williams -- Conversions: Jake Jones 1-3)
SFGG 50 (Tries: 8 -- Conversions: 5-8)

Corvallis and Budd Bay were set for a rematch and each team dragged their remaining healthy bodies out on the pitch for what would be a better than expected match.  Both squads were disappointed to be playing in the losers bracket and the sunshine from Saturday was hiding behind the Sunday clouds.  Budd Bay controlled the first half of the match and overwhelmed the Corvallis scrum.  Although the ball traveled around the field the only scoring was an unconverted try by Budd Bay midway through the first half.  Budd Bay continued to control the match but couldn't put any points on the board.  On the last play of the first half, Shane Potter took a turn over ball and weaved through the Budd Bay defense for 60 meters and just beat the covering Budd Bay fullback to the corner for the try and Jake Jones slotted the conversion from the touch line and Corvallis went into half time with a 7-5 lead.
The Brewers started to turn the game around in the second half as more possession and more equal scrummaging lead to a try as Justin Vaughn quick tapped on a penalty and made a long break away as Budd Bay just couldn't catch up and Corvallis stretched the lead to 12-5.  Corvallis continued to command the game until Jake Jones broke through several defenders from a 5 meter scrum to score a try and Corvallis had a solid 17-5 lead.  Near the end of the match Corvallis tacked on another try as several Brewers kept the ball alive along the touch line and offloaded to Ben Elliott who scampered in from 30 meters out and the Brewers were victorious 24-5. Corvallis ends the season with just one blemish, Champions of the Pacific Northwest and third place in the Pacific Coast.

1. Josh Merritt
2. Yonatan Weiss
3.Joe Hogland
4. Christian Blinn
5. Brandon Christensen
6. Ben Elliott
7. Tito Williams
8. Justin Vaughn
9. Adam Scouse
10. Kieran McCullough
11. Dylan Riggs
12. Dave Dickson
13. Ryan Hanson
14. Andy Wentworth
15. Jake Jones

Substitutions:: Jamie Anderson, Mac Baldner, James Holmes, Shane Potter

Brewers 24 (Tries: Shane Potter, Justin Vaughn, Jake Jones, Ben Elliott -- Conversions: Jake Jones 2-4)
Budd Bay 5 (Tries: 1 -- Conversions: 0-1)

Brewers Kareem Their Way to the PNRFU Championship

20-21 April 2013 - Bend OR

The Corvallis Brewers took an unblemished record into the Pacific Northwest Championship playoffs with the goal of going home Champions.  They would need to battle Battleground on Saturday and then take on Saturday's winner of Salem vs. Budd Bay.  The Brewers had been slightly more than one year removed since their last lost, to Budd Bay in the 2012 version of this championship weekend.

Corvallis came out on Saturday against Battleground with a mixed lineup and the goal to use all 28 allowed players on the roster over two days to win two tough games over the weekend.  The Brewers and Battleground started off slowly with each team feeling the other out until the Brewers exploded with a barrage of scoring.  Joe Fradella started it all off with a break through the middle of the Battleground defense and Corvallis took the lead 7-0.  Four minutes later Jake Jones nailed a penalty kick off of a high tackle on Fradella and Corvallis had a 10-0 lead.  A few minutes later the Brewers were back in scoring range and David Liebe carried the ball crushing a Battleground defender and Craig Harter picked the ball up from the ensuing ruck and dove over for a try giving the Brewers a 17-0 lead.  Corvallis stayed on the offensive with Mac Baldner scoring a supporting try off of break aways from Fradella and Ned Stearns.  Liebe made another strong run but this time he scored the try after a Jones penalty kick and the Brewers were ahead 34-0.  Then Jones put on a bit of an all around show as he hit a penalty from over half way out and the following kickoff from Battleground did not travel 10 meters so Jones hit another penalty from halfway then he followed that up with his own try and conversion which brought the half time score to 47-0.  Now the Brewers goal was to play out the second half with a healthy lead and keep everyone healthy for the championship match the next day.  In the first 10 minutes the Brewers put two more trys on the board from Stearns and Dylan Riggs.  Then Battleground found some life and scored two converted tries with some hard running forwards and solid possession of the ball.  The Brewers picked up their play and finished off the remaining 15 minutes of the game with two tries from Ryan Hanson and the game ended with the Brewers winning 74-14.

Salem and Budd Bay fought it out after the Corvallis and Battleground game and it was a slugfest.  Salem took the game to Budd Bay with very physical play and took an early lead but Budd Bay managed to control the middle half of the game and built a big enough lead to withstand Salem's attack at the end of the game as Budd Bay took the win 54 to 28.

Brewers 74 (Tries: Ryan Hanson 2, Joe Fradella, Craig Harter, Mac Baldner, David Liebe, Jake Jones, Ned Stearns, Dylan Riggs -- Conversions: Jake Jones 7-9 -- Penalty Kicks: Jake Jones 5-5)
Battleground 14 (Tries: 2 -- Conversions: 2-2)

1. Josh Merritt
2. James Holmes
3. Craig Harter
4. Brandon Christensen
5. David Liebe
6. Forrest Lunsmann
7. Mac Baldner
8. Ben Elliott
9. Shane Card
10. Joe Fradella
12. Sean Clark
13. Ned Stearns
11. Andrew Futerman
14. Kieran McCullough
15. Jake Jones

Substitutions: Christian Blinn, Doug Breitmayer, Ryan Hanson, Joe Hogland, Andy Lunsmann, Dylan Riggs, Yonatan Weiss, Tito Williams

Sunday brought on the Championship Game and Corvallis was hoping that the spirit of Kareem would finally bring a victory over Budd Bay after 6 previous attempts ended in defeats.  Corvallis started the match with the majority of possession but didn't make much of it until Budd Bay actually had the ball but fumbled it behind their own scrum and Joe Fradella swooped in, scooped it up and put up the first try of the game, Jake Jones converted to give Corvallis a 7-0 lead.  Possession changed hands for the next few minutes and Budd Bay and Corvallis each converted penalty goals to bring the score to 10-3.  Jones, off the heels of a brilliant kicking performance on Saturday, then went on to miss 3 penalty kicks over the next seven minutes of game time while the Brewers kept the pressure on the Budd Bay defense.  Fradella struck once again as he dotted down the second try of the game and all Corvallis had to do was hang on until halftime to go into the break with a healthy 17-3 lead.  But that wasn't to be as Budd Bay clawed back into the match with a try at the end of the half shrinking the lead to 17-10.

The third quarter of the match was hard hitting but provided no scoring for either side as both teams made forays into the opposition territory but couldn't put any points on the board.  Jones connected on a penalty kick to start of the second half scoring and give Corvallis the 20-10 lead with just 20 minutes left.  Budd Bay was now fired up and ready to attack as they drove the ball into Brewers territory and rammed the forwards into the defense while keeping the Brewers on their heels by forgoing kicks at goal on penalties and instead electing to tap and go.  Budd Bay bunched up the Brewers defense near the touch line and sent the ball wide and found a seam to pay dirt and the Corvallis lead was shrunk to 20-17.  The next ten minutes was hard fought as Corvallis was holding on to the lead but Budd Bay seemed to have the momentum and made a big break up the line only to be tackled into touch by Jones inside the Brewers 22.  Corvallis eventually worked the ball down field and once again Fradella broke through the defense and dotted down for a hat trick and Corvallis had the comfortable lead of 27-17 with just 8 minutes remaining.  Budd Bay did not give up though and they continued to pound at the defense and tap and go on penalties until they broke through again to score a try with just 2 minutes remaining and Corvallis clinging to a 27-24 lead.  Corvallis kicked off and was able to hold Budd Bay on their half of the field, turn the ball over, were rewarded with a penalty and Jones kicked the ball into touch to end the match and Corvallis were the 2013 Division 3 Pacific Northwest Champions.     

Brewers 27 (Tries: Joe Fradella 3 -- Conversions: Jake Jones 3-3 -- Penalty Kicks: Jake Jones 2-5)
Budd Bay 24 (Tries: 3 -- Conversions: 3-3 -- Penalty Kicks: 1-1)

1. Joe Hogland
2. Eli Goodwin
3. Craig Harter
4. Jamie Anderson
5. David Liebe
6. Mike Estis
7. Tito Williams
8. Justin Vaughn
9. Shane Card
10. Joe Fradella
11. Kieran McCullough
12. Ryan Hanson
13. Keegan McAllister
14. Andrew Futerman
15. Jake Jones

Substitutions:  Mac Baldner, Sean Clark, Ben Elliott, Andy Lunsmann, Josh Merritt, Dylan Riggs, Yonatan Weiss

Brewers Go Over the Mountains and Come Back Battered But Victorious
16 March 2013 - Bend, OR

The Brewers Bus made the trek over to Bend to take on the Rough Riders and a rough ride it was.  After a hard fought and somewhat brutal match that came down to the last moments, the Brewers were able to hang on for a 21-20 win.

Corvallis started the match in good form and pressured Bend into a penalty for a chance to open the scoring but the kick did not find it's mark. Corvallis kept the pressure on and at the 10 minute mark Keegan McAllister offloaded to Justin Vaughn who in turn passed out to Kieran McCullough who made a break, kicked ahead and scooped up the ball for the first score of the match and Corvallis took the 7-0 lead.  The rest of the first half was to belong to the Rough Riders as the Brewers were only able to muster up a missed penalty kick while Bend added a penalty kick of their own along with a converted try.  Bend's constant ball possession and hard running backline wilted the Brewers defense but Corvallis' continued to scramble and push Bend back from time to time until the Rough Riders were able to ram a series of pick and go's into the try zone.  Bend led the tightly contested match at half time 10-7.

Bend came out in the second half ready to put the match away as they pounded on the Brewers defensive wall and worked the ball to the 10 meter mark.  Bend went into a tackle but the ball carrier stayed on his feet and it looked like Bend would create another maul for their forwards to drive ahead but McCullough slid out of the tackle and started racing down the touchline with the ball.  McCullough had a long 90 meter gallop in front of him but was able to just beat the defense to the corner and then Jake Jones stepped up to nail the touchline conversion and the Brewers took the 14-10 lead.  The Brewers were able to scrounge up another penalty kick attempt but it fell short of the mark.  Then came the Bend onslaught and the Brewers had to put on their big boy defense pants.  The Rough Riders bashed into the Corvallis defense, running the forwards, picking and going and crashing their backs into the defensive wall.  Corvallis had virtually no ball possession for a long spell as Bend made small breaks through the defense and continually quick tapped on penalties against the Brewers but they were unable to convert the pressure into points.  Bend was gaining the momentum and the Brewers lead looked tenuous until the Brewers gained possession and McAllister was able to slip through the defense of the Bend centers and out run the cover defense to pay dirt and the lead increased to 21-10.  The Brewers had a good lead but the hard work was still ahead.  Bend's relentless rucking allowed them to continually hold on to the ball and pound into the Brewers which led to their second try but missed the conversion to bring the score to 21-15.  Bend once again began pummeling the Brewers defense which despite the huge workload was able to continually keep the Rough Riders from scoring until they finally broke through for a try.  Five minutes were left in the game and the conversion bounced off of the goal post and out to keep the Brewers hanging on by the slimmest of margins 21-20.  Corvallis just had to survive for 5 more minutes to take the victory and the Brewers turned the tables on Bend by dominating the possession at the end of the match.  The restart went deep and Brewers pinned Bend into their own 22, where the ball would stay for the rest of the match despite Bend having a couple of opportunities of ball possession.  Corvallis pounded at the Bend tryline but weren't able to get the ball over the line as Bend eventually turned the ball over but weren't able to get any forward momentum until the game ended with a Bend knock on.  The Brewers pulled out the 21-20 victory to stay undefeated for the year and clinch first place in the Pacific Northwest South division.

The Rough Riders played an old-style Bend form of rugby and they thoroughly brought it but the Corvallis defense was just able to match up to the onslaught, continually keep Bend out of the try zone and come away with a great victory for the Brewers.  This match also saw the A-side debuts of 3 new Brewers, Dylan Riggs and the Lunsmann brothers, Andy and Forrest.  After the match some of the Brewers and Rough Riders who already played came together with some Central Oregon CC players and the rest of the Corvallis Crew and put together a spirited match of 10's.  It was hard to tell who won since the teams were mixed and players switched teams.  The Brewers Bus was in for a fun trip back as a snow storm in the Cascades made the mountain driving a slow process but the bus made it back into town safe but late.

Brewers 21 :: (Tries: Kieran McCullough 2, Keegan McAllister -- Conversions: Jake Jones 3-3 -- Penalty Kicks: Jones 0-3)
Bend 20 :: (Tries: 3 -- Conversions: 1-3 -- Penalty Kicks: 1-1)

1. Joe Hogland
2. Craig Harter
3. Josh Merritt
4. Jamie Anderson
5. Brandon Christensen
6. Mike Estis
7. Mac Baldner
8. Justin Vaughn
9. Shane Card
10. Jake Jones
11. Kieran McCullough
12. Sean Clark
13. Keegan McAllister
14. Andrew Futerman
15. Ryan Hanson

Substitutions: Jeff Billings, Nate Lochner, Andrew Lunsmann, Forrest Lunsmann, Max Peters, Dylan Riggs, Tito Williams.

Also joining the Brewers for the second match:: Josh Baker, Joe Behrens, Zane Coffey, Jordon Guerrero.  Also joining in for bus ride shenanigans: Isaac Kratzer and Adam Scouse.

Waiting for video of this match and then I will do a report.

Corvallis Brewer's Take the First Annual Cocksman's Ball over the Seattle Quake

2 March 2013 - Corvallis, OR

The Brewers sister team, Seattle Quake, traveled South to battle it out for the newly minted Cocksman's Ball trophy.  The Quake played spirited but couldn't keep up with the Brewers as Corvallis came away with a 62-17 victory.

After some sustained Quake possession new Brewer Craig Harter smashed through the Quake defense for the first try of the match.  A ten minute period of back of forth possession in the Quake end of the field led to the Quake kicking the ball down field where Shane Card was waiting and he took the ball, pop kicked it over the oncoming defense and toed the ball into the try zone for second score of the match.  The Brewers kept pressure on the Quake which led to Harter's second try of the match as he toed through a long errant pass from the Quake, gathered the ball and plopped into the try zone.  Keegan McAllister was next to score as the Brewers quick tapped on a penalty, won a ruck and the ball was passed out to McAllister and he slashed his way into the try zone.  The first half ended with the Brewers on top 24-0.

The second half was to be the Ryan Hanson show and he got the show started with a try off of a sloppy Quake pass, gathered the ball and trotted in from about 30 meters out.  The Brewers were then hit with a yellow card as they continually failed to get back 10 meters on penalties called against them.  Hanson got his second try after creating a turnover in the tackle and trotting 60 meters untouched.  Hanson's third try also came off of a turnover and 60 meter run but he first had to fend off a Quake defender.  The Brewers kept the pressure on and Jake Jones booted the ball into the Quake 22 which wasn't caught and McAllister gathered the ball off of a high bounce and offloaded to Jones for a try right under the posts.  Just before the sin bin expired the Quake put pressure on the Brewers and scored a try off of a couple of phases after a quick tap penalty to bring the score to 50-5.  The Quake was putting pressure on Corvallis but the Brewers had a lineout with 90 meters to go, the ball was won cleanly and Hanson took a bounce pass and took off for 50 meters and passed to McAllister to ran it in the rest of the way untouched.  The Quake hit back with a try off of two Brewers offsides penalties as they quick tapped and rumbled in for their second try to bring the score to 57-12.  Hanson decided to add one more try to his tally as he took it in from a clean lineout win from 10 meters out.  The Quake were the last to score as they stole a Brewers lineout, mauled it forward a bit and then sent the ball wide to score in the corner to finish all of the scoring with a 62-17 victory for the Brewers.

Brewers 62 (Tries: Ryan Hanson 4, Craig Harter 2, Keegan McAllister 2,  Shane Card, Jake Jones -- Conversions: Jones 6-9, Harter 0-1)
Quake 17 (Tries: 3 -- Conversions: 1-3)

1. Thomas Fraser
2. Eli Godwin
3. Craig Harter
4. Jamie Anderson
5. Christian Blinn
6. Tito Williams
7. Mac Baldner
8. Ben Elliott
9. Shane Card
10. Jake Jones
11. Andy Wentworth
12. Ryan Hanson
13. Keegan McAllister
14. Andrew Futerman
15. Ted Lawrence

Subs:: Jesse Anderson, Doug Breitmayer, Brandon Christensen, Sean Clark, Steve Gilbert, Nate Lochner, Kieran McCullough

In the second game the Brewers showed their surprising depth as a total of 45 Brewers suited up during both matches as a few Brewers played for the Quake in order to pull off a full b-side game.  The Quake side managed to score one try to many scored by the Brewers, the referee had a final score of 35-7.  Several new Brewers played their first match in the gold and maroon and the future looks bright for Corvallis Brewers Rugby.

Players:: Linus Billings, Mike Estis, Steve Gaspar, Joe Hogland, James Holmes, Isaac Kratzer, David Liebe, Josh Merritt, Brandon Miller, Max Peters, Mark Rademacher, Baruch Smalley, James Sperry, Yonatan Weiss, Drew Wolf, Josh Baker, Zane Coffey, Jordan Guerrero, Austin Kearns, Andy McCuistion, John McCullough, Shane Potter, Adam Scouse.