Ruggers Take Center Stage with Ephs Win

Author: Tom McCann

Middlebury College has a long and proud tradition of sporting excellence, but in few sports has Middlebury ever dominated to such an extent as the men's rugby team does. The visit of Williams to Middlebury last Saturday did not upset the form book and indeed the Panthers recorded another commanding win after disposing of the University of Vermont (UVM) in their season opener.

The victory over UVM was not nearly as convincing as Middlebury would have liked and so the men felt they had a point to prove when the Ephs came to town. Williams was confident having just beaten St. Michael's College previously. The Panthers could not have asserted themselves any more emphatically as they stormed out to a 19-0 lead with three quick tries. Williams needed a score to stay in the game and so when a penalty and converted try came their way, the Ephs may have heaved a collective sigh of relief. If Williams thought it had weathered the first half storm and were back in the game, they had another thing coming when the teams took to the field for the second half.

Twenty-nine unanswered points from Middlebury in the second half put the Panthers out of sight and rounded off a comprehensive victory against their old rivals. Every Panther put in a stellar performance on the day but a particular performance of note was the debut of Colby Hewitt at hooker. The tries were shared between six players with two for Charles Zabriskie and one for Pascal Losambe, Ngetha Waithaka, Douglas Haber, Caleb Consentine and Philippe Danielides. Middlebury vs. Williams is always a game to savor regardless of the sport and a win is always of utmost importance. This attitude was evident when Ben Herter commented, "It's nice to beat Williams, that's for sure."

The victory took Middlebury to 2-0 on the season with three more regular games to go. The Panthers know they will need to go 10-0 to have a shot at the championship but on this sort of form no one would bet against the Panthers going all the way.

While Middlebury will be taking the season each game at a time, the New England Championships will be held at Middlebury on Oct. 25 and 26 and will be a chance for the Panthers to advance to the North East Territorial Quarters in front of their home fans. Herter noted that the fans were great against Williams at the weekend and will no doubt look for the same sort of support as the season continues.