Dennis Storer Classic

January 15th & 16th, 2022

Last Weekend…

The Ducks made the trip to UCLA in Los Angeles to compete in the Dennis Storer Classic. With a long break since last playing 15s, and the first opportunity to do so in 2022, Oregon knew they would be up against a challenge playing the likes of UCLA, Cal Poly, and UCSC. The Ducks also had doubts whether the they could even go to tournament amid different spikes in Covid. With some luck, Oregon Rugby turned back all negative test results, and flew down Friday. It was a successful weekend for Oregon, as the Ducks traveled well, bringing a substantial fan base and a number of different alumni.

Although no games counted towards anyone’s record, these games were more than scrimmages and Oregon prepared thoroughly for the tough opponent in UCLA. The Ducks began against UCLA on Saturday, in the first of three matches, kicking off at noon. UCLA had already played earlier, so they were warmed up and it showed. After taking charge of a few minutes of back and forth kicks from captain Logan Deitner and freshman wing Tate Nelson, the Ducks put the ball in Colucci’s hand. Colucci’s kick took the ball inside UCLA’s try zone were it was bobbled by a player and then stripped by Wes Walters to put the Ducks on the board. From there, Oregon salted down and into their offense and gameplan, allowing them to make key stops against UCLA’s potent attack. A 5 meter lineup gave Oregon a nice opportunity and a maul allowed Reed Vabrey to push the Ducks over and add to the scoring.

A second half pushback from UCLA brand them within striking distance. The Ducks mounted penalty after penalty, and UCLA was able to punch one in with a yellow card against Oregon. However, the Ducks would hold on 14 - 12 and ultimately defeat UCLA in the marquee game on Saturday.

Oregon’s second opponent was San Diego Legion Academy, a highly skilled team with a mix of athletes. Junior Jeremy Gunderson started off the scoring with a clean pick and score, but that would be all from the Ducks. Oregon used the match to rest key players and get a lot of minutes to its younger talent. The Ducks traveled with 25 total, and had 7 total Freshman in Wyatt Cushing, Kyle Pinkham, Tate Nelson, Liam Sicord, Myles Kraham, Malcom Durfee, and Jackson Hullinger. Each stepped up huge for the Ducks over the weekend, with Hullinger the opportunity to start after an injury at center on Sunday. San Diego 34 - Oregon 14.

It seemed Oregon had brought the rainy weather down with them to usually sunny Westwood. And by the final game of the day for Oregon, it had begun raining. With two games under their belt, and the with the feel of a home game, Oregon shut out UC Santa Cruz in a strong performance. Oregon put their foot on the gas all game, not letting up. Their 3-2-2-1 offense was in display and gave way for tries by Logan Deitner and Kyle Pinkham. In the second half, Oregon got to display some of their strong suit coming off penalties. As UC Santa Cruz got sloppy, Oregon was able to tap quick and shove a few more tries down the throat of UCSC. Gunderson, the man at the helm, had two sharp passes to Brendan Quinn, giving him two tries against Santa Cruz. Quinn is now up to 3 tries on the season, as just the young Sophomore lock. Final Oregon 23 - UC Santa Cruz 0

Sunday was a different story for Oregon. After a key injury to Wes Walters (shoulder) and more question marks on the roster, Oregon had a shaky matchup against a powerful Cal Poly. Stacked with new coaches, their presence proved to be too much for Oregon. Newcomer Artruro Diaz stepped up big time for Oregon, energizing the defense and putting numerous hits into opposing players. His strong defensive stand gave Oregon lots of confidence on defense, and led to key turnovers to get Oregon the ball back. Additionally, Freshman Jackson Hullinger got the mod at center, replacing Wes Walters. Hullinger played well, and had a great weekend of physical rugby. Cal Poly 38 - Oregon 7.

The loss was an unfortunate end to a great weekend of rugby. Oregon remained in high spirits, and took advantage of their team tour in Los Angeles, with sight seeing on Sunday and Monday as a team. Ultimately, Oregon gained a good amount of insight at the Dennis Storer, and gave a lot of younger talent on the roster meaningful experience and minutes. The two losses have seasoned the Ducks, who are looking to bounce back in the spring with more NCRC League play.