GLENDALE, Colo. –
The 2024 Armed Forces Men’s Rugby championship began its first of three-day competition today with Army dominating and Air Force a close contender.
Coast Guard opened the competition with a 28-17 win over Navy.
Lt. Joseph Rizzardi of St. Petersburg, Florida scored two of Coast Guard’s four tries.
Coast Guard assistant coach Carlton Marshall, who retired from the Coast Guard last year as a gunners mate, attributed the win to the team staying focused and sticking to the game plan.
Army blanked the Marine Corps, with a 48-0 blowout victory.
Army 2nd lt. Patrick Oglesbee, stationed at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, New York, pulled a hat trick with three tries, steamrolling his opponents.
Army head coach Capt. Jacob Lachina, out of Fort Carson, Colorado, said he had a lot of respect for the Marines, because both services stress physical fitness because they need to maneuver through terrain.
Lachina attributed the victory to solid core skills, good strategy and compartmentalizing – meaning keeping emotions in check and having “humble confidence.”
In their second match, Coast Guard fell short against Air Force, losing 37-5.
Of the Air Force’s seven tries, three were made by 2nd Lt. Eric Wills, who out-ran and out-maneuvered his opponents in his hat trick. Wills is based at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida.
Marine Corps faced another heartbreak losing 21-17 to Navy. Despite being ahead most of the match, Navy overtook the hard-charging leathernecks.
With both teams undefeated, Air Force clashed with Army., With Air Force was leading 17-14 in the final seconds of the match, Army’s Sgt. 1st Class Mattie Tago of Fort Bliss, Texas scored the go-ahead try in a nailbiter finish.
Coast Guard sought redemption as they faced the Marines in their final match of the day.
With the Marine Corps dominating the first half and most of the second, the Coast Guard comeback as Chief Petty Officer Alex Vinkavich, of Pacific Area, California, scored the final try with seconds to spare for the 17-12 win.
Army faced Navy in the final match of the day. If Navy was hoping for a win, they would be disappointed. Sgt. Emosi Bainivalu, of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington tallied two of Army’s three tries to sink Navy 17-5.
Army sits atop of the standings 3-0, with Coast Guard holding onto second as round robin action heads into day two.