This afternoon we faced off against Navy - a match that was going to be tough. Not only did Navy beat us 28-22 last year for the NC game, but this year they entered the match with a 13-0 record, including a win over Army, who beat us 2 weeks ago. But the weather was magnificent and Witter Field was filled to the brim, complete with Straw Hat band and Oski (and the PAC-12 film crew). Before the kickoff, I was worried - all the midshipmen seemed to be the same build - big and tough - I imagine that the the overall weight of the Navy team outweighed us by an average of 15-20 pounds/player, and it was all muscle.
Cal got the ball first and advanced deep into Navy's territory. But after a penalty, when we were only about 15 meters from the goal, we opted for a penalty kick rather than trying to run it in. I understood that this was going to be a tough game and every point was liable to be important, but it disturbed me that we didn't even try to attempt a try. In any event, the ball hit the uprights and failed to go in, so early on we were still scoreless. But soon thereafter we made up for that, and scored a try at about the 12:00 mark. Then there was a bad event. Our player, Max Threlkeld, went down and was not getting up. Play was delayed for about 20 minutes for the paramedics to arrive and take him off the field to an ambulance. I saw him moving his arms as he was being moved, but can't say anything else about his condition.
When play resumed, Cal stayed dominant on the field. We scored another 2 tries, as well as a penalty kick during the half. With only a few minutes left in the half, Navy notched a try as well, so the half time score was 24-7. At half time, it seemed to me that the midshipment looked beat,
Navy scored rather quickly in the 2nd half to make it 24-14, and we were in a ball game again. After that, scoring became a little hazy to me. At one point, with about 10 minutes left I think, we were up 32-17. Then things broke wide open and the final score was 47-24.
Navy in general played very well - their passing game is a thing of beauty. But they suffered a pair of knock-ons in the first half, each of which led directly to us getting the ball and scoring a try. Overall, our defense was outstanding: in the 1st half Navy had possession of the ball within the 15 meter line of our goal 4 or 5 times, and we turned them back every time (their one score came from a long run, I think). In the 2nd half, we stole one or two of their balls from the lineouts, AND we grabbed the ball from their scrums 2 or 3 times. We broke one or two long runs in the 2nd half which resulted in tries late in the half.
Cal had a few penalties, but not near as many as in previous games I saw.
Next week we play St. Marys in Moraga at 1pm- it promises to be another great game, and as the St. Marys fans love to support their team - you should plan on getting there early for parking.
PS. As I entered the field, I asked a Cal player how we had done against the St. Mary's reserves - he said we "just beat them". So I didn't see that game, but it sounded like it was another close one.
Cal got the ball first and advanced deep into Navy's territory. But after a penalty, when we were only about 15 meters from the goal, we opted for a penalty kick rather than trying to run it in. I understood that this was going to be a tough game and every point was liable to be important, but it disturbed me that we didn't even try to attempt a try. In any event, the ball hit the uprights and failed to go in, so early on we were still scoreless. But soon thereafter we made up for that, and scored a try at about the 12:00 mark. Then there was a bad event. Our player, Max Threlkeld, went down and was not getting up. Play was delayed for about 20 minutes for the paramedics to arrive and take him off the field to an ambulance. I saw him moving his arms as he was being moved, but can't say anything else about his condition.
When play resumed, Cal stayed dominant on the field. We scored another 2 tries, as well as a penalty kick during the half. With only a few minutes left in the half, Navy notched a try as well, so the half time score was 24-7. At half time, it seemed to me that the midshipment looked beat,
Navy scored rather quickly in the 2nd half to make it 24-14, and we were in a ball game again. After that, scoring became a little hazy to me. At one point, with about 10 minutes left I think, we were up 32-17. Then things broke wide open and the final score was 47-24.
Navy in general played very well - their passing game is a thing of beauty. But they suffered a pair of knock-ons in the first half, each of which led directly to us getting the ball and scoring a try. Overall, our defense was outstanding: in the 1st half Navy had possession of the ball within the 15 meter line of our goal 4 or 5 times, and we turned them back every time (their one score came from a long run, I think). In the 2nd half, we stole one or two of their balls from the lineouts, AND we grabbed the ball from their scrums 2 or 3 times. We broke one or two long runs in the 2nd half which resulted in tries late in the half.
Cal had a few penalties, but not near as many as in previous games I saw.
Next week we play St. Marys in Moraga at 1pm- it promises to be another great game, and as the St. Marys fans love to support their team - you should plan on getting there early for parking.
PS. As I entered the field, I asked a Cal player how we had done against the St. Mary's reserves - he said we "just beat them". So I didn't see that game, but it sounded like it was another close one.