 |
USA U 19 Candidate Andrew Angellella |
Posted: 11/17/06
|
USA U 19 Candidate Andrew Angellella |
Boulder, CO – The Boy’s Under-19 National Team travels to Arizona this weekend to hold its second assembly of the fall season, where they will first play Arizona State University at the Thunderbird School of International Management in Glendale, AZ on Saturday, and then travel to Tucson, AZ where they will play the University of Arizona on Sunday.
“The goals of this assembly are to play and develop chemistry and an understanding of each other’s strengths and weaknesses,” U-19 head coach Salty Thompson said. “We also have to introduce a few new players into our squad and develop everyone’s roles and patterns. We need to become a team in every aspect of the word.”
This will be the final assembly before the team’s winter camp at Thunderbird Garvin, held Dec. 26-31, where the U.S. will host approximately 130 age-grade participants. These frequent assemblies are in preparation for next year’s IRB U19 World Championships, scheduled for April in Belfast.
“The last assembly in Dallas gave us a great opportunity to work on some of the same types of goals we are targeting again, but this time around I expect us to be better able to execute a game plan,” Thompson added.
The U-19’s core players are attending this assembly, including 16 that played in the NAWIRA qualifier this summer. Two of the squad’s players – Travis Beattie and Mike McDonald—will first play against the U.S. squad for ASU, and then join the team to play against Arizona on Sunday.
The assembly players include: Andrew Angellella (Hibernian RFC); Travis Beattie (Tempe, Ariz.); Nicholas Cook (Houston); Chance Doyle (New Orleans); Adam Ducoing (New Orleans); Nate Ebner (Columbus, Ohio); Kevin Erskine (Seattle); Zach Heath (Portland, Ore.); Jimmy Jewison (Houston); Nick Johnson (Minneapolis); Steve Johnston (Gilbert, Ariz.); Gareth Jones (Philadelphia); Simon Kinet (Tucson, Ariz.) Hoseki Kofe (Portland, Ore.); Garrett Lambert (St. Louis); Scott Lavalla (Seattle); Tommy Luckhaupt (Columbus, Ohio); Mike McDonald (Avondale, Ariz.); Delano McKenzie (Newport Beach, Calif.); Ethan Milton (Avondale, Ariz.); Taylor Mokate (Dallas, Texas); Shawn Pittman (Seattle); Hamish Roberts (Houston); Zeke Sulzen (Sacramento); Jack Tracy (Newport Beach, Calif.); Robert Wolfgramm (Salt Lake City); Bill Wynne (Newport, RI).
For more information on the boys U-19 program, please visit www.usarugby.org/natteams/u19/boys/