By Charles Vermont, Special to the Picayune 

The Chaps made their home debut a memorable one.

In the first game at Westlake High School by the Westlake Rugby Club, the Chaps stunned perennial state powerhouse Dallas Jesuit 46-22 before a large home crowd gathered to watch the battle.  

During warm-ups, veteran players Markham Sayers and Connor McNally stole long glances toward the yellow jerseys across the field. Two years ago, Jesuit had easily handled an Austin area squad in the state championship tournament that featured the older brothers of both Sayers and McNally. It certainly looked as if these two Chaps, at least, felt there was an old score to settle.

Westlake wasted no time as fly half Sayers, who had received a pass at midfield, executed a looping kick over the defenders, beat the opposing team to the ball as it rolled toward the try zone and scored. Sayers added the conversion kick for a 7-0 lead just a few minutes into the contest.  

Jesuit showed its poise and recovered quickly, scoring after a series of short breakaways by their veteran backs. Then the Westlake scrum, led by Alex Putnam and Sam Wakefield, came to life and would not be denied.  

The scrummers kept the opponents on their heels as Westlake went on a scoring frenzy. For the second game in a row, scrum half McNally scored twice after finding a loose ball and sneaking across the end line. Veteran full back James Robison added to the tally with a long breakaway up the middle, and flanker Ari Shita closed out the period for Westlake by muscling into the try zone just before the half.  At the break, the home team was ahead 29-10.

The second half underscored Westlake’s dominance. Daniel Sharplin turned in a stellar performance at lock, controlling more than his share of the lineouts, and Rogan Lye continued to impress with his passionate play. Crisp passing allowed the backs to run through the Jesuit defense at will. Cameron Stroup showcased his blinding speed early in the period when he scored after a long run straight down the left sideline. Evan von zur Meuehlen scored shortly thereafter despite playing with a sore hamstring, and Robison notched his second try of the match.  

The period also featured a conversion kick by Pace Trip. As the players trooped off the field, fans were left wondering aloud just how good this new rugby team might prove to be.

The second match of the evening featured Westlake’s second side against a strong San Antonio club team’s first side. Superior rucking and inspired play by the Westlake scrummies, especially Josh Womack, Evan Breeland and Shita, kept the larger San Antonio players off balance before the visitors secured a 31-17 win. 

The two teams battled for almost half a period before Westlake struck first when Shita bulled his way across the end line. San Antonio roared back and knotted the score at 5-5 with its own try, but scrum half Vince Costa continued his consecutive game scoring streak when he broke a tackle and raced through the heart of San Antonio’s defense to give the Chaps a 10-5 just before the halftime break.

However, a relentless assault from the Alamo City side wore the Chaps down in the second half.