The fall season was one of struggle for the Syracuse Hammerheads. In the inaugural of the newly formed Empire Rugby Conference, Syracuse competed in the West division against longtime New York State rivals SUNY-Brockport, SUNY-Buffalo, SUNY-Binghamton, and St. Bonaventure University. The East division was composed of Iona University, Fordham University, Stony Brook University, and the U.S. Merchant Maritime Academy (King's Point). The Hammerheads finished the fall with a record of 1-7 in the league, placing fourth in the West division. They did experience some success in out of conference exhibition matches with wins over the Royal Military Academy in Canada's B-side squad, the Rochester Colonials Men's club, and SUNY-Oswego. If there is optimism in looking at the 2011 fall season, it is that the Hammerheads started as many as 13 underclassmen at times, about half of which were competing at the Division I level for the first time in their playing careers. There was also great fight in the squad, who either held the score of the game close or rallied back in several matches, unfortunately not making up enough ground before the clock ran out. The Division 3 team, however, experienced more success this year, finishing .500 and making the playoffs as the third seed in New York State. Their season ended with a first-round playoff loss to SUNY-Brockport. The MVP of the backs for the D1 team was sophomore winger, John Wilson, with junior hooker, Michael Siler being awarded the MVP of the forwards. The D3 backs MVP was freshman winger, Sam Abbanat, and Tim Koes, newly elected club president for 2012 was the forwards MVP. Sophomore flanker, Prem Hirubalan was the club's rookie of the year in his first season with the Hammerheads, despite having over a decade's experience playing overseas. Hirubalan will also captain the Hammerheads in 2012. The upcoming Spring season is slated with multiple tournament appearances for the club, however the schedule is not yet confirmed.

(Syracuse,NY) After the disappointing season opener, the Syracuse Hammerheads kicked off two Sundays ago in their home opener against the University of Buffalo in an attempt at redemption. Not only was Syracuse looking for a rebound from the Bonnies loss but also to avenge the loss to Buffalo last season that subsequently knocked them out of national playoff contention. And redeem and avenge is exactly what they did. The game was in Syracuse's hands the entire time, scoring first and not letting up a try until almost the 70th minute. Outside center Adam Johnson started the scoring off and captain/flanker, Dave Delaney, inside center, John Wilson, flanker, Nick Brown, and 8-man, Prem Hirubalan added to the pounding. Fullback, Shaun Loughlin added on with one conversion and one penalty kick. The final try of the game was a prime example of Syracuse's domination, as the Hammerhead scrum pushed Buffalo back more than 15 meters to drive the ball across the try line. The final score was 30-5. (Binghamton,NY) After bouncing back with a big win against Buffalo, the Hammerheads traveled to Binghamton this past Saturday in an attempt to keep momentum moving. The now 2-0 Binghamton Devils had other plans. The game was in Binghamton's control from the kick off and Syracuse spent much of the 80 minutes behind their own 22. Syracuse had only three or four scoring chances throughout the game but a very high amount of penalties halted all chances. The Devils came away with the victory, 32-0, and moved into first place with St. Bonaventure. The loss leaves the Hammerheads at 1-2, remaining in third place in the Empire State League. Syracuse will host Brockport this weekend, who is coming off of a 48-0 loss to St. Bonaventure.

As the league season for the newly formed Empire State League kicked off last Saturday, the Syracuse Hammerheads traveled to St. Bonaventure University for their opener. The match did not fare well for the Hammerheads, as they were outplayed by an Outlaws squad and St. Bonaventure won the match 49-8. The first half was hotly contested, despite the scoreboard, with Syracuse threatening to score on more than one occasion, however, mistakes and penalties sullied the multiple attempts. Sophomore fly half, Raf Stitt, managed to cross the try line for the Hammerheads' only score of the half and the Outlaws led 20-5 at the half. The second half fared quite differently, as St. Bonaventure pulled ahead towards the end. Junior scrum half, Zach Barker, scored Syracuse's only points of the half with a penalty kick halfway through the second 40 minutes. Coach Bob Wilson said of the match that Syracuse could certainly have made the outcome much different were it not for structural errors on defense and the inability to hold on to the ball in the slick conditions. As the Hammerheads move onward from the disappointing loss, a rematch with the University of Buffalo awaits. Buffalo won the last meeting between the two teams last season, 19-14, winning the New York State conference and knocking the Hammerheads out of national championship contention in the process. Kick off for that match will be at 1PM on Sunday, September 18th in Syracuse. Syracuse's Division III side will travel to Potsdam for their season opener on Sunday as well.

Interested in Joining one of the most successful club sport teams on campus? Come out and attend a practice or two. Meet the coaches and players of the Syracuse Hammerheads and see if you would like to join our 43 year old tradition! No rugby experience necessary. We will teach you the laws of the game needed to play!

To help raise money for the Fall 2011 season we will be selling shirts! If interested in one please email syracuserugbytreasurer@gmail.com. Shipping is available!

SYRACUSE, NY (SURFC): The spring season brought about a new group of officers and the goal of the club was to begin developing the plethora of newer players while looking to give a good send off for the Class of 2011 seniors. Practice facilities were much improved this season, with multiple opportunities to play in the Carrier Dome as well as the newly renovated turf field in Manley Fieldhouse. The first match of the spring was played in the Carrier Dome for the second time in club history. St. Bonaventure traveled across New York state for an exhibition match that was evenly played for much of the day. The following week Syracuse hosted SUNY Brockport across the city at Charger Park in a windy, muddy battle that did not end with the same results as the week before. Brockport pulled ahead in the second half and won the match by a few tries. After the two battles against NYS rivals, the Hammerheads were ready to hit the road, competing in the Philadelphia Collegiate Cup with two squads. Both the A side and B side teams reached the semifinals in their prospective brackets. The A side faced a strong Pittsburgh club that won the game by two tries. The tournament did create some positive opportunities, though, as many of the newer Hammerheads received ample playing time. The following week, Syracuse participated in the Beast of the East Rugby Tournament in Rhode Island. It was the first time the Hammerheads ever competed in the largest collegiate tournament in the country and their first appearance proved successful, as Syracuse trounced Wheaton College, UCONN, and URI to reach the Division 1 finals against a strong Salve Regina squad. Salve Regina, ranked #1 in the country for Division 3 clubs, came away with the victory 12-5. This runner-up finish proved to be one of the last times all of the 2011 seniors would play together. The following week capped off competitive play for the season with a two-squad trip to New York City to play Columbia University. The spirited season finale against the Lions was followed by the annual SU-ESF game - the social exhibition match between fellow Hammerheads that holds bragging rights unparalleled by any other match. As the spring comes to an end, the young Hammerheads look towards a new season with a newly designed league. New league opponents will bring new excitement to the new school year, along with a preseason trip to Canada and preparation for a tour in Scotland and Ireland in March of 2012. Cheers, Hammerheads. Work hard over the summer to capture a berth in nationals once more!

SYRACUSE, NY (SURFC), 'Trepidation' in the dictionary is defined as "tremulous fear, alarm, or agitation." After the SURFC experienced its most successful season in club history with a visit to the national championship round of sixteen, trepidation is exactly what set in as the fall season began. Numerous seniors, dubbed 'The Greatest Generation' by many involved with the club, were graduating from the university (despite their best efforts to stick around). The loss of this group of talented young men left a hole in four out of the scrum's tight five positions, as well as a flanker and scrum half position left empty. Losing over 1,500 pounds of sheer power left quite the head ache for our captain and two coaches. The fall season's migraine grew even greater upon finding out that passport issues would leave a few of the team's strongest players out of our trip to Kingston, Ontario. Then things began to turn around. With several players showing their development in the off-season on field, the club won two out of three games in Canada and came home with a renewed sense of self-pride and determination. The preparation of this new-look team was aided by the unparalleled knowledge of the scrum by Guest Coach, Guillermo Gui, who paid a visit to the Hammerheads during the pre-season. This practice time with Gui proved to be paramount in fitting together a new pack of players. Poised for another run at Nationals with a strong pre-season and the addition of a few fantastic first-year players, the club won its first 5 games in the New York State conference. Some of the games came down to final minute in order to win but riding the saying, "good teams find ways to win", Syracuse found itself one game away from another berth in the national championships. The only team standing in their way was a Buffalo squad that also boasted a 5-0 record. Despite outscoring Buffalo three tries to two, Buffalo capitalized on numerous penalty kicks and won the hard-fought battle, 24-19, securing a spot in the postseason and leaving the Hammerheads devastated. Syracuse finished up its regular season with a 6-1 record, coming in second place in the conference. After the season ended, the club played a few friendly matches in Boston and New York City along with hosting the Royal Military Academy from Canada. The semester's season ended with the annual Alumni Game in which the old boys prevailed once more, sending the young'ns home for winter break with bumps and bruises all over. TO BE CONTINUED...

SYRACUSE, NY (SURFC) -- Tackling is key in rugby and the because the Hammerheads didn't tackle, the opposition was free to run rampant through the Syracuse defense. With the DI side taking on a rebuild and retooled SUNY Brockport side and the motley DIII side taking on a very good DII Colgate University the Hammerheads were at thin number on all fronts. The DIII side saw an extremely sluggish start with many players seeing the field for the first time since the end of the Fall season. During the opening half, Colgate spun the ball out wide through the backs, breaking off gains of 40-50 meters as well as numerous tries. Tackling being the calling card for the day was the weakest around the edges of the field but close, two-man tackles around the ruck were some of the few highlights on the day. While the Hammerheads were playing a rough game the Colgate players took it to another level. After a particularly hard play, the fists would fly and a red card was given to the Colgate player that threw the first punch. But even with 14 men Colgate managed three more tires before Hammerhead Joe Sullivan broke off a large run to dot down under the posts for the Hammerheads only try of the game. Mean while in Syracuse, the Hammerheads took on a refined Brockport team that they beat handily during the Fall season. During the first half Syracuse saw three tries and withstood the onslaught of Brockport's forward-oriented attack. But later on in the second half the less than stellar conditioning of the Hammerheads would show and the Doggies would put up six tries to take the lead and the match. In the coming week the Hammerheads will head to Philadelphia for the Philadelphia Collegiate Cup.

SYRACUSE, NY (SURFC) -- With the ides of March past, Spring Break over and done with and the snow (finally) melting off the turf and buildings, the Hammerheads took to the field again to open their spring season with a friendly match slated against St. Bonaventure University. Through the magic contacts of coach Bob Wilson and the clever planning of Match Secretary Joe Burpoe, the Hammerheads were, for only the second time in the team’s existence, able to play a game on the turf of the Carrier Dome. With the stage set Bonnies and the Hammerheads kicked off for what would become a 5-quarter scrimmage. The first two quarters would see tries by inside center Kyle Harris and John Wilson, but Bonnies would answer with two tries of their own through better ruck play and a strong pick-and-go based game. While they controlled the ruck and close around the rucks, the lack of discipline would prove advantageous to the Hammerheads as their opponents were pinged multiple times for being offside at the break down and dissension against the official. The boys in blue would strike once again before the end of the third quarter through center Dave Bliss, making the score 3 tries to 2. The last two quarters would see more of the newer players placed into their first rugby games and while practicing has prepared them to play, the lack of conditioning would begin to show and prove costly. The last two quarters saw a four try overhaul by St. Bonaventure coming mainly from their well executed forward play, their control of the gain line and their support running. The home team would fight back to within two tries but injuries began to plague the side. The subs would play a vital role in keeping the opposition scoreless until the final whistle. This loss takes the Hammerheads to 0-1 on the Spring season, with more tournaments and games to come Syracuse looks to put up more points and more wins.

SYRACUSE, NY (SURFC) -- As the snow melts and the temperatures rise the Hammerheads prepare to start their 2011 Spring season. With games slated against St. Joseph's University, Ivy League stand-outs Columbia University and appearance in the Cherry Blossoms Tournament in DC, and the Collegiate Cup in Philly, the Spring should prove to be a time of both growth for the club as well as a great chance to work in newer players. Practices will resume when the players reconvene in Syracuse.