Santos & Anasazi Active on Two Fronts
August 26, 2023
Support for Collegiate Rugby / Prep for Fiesta 10s
Last Saturday the SFRFC demonstrated our reach by cooking and playing ball in different regions of the state, on the same day. While a dedicated cadre of Santo chefs arose alongside the beautiful Pecos River before dawn to stoke the fire required to cook 17 pork butts in preparation for next week’s Fiesta Tens tournament, seven magnificent Santos and their coach were carpooling I-25 to stir the coals of a longstanding talent pipeline with a preseason scrimmage session with New Mexico Tech’s team.
As reported by SantoNews eyewitnessTanner Graham, he and team captain Ryan Weir, head coach Richard Morris, and players Leonidas Wilson, Elijah Naranjo, Tadeo Herrera, Willie Uhrle, and Dane Robergs made the early morning trip to Socorro in response to a request from Tech’s interim coaches for help preparing for their 2023-24 campaign. In keeping with a longstanding SFRFC tradition Tanner, Elijah, Tadeo, Willie, and Dane are all New Mexico Tech graduates. According to Tanner, the boys acquired a loaner from NMT and warmed up with some ball handling and light tackling before launching into an 8 (SF) v 9 (NMT) live session.
According to Mr. Graham, “the intensity was high throughout the session. We all were soaked in sweat at the end. Tech had some missing/injured guys so they only had 10 players in total. Tech grad student Freddy Puriza ran the session and refereed the scrimmage” and fellow Namibian Milaan Van Wyk, who played for Santa Fe in last year’s Southwest RFU championships was also in attendance.
In the rugby way, “burgers/dogs and ‘other refreshments’ followed afterwards at the grill near Torres Hall. They (Tech) showed international rugby in a conference room inside on a big projector. It was a good day.”
Meanwhile, in the cool air beneath the spectacular cottonwoods towering over the beautiful riverside glen graciously loaned by Village of Pecos icon Pancho Adelo, Cory Micander & Son, Travis Hudson, and Jared Skillman were standing watch over the huge mobile oven used annually to cook the meat the club freezes for use at our annual tournament as well as home matches throughout the season.
A happy crew of families and couples arrived throughout the early afternoon to pull (shred) and package the mass of pork for frozen storage at Santa Fe’s Municipal Rugby Complex. Ryan and Eldora Means’s three young sons and that rascal Oona explored the river and woods and Anna Villa pitched in on the disassembly line alongside her son Angel and Mrs. Villa. Other perennial Anasazi helpers were there with significant others too, including Jon Zucker, David Jondreau, and Jo Bitsui (with manservant D Wheelock).
Your next chance to join in the family fun comes this Friday, August 2, as The Club prepares the pitches and clubhouse for the 48th (?) running of the Fiesta 10s (formerly 7s). Stay tuned to the various mechanical devices that run your life for updates.
Duffing For Dollars
August 12, 2023
The Santo Classic Golf Tournament
43 men and women golfers (plus 4 other guys - see bottom)competed for top honors in Santa Fe Rugby’s annual golf tournament on August 12, the greatest turnout in recent years for aClub classic that originated in 1977.
Twelve teams competed in the 4-member Scotch Foursomes event with the low score of 20 under par posted by the team of Nick Thomas, Preston Miles, Hector Morales, and tournament coordinatorJeremy Lithgow.
Other familiar names in the field or in supervisory roles were Jason Lithgow, Dylan Merrigan, Rainer Ball, Mark Kelly, Joe Bonham, “Corn Dog” Micander, Wm. Travis Hudson, the One and Only Derek Gordon, Chris Bonahoom, newly minted board members Elijah Naranjo and Tadeo Herrera, Santo debutante Dane Robergs, Mighty Mateo Cardiel & Family, and James Fallt, a former Tech Pygmy the Santos will hopefully snag one day. The only shame is everyone can’t play on the same team (next year?).
The prize for Straightest Drive was won by Ryan Turner while Jeremy Lithgow made the Longest Putt. Separate holes designated for Closest to the Pin honors were won by Hector Morales and Kandus. And in a heart-breaker for Dylan Merrigan, Sabrina Chavez bested his effort to claim Longest Drive honors. (It requires mention that Mr. Merrigan played the entire event wearing bare-nekkid feet.)
BUSINESS AND PLEASURE DO MIX
As always, in order for the masses to enjoy, someone must put in the hard yards. Once again this year, the brotherhood of Jeremy and Jason Lithgow accepted responsibility for producing a profitable day for the club and a helluva good time to boot. They led the hustle for sponsorships, gathered a ton of raffle items, and hooked in several friends to round out the field. Watching Jeremy handle the predictably “lively” awards presentations with the required combination of poise, purpose, and humor served notice that the torch is being successfully passed to a capable younger generation.
A tip of the scrum cap also to Joe Bonham, a Cochiti Pueblo member who helped grease the skids for a fine outing at this stunning place.
Tadeo Herrera, Rainer Ball, and Dear Leader Eric Schmierer were evident throughout the day, whether manning registrations, coordinating backscene operations, or delivering overpriced refreshments to dehydrated contestants (“Hey, it’s for the club . . . ”).
THANK YOU
Of course, a special Thank You goes to our sponsors. Please bear these names in mind as you choose where to spend your shekels. As our only annual event prioritizing fundraising, we should aim to surpass this year’s harvest in 2024. It’s never too early to consider who you might ask!
GM Emulsion – Patriot Golf – Tadeo’s Prima Priddy – Santa Fe Brewing Co. - Credo Rugby – Coach Richard Morris – Rothstein & Donatelli – Outback Santa Fe - Dirty’s Golf Shop – Uptown Rio – Whiptail Eatery – Santa Fe Country Club – Hidden Mountain Brewing Co. - Box Car – Stag Tobacconist – AppleBees – Cochiti Golf Club
AFTER THOUGHTS: A HORSE IN THE RACE?
All teams were arbitrarily assigned names which appeared on their carts. The Dirty Wet Noodles, or alternatively “The Techies” do not in fact all have connections with New Mexico Tech, but three of us do: Santo front row institution Dylan Merrigan, former Santo and current Southwest Rugby referee Mark Kelly, and your humble narrator, who ran the NMT asylum for 19 years (without being fired, jailed, or head-hunted). Our fourth was ginger-haired Ivan Calhoun, who graced Santa Fe’s pack in the and went 1990s and went on to distinguish himself as a writer, prize-winning cook, and founder of the first online rugby news site, Rugby Today.
The scoreboard shows the Noodles, without the services of any actual golfers, managed a 4-way draw for Last Place.
Another team demanding consideration was that consisting of Micander, Hudson, Gordon, and Bonahoom. I mean, can you imagine?
Distinguished Traveler Joins SFRFC Hall of Fame Brendan Morris, CEO of SANZAAR
Santa Fe, NM
June 21, 2023 - DW
Brendan Morris, a native of Sydney, Australia, holds the post of chief executive officer of SANZAAR, an alliance taking its acronym-based name from the major rugby nations of the southern hemisphere: South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, and Argentina. Each year SANZAAR conducts The Rugby Championship, an annual competition between these nations’ national teams, as well as Super Rugby, the professional club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands.
Brendan is also a Santa Fe Santo, having played flyhalf for us from 1994 -1996. In Los Angeles this week representing the global south in World Rugby meetings, the resourceful Mr. Morris squeezed in a 24-hour detour to visit with old mates over, and somewhat after, dinner at Del Charro on Wednesday, June 21.
The club’s fortunes took a decidedly upward turn after Brendan and traveling partner Brett Derwin, a flanker, found their way to Santa Fe through the efforts of Larry Smith, father of fellow hall of famers Darren and Greg. The young Aussies had concluded a playing adventure in Ireland and were interested in spending time in the States. Brett may have gotten more than he expected, as he married an American gal and now lives in the Colorado Rockies. Unfortunately he was unavailable to greet his old friend this week due to travel to Hawaii.
Brendan was known as a strong performer both on and off the pitch and he loved exploring downtown Santa Fe. Thus it was natural for him to check into the former Desert Inn, whose pool and recreation room served as the Club’s post-match social center during Brendan’s time with us.
For some in attendance, Wednesday provided the occasion to thank Brendan once again for his generosity toward old mates who have made the trek to Oz. The legendary wit and huge smile were on display throughout the evening as Brendan was showered with gifts, including a 50th anniversary jersey.
In one of the few serious moments of the evening Brendan Morris became, through emergency declaration, the latest inductee in the SFRFC Hall of Fame.
The following day Mr. Morris returned to business in LA before flying on to London for additional meetings the following week. We wish to thank him for his undying loyalty, both to Santa Fe Rugby and the Game They Play in Heaven. Hopefully he’ll get some well-deserved time off after returning home to Sydney. Hasta la vista, mate!
P.S.
A member of Santa Fe’s fourth estate turned up to interview Brendan prior to dinner and the result is the lead story in the Friday, June 23 sports section of the Santa Fe New Mexican. Pick up a copy.
SANZAAR announces new Leadership team - Super Rugby Pacific | Super Rugby Championship news, results and fixtures from Super XV rugby
2023 Santa Fe Los Santos Golf Tournament
June 14, 2023
August 12, 2023 at the Cochiti Golf Course.
Entry fee $125 per person, includes practice balls.
Other details (see 2023 Santos Golf Flyer.PDF)
Register and pay entry fees with Google Form, click here or email santaferugby@gmail.com.
Be a hole sponsor, support Los Santos Rugby in our annual Celebration!
• Details (see 2023 Santos Golf Flyer SPONSOR.pdf)
• To sponsor, Email santaferugby@gmail.com
For entry or sponsorship payment (if you do not use the Google form) use these links or send an email santaferugby@gmail.com for other options
Venmo payment: @santos-rugby
Paypal payment: santaferugby@gmail.com
AGM and Election Results
Santa Fe, NM
May 21, 2023 - DW
The Club’s AGM - annual general meeting – and board of director elections took take place on Saturday, May 20 at the MRC.
Core Board Positions
President: Eric Schmierer (succeeds Seth Johnson)
Vice President: Tadeo Herrera (succeeds Wm Travis Hudson)
Treasurer: Danny Torrez (succeeds Eric Schmierer)
Additional Positions
Secretary: Wm Travis Hudson (succeeds Adam Jobes)
Communications: Elijah Naranjo (no immediate predecessor)
Match Secretary: Jeremy Lithgow (succeeds Dan Allinder)
Past Player Representative: No election conducted (latest occupant D Wheelock)
Congratulations to all Incoming board members and hearty thanks (and a beer?) to all Outgoing office holders!
AGM and Election May 20
Santa Fe, NM
May 8, 2023 - DW
The Club’s AGM - annual general meeting – and board of director elections will take place on Saturday, May 20 at the MRC. Some manner of weenie roast &/or touch match may be scheduled if enough participation looks likely.
Discussion with the board @ 11:00 am
Your voice is needed in order to carry our reputation for competitiveness and rugby ethics into the next year.
Board Elections @ 1:00 pm
THINK ABOUT running for a board position. Although board members often combine efforts, the current titles are: Pres, VP, Treasurer, Secretary, Match Secretary, and Past Player Rep. Contact the website or Contact@SantaFeLosSantos.com to express your interest, or come loaded on May 20.
2023 Celtic 7’s
Albuquerque, NM
May 6, 2023 - DW
As in the last many years, the self-named New Mexico Brujos hosted the Celtic 7s tournament at Albuquerque’s Balloon Fiesta Park on Saturday, May 6. In a field of teams vastly reduced from the good old pre-Covid daze, Los Santos, with a little help from new friends and old, posted one win against two losses to slide into fourth place. Other clubs participating were Aardvarks, who beat El Paso in the final, Texas Tech, University of New Mexico, and hosts Brujos. In the battle of the collegiates, UNM scored last to outpoint Texas Tech 22-17.
On the women’s side the Atomic Sisters, fresh off their capture of the Southwest RFU championship last week in Scottsdale, eased to victory over University of New Mexico and New Mexico State U. In the collegiate matchup, the UNM ladies beat NMSU 38-17. (More on the Atomic Sisters below.)
For the Santos, sore and distracted by life after the long road to Scottsdale for two 40-minute matches in scorching Scottsdale, AZ the weekend before, the tournament presented a clear challenge, and a choice. After consulting with coach Morris and the captains, the club’s board of directors announced the rescheduling of the annual general meeting and board elections to May 20 so that the Santos could support the Brujos’ effort.
In the absence of veteran captain Ryan Weir, Santa Fe’s effort was led by co-captain Mateo Cardiel. Supremely capable and terminally optimistic, Mateo cheerfully led a small contingent of Santos forward, no doubt buoyed by the faith that the club’s storied resiliency (and good karma) would see the team through. As evidenced by the day’s photo collection, Mateo’s faith was rewarded as a good number of whores (including, perhaps significantly, three or four players from Texas Tech University) joined in to get us home. With an eye toward the future, we secured a contact for TTech’s “recruiting officer”, and continue to monitor the progress of that huge and agile young redhead from UNM. The TT contingent received SFRFC bumper stickers, and a handle on the Big Lobo is hereby requested.
The official Celtic 7s whiteboard recorded Santa Fe’s record thus: an opening 29-12 loss to Aardvarks; a 24-12 win over Texas Tech; second place vs. El Paso Scorpions 24-5; and a third place loss to the hosts by an unrecorded score.
With acknowledgment of those who traveled to Arizona last week- and those still a bit lame for the experience - the Santos worthies who represented SFRFC Saturday were:
Mateo Cardiel
John Bent
Jason Osborn
Jason España
Rainer Ball
Justin Stallworth
Dylan Merrigan
Ben Schlappi, traveling from Ouray, CO
Coaches Richard Morris and Eric Schmierer
(Reporter’s apologies for omissions.)
Thank you, men. You are what makes Santa Fe RFC what we are.
Santos Lose Southwest Union Championship Match
Scottsdale, AZ - April 29th, 2023
April 29, 2023 - DW
Los Santos of the Santa Fe Rugby Club lost the championship match of the Southwest Rugby Union championships in Scottsdale, Arizona on Saturday night, bowing to the Tucson Magpies 63 points to 19.
After an energetic 57-36 victory over the Scottsdale Blues on Friday evening, the Santos attack sputtered against Tucson’s smothering defense. The Magpies built a 32-17 halftime lead and slammed the door on a brief Santa Fe comeback in the second stanza to win the right to represent the Southwest Rugby Union in USA Rugby’s Division Three Final Four in Las Vegas, Nevada May 13-14.
With the completion of their most successful season since the COVID outbreak, Los Santos will play an independent summer schedule and conduct touch rugby sessions at the Municipal Recreation Complex throughout the summer.
Santa Fe Santos Advance to Southwest Rugby Union Finals
Scottsdale, AZ - April 28th, 2023
April 28, 2023 - DW
The Santa Fe Rugby Club Santos claimed a 57–36 victory over hosts Scottsdale Blues Friday evening in the semifinal round of the Southwest Rugby Union championships in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Santos scored three five-point tries in the first half and added six more in the final 40 minutes. Jason Espana, Elijah Naranjo, Jaime Terrazas, and Milaan Van Wyk all scored two tries for Los Santos, while Isaiah Sanchez added one. Van Wyk added six two-point conversion kicks along the way.
Los Santos will take on the Tucson Magpies, winners over Old Pueblo Lions in their semifinal match, on Saturday April 29 to decide who will advance to the USA Rugby regional championships in Las Vegas, Nevada, the weekend of May 6and 7.