NOLA GOLD Academy Teams off to a good start

The Nola Gold Academy Teams are Proving They are Worthy of Your Attention

If this weekend was any indication of the Nola Gold academy teams’ progress, things are definitely moving in the right direction.

U17 Match Recap

The first match pitted the two U17 squads against each other with Nola Gold looking to avenge last year’s loss. The Gold struck first with a penalty kick by Lane Hanemaker putting them up 3-0.

Soon after, the Sabercats struck back with a try putting them up 3-5. Before long, the Gold’s Blake Cordova was able to break through the defensive line for a long run and score a try making the score 8-5. The Sabercats fought back for another score putting them up 12-8 at halftime.

To start the second half, Nola Gold scored a penalty kick tightening the score 11-12. The back and forth continued with the Sabercats scoring another try—11-17. But the Nola Gold was not beat yet. They fought back hard with Talamesi Albert scoring yet another try making the game even more of a nail biter with the score 16-17.

The Nola Gold really needed this conversion kick and Lane Hanemaker came through and the Gold was up by one. The Nola Gold gave their everything to hold their lead and prevent the Sabercats from scoring when the Gold’s Albert scored another try pushing their lead 23-17 for the win.

Some other Gold notable players that contributed to the win include Blake Dinsdale, Mason Whiteside, Leonard Rivero, Austin Dupuy and Hunter Bentley.

U18 Match Recap

The Sabercats U18 was a much more formidable opponent. The U18 Nola Gold squad struggled to stop the Sabercats offense throughout the whole game. Although the Sabercats were in control throughout the match, the Gold was able to score one try in the first half off of a grubber kick.

The game was lopsided with the final score being 61-5. However, Nola Gold Coach Jack Wiggins saw potential in many of the plays throughout the game that he feels can be building blocks for the future.

It was an exciting weekend of rugby in New Orleans and Coach Jack Wiggins and the Nola Gold U18 are looking forward to traveling to Nashville for the UBS Invitational Rugby Tournament and working hard to bring home a few wins.