Nov 18- Arizona made their final trip of the preseason this past weekend as a Freshmen-Sophomore side traveled to Austin to take on Texas. The Longhorns, fresh off a 41-7 victory over LSU in the Red River Conference of D1A looked to be the strongest opponent of the preseason for the Wildcats. With much of the team's first two sides either in Sevens or preparing for the 2020 season, this opened the door for a number of young players to show what they can do.

​

One of those young players was Freshman Maxime Cathala, a standout Scrumhalf from Toulouse, France fresh off a strong Sevens performance at the PAC-12 Championships. While moved to Flyhalf for the day, his form continued to be strong, as his first minute chip kick set local product Jacob Jowdy free while his exceptional game management helped the Wildcats to an early 19-0 lead. From there, a try of his own and a double from Fullback Mason Phillips opened the floodgates for the visitors, staking them to an early 45 point lead before a try by Cathala to end the half sealed his 22 point first half, and a 52 point lead for the Wildcats. 

​

In the second half, it was the Forwards' turn to show their talent, as a long burst by Flanker Tyler Heer, hard running and a try from Lock King Matu, and three tries in twenty minutes for reserve Hooker Zach Barker sealed a preseason record-setting 81-0 victory to end the Fall on a high note. For the Wildcats, the win was a result of a group of young players buying in to the new system, and new teammates, plus strong leadership from some key Sophomores. "Thrilled for the win, thankful for UT for hosting us, but a special nod to our Sophomores who aren't always tasked with being 'the guy' but had to be in a team this young. Guys like Charlie Green, Mason Phillips, and Tyler Heer stepped up, especially in the second half when we lost a bit of shape" said Director of Rugby Sean Duffy.

​

Arizona will close their preseason with the 5th Annual Red-Blue Game this Friday, an intrasquad scrimmage with all proceeds from the match benefiting the Humane Society of Southern Arizona. Animals on site for adoption, raffles, and other events are planned in the annual Fall finale before the team closes the book on Fall to allow their athletes to focus on final exams.

​

Scoring vs Texas

Tries: 13- Barker (3), Cathala (2), Phillips (2), Jowdy, Green, Richardson, McCausland, Heer, Matu

Conv: Cathala- 7/10, Coco- 1/2, Phillips- 0/1

​

Lineup vs Texas

1- Tyson Spisich

2- Eric Cervantes

3- Ray Weiner

4- James Rivers

5- King Matu

6- Tyler Heer

7- Charlie Green (C)

8- Monre Meyer

9- PJ Coco

10- Maxime Cathala

11- Jacob Jowdy

12- Kevin Reilly

13- Adam Richardson

14- Will McCausland

15- Mason Phillips (VC)

-

16- Zach Barker

17- Harry Bluck

18- Max Richins

19- Alex Cortessis

20- Kalet Ponce De Leon

21- Brendon Paulsen

22- Jack Hughes

23- Ryan Sullivan

​

​

​

​

​

​