There’s still plenty of rugby to be played, but South Doyle got by a major opponent in the Smokey Mountain Athletic Conference (SMAC) in Tennessee this week with a 42-18 defeat of Bearden.

South Doyle were quicker to get over the ball than Bearden and produced ball quicker than Bearden could form their defensive line.

South Doyle did run into penalty trouble, especially in the second half, but they still got the ball out and used too quickly for Bearden.

Flyhalf Jon Doster had a nice day, scoring tries, but not from hogging the ball. He sets up his runners and is usually the one to get the return pass, although he did score one try skating along the tackle line dummying to every teammate before touching down in the corner.

Center Harley Wheeler is in his 5th year with the program, ha ing started playing in 8th grade. He has scored three tries in each of South Doyle’s last two games, and his defense is usually good for three or four turnovers a game. He is operating well with Doster and worked a nice give-and-go with his flyhalf for one try.

“Harley hits gaps with such force and can make offloads thru contact better then any high school player I have seen,” said South Doyle Coach Matthew Lance.

Up front, No. 8 and captain Charlie Holman, who has played every position in the forwards for the team, is a power-running force.

“The guys looked great,” said Lance. “We showed some solid tackles and pressure against a tough opponent who is always well-coached and disciplined. Our guys were more than excited for the match, which can sometimes cause mental errors early on due to match-day jitters, however we came out and scored in the first few possessions.”

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