Quill Yates and Derek Casey: 2017 NSCRO Men’s Best Tackles of the Year

Congratulations to Quill Yates of Colby College, winner of the 2017 National Small College Rugby Organization (NSCRO) Men’s Best Tackle of the Year and runner-up, Derek Casey of Christendom College.

In shortlisting the final tackles, emphasis was placed on technique, situation, and outcome. This eliminated “big hits” where the tackler may have resorted to mass over technique, “Judo-Style” tackles (where the tackler grabbed the ball carrier with their hands and then dropped their body weight), all tackles where the tackler placed their head in a dangerous position and, reckless tackles that caused harm to the ball carrier. The final selection committee viewed the videos submitted without information on the name of the player or the team they represented. They felt that the winning tackle highlighted a desire to chase down the ball carrier, it was low with a good wrap, safe head positioning and made a clear thrust/drive upon engagement with the ball carrier.

Since 2007, the National Small College Rugby Organization (NSCRO) has been at the forefront of fostering and developing small college rugby programs in the United States. NSCRO is comprised of more than 240 men’s and 135 women’s colleges and universities who participate in more than 30 leagues for an opportunity compete on a national level and showcase their abilities to a broader and larger audience.

By focusing on small colleges and universities, we help bring these schools, their teams and players exposure outside of their conference/union while also giving them a chance at a national title and ranking. NSCRO provides a responsive national organization dedicated to small colleges and universities which has helped legitimize rugby in the eyes of school administrators. The increased visibility and recognition from NSCRO has led to better school support, greater on-campus interest in rugby and more alumni involvement.