Cape Fear defeated Clayton 33-32 in the North Carolina to make the state final.
Clayton came out strong and played some exciting rugby. Fear was playing their first game without two of their leading scorers in center Dev Gardner and wing Zay Arrington as they had football commitments, but Eli Rivera, Cohen Cortes, and Mason WIseman all filled in for them and all played well.
Fullback Carey Cortes ran hard all day to keep Clayton under pressure, scoring a try from 40 meters out.
Scrumhalf Marshall Wiseman popped a well-placed box kick for flyhalf Tyler Thompson to run under to score. Fear also got tries from hooker Charlie Bishop, No. 8 Wayne Robinson, and flanker Caleb Swinson powering over.
Clayton did not allow themselves to be shaken and kept it close. However, Max Smith's goalkicking was a big factor as he was 4-for-5 to nudge his side ahead 33-32.
"It was a fantastic game of rugby from both teams with both sides showing significant improvement from their first meeting," said Cape Fear Coach Jim Wiseman.
Meanwhile, Charlotte Cardinals rolled comfortably to the final with a 56-0 shutout of Wando. It was a solid showing from the Cardinals and they will have a stern test against Cape Fear next week.
