Anthem Rugby Carolina is working on some out-of-MLR games to showcase local colleges and high school teams and Friday is the first event around that.
Ohio State will come into Charlotte to play Queens University, and before that we have a really intriguing high school matchup between top Florida team, Okapi, and 2025 HS Club national runners up Charlotte Cardinals.
Okapi is coming off an impressive 50-12 win over their main rivals, Boca. That result put the Wanderers at 4-0 in Florida. The club is taking teams from U12 to U19 to Charlotte to play in the Carolina Ruggerfest, and this Friday evening game at the Matthews Sportsplex is an added bonus.
"It’s great to have this type of game on our calendar and play out-of-state matches with the top high school clubs," " said Okapi Coach Juan Orfilla. "We are traveling as a Club, from U12 to U19, so you should expect around 100 Okapis at the stadium on Friday."
Coach Jose Codoni and staff are working on a game plan to take care of a very well organized Charlotte Cardinals side. And they hope to build on an excellent showing vs Boca.
"Against Boca the team executed exactly what the coaches asked against a very physical team," said Orfilla. "It was a territorial game and Okapi was dominant from the beginning."
No. 8 led Okapi with his powerful carries and imposing defense. Tighthead prop Bautista Orfila was excellent up front, while the backs, including flyhalf Joaquin Rodriguez, fullback Jose Giuliani, and wing Santi Rodriguez played some exciting, and error-free rugby.
