Explosive Club Bracket in Day One of HS Nationals

Cavemen and Okapi went end to end in a 72-point game between #3 and #6. 

Okapi scored first but Cavemen tied it up. Cavemen would start to pull way but Okapi tied it up 17-17.

It stayed 17-17 into halftime, but a slick backline move put Cavemen ahead 

Flyhalf Joaquin Rodriguez was outstanding for Okapi, and he helped orchestrate a response. it took a while but the #10 got over to put his side within two. But in the space of a couple of minutes Cavemen scored twice, and took a lead 38-22.

That won it. Okapi came back, but they were three scores behind. They scored twice, and Cavemen won it 38-34.

The #4 vs #5 match was as dramatic ... perhaps more so. Two-time Rugby Pennsylvania champs Doylestown controlled possession well and forced Thunder to play defense much of the time.

They battled but with Doylestown working hooker Marco Burns and tighthead prop Santiago Bustelo they consistently made the gain line. Jackson Reilly was very good running the attack at scrumhalf and he helped lead to Bustelo scoring on a quick-tap.

Thunder responded thanks to some work from flyhalf Max Ricono and the back row of Nathanial Majoa Regudo, Lukas Hensley, and Lukas Mallory. That set up a nice ball straight to center Exzodus Taele, who crashed over. 

Doylestown scored again, thanks once more to their ability to sustain attacks. This time it was center Nicholas Miletto, who just never let one player take him down, who scored. But the big play there was Aaron Kelly's run and chip that Thunder on the back foot.  

The half ended with Doylestown ahead 14-5, but things changed quickly. Thunder stormed down to score with Mallory charging over. A second try soon thereafter made it 19-14, and Thunder was in the lead.

Doylestown could have cratered at that point, but they didn't. Instead they once again returned to their tried-and-true pattern. They tested Thunder defenders, and even when they didn't break the gainline, they forced defenders to work hard. 

Eventually the hard work told. Flanker Brnadon Zubyk broke out of a tackle, and another, and raced for about 55 meters to get deep into Thunder territory. The support was there, and finally Bustelo crashed through.

Jamie Weir converted and it was 21-17 Doylestown. They came back again and a Miletto try put Doylestown up 28-19, and then 35-19. Weird did not miss. Thunder was able to score one more, but Doylestown had done enough.

They did it by dominating possession, playing smart rugby, and being very hard to tackle.

So that means Doylestown plays Charlotte on Friday while San Diego plays Cavemen in the semis. The top two seeds will have a lot of work to do.