The question as to who is the best team in Utah wasn't really settled all that convincingly Friday.
Herriman did indeed beat Cavemen to the tune of 19-14, scoring on the final play of the game, but this was a game that was back and forth, at least in momentum, all evening. Cavemen had a try called back on a somewhat strange call.
It was a five-point match and it seemed closer than that.
Herriman looked in control early as USA age-grade center McRae Parker was a terror with ball in hand. Parker, however, took an injury about 10 minutes into the match. He battled on for a while but had to be replaced. As good as anyone might be in his place, Parker is one of the best high school rugby players in the country—his impact, and the impact of his absence can't be ignored.
The Herriman backline was already a little thin.
Herriman No. 8 Filisi Filipe was outstanding with ball in hand and scored the opening try for the Mustangs. Cavemen responded with two tries, one with porp Briggs Love thundering over, and one with Jaybian Na'a doing much the same.
Luke Vernon's kicking, both from the tee (two conversions) and from the hand were on-point for Cavemen as they won the territorial battle. Cavemen held onto a 14-7 lead and got a couple of 50-22s from Vernon, but couldn't quite convert on them.
The key play was a try for Cavemen that was called back because a feeding-the-scrum infraction was called in from the assistant referee. This is a pretty rare occurrence. Feeding the scrum calls in general are rare; to have one come in from the sideline rarer still.
Certainly Cavemen weren't happy about it, but, as Head Coach Rich Vernon said, "you have to adjust to the referee and we had too many missed opportunities."
Herriman hooker Timote Kinikini was a powerhouse all day and his try, along with Asher Coleman's conversion, tied the game at 14-14.
