Bethesda Roosters Over MDX To Win Maryland U19 Title
Bethesda Roosters Over MDX To Win Maryland U19 Title
Tension and humidity filled the air at Mount St. Mary’s University, as the Bethesda Roosters defended their U19 Rugby Maryland Championship Title
and added a record to their storied rivalry with the Maryland Exiles.
The Roosters were seeking to avenge a tight loss earlier in the year in which they only managed to field a team of 12. The tension, however, would not last, as the
Roosters quickly took a seven-point lead when flyhalf Cameron King split the Exiles backline and offloaded to French center Calliste Le Lay, who dummied and
scored with a successful conversion by fullback Santiago Karklins. The Roosters quickly extended the lead to 12 after rookie Ben Sibileau dotted a try in the
corner.
The Exiles responded, with wing Van Mahoney breaking through the blue-and-red line and managing to place the ball down for a try. The half progressed, with each
side scoring an additional try, the Exiles relying mainly on a one-pass-crashes off the scrumhalf, while the Roosters combined hard-hitting carries by the forwards
with spicy footwork and passing by the backs, with some dubious kicks mixed in.
The Roosters looked to finish the half ahead by nine points, but a penalty late in the half, compounded by a series of offside calls culminating in a yellow card,
resulted in a try as the teams headed into the break: Roosters 19, Exiles 19.
In the second half, the two sides continued to trade tries, with Bethesda’s No. 8 and senior Connor Riley leaving a trail of broken tackles in his wake as he rounded
off a brace of tries. The Exiles retaliated, drawing the score level 26-26 with 15 minutes left on the clock.
Le Lay managed his second try, with a successful conversion by Karklins once again putting the Roosters in the lead. The lead survived an Exiles
try by wing Cam Webster after the conversion by fullback TK Sullivan unluckily hit the right upright twice, leaving the Roosters up by two with the clock ticking down.
Not content with a two-point win, the Roosters once again surged to the opposing red zone. Prop Lotonu Manase stripped the ball off of held-up lock Kiyan Jacobs, before being dragged over the defensive line by his teammates to end the game, Roosters 38, Exiles 31.
When asked for comment, Roosters captain and front-rower Stephen O’Donovan, who battled through injury to lead the team to their second consecutive title, credited the team's hard work and unity. Connor and Calliste led the Roosters with two tries each. The Bethesda Roosters also managed to sweep the Rugby MD championships, winning the U13, U15 and U19 Boys tackle finals.
— Connell Paxton and Cameron King
