The Raleigh Redhawks defeated the Clayton Copperheads 34 - 26 on Saturday in a game that almost didn’t happen.  

Due to heavy rain on Friday the field originally booked for the game was closed, so both squads scrambled to find a playable pitch.  While the teams ultimately succeeded in securing a field, the later game time resulted in key players from both sides being unavailable. Clayton started strong and capitalized on early penalty kicks, but the Redhawks’ strength and speed were too much down the stretch.  Even though the field was narrow, the Raleigh wings and fullbacks were able to find space on the edges, while senior No. 8 Mac Richardson put over two tries with bruising runs.  Junior scrumhalf George O’Brien opened the scoring for the Redhawks with a tap-and-go try off a penalty and also poached the ball four times to help the Redhawks dominate the ruck.  

Other key players for the Redhawks in the victory include junior flanker Turner Barefoot; junior fullback Scotty Sidney who shredded the Clayton defense on a kick return; versatile junior Ryan Swan who played hooker Saturday, but also plays prop, flanker and no. 8; junior lock Frank Lewis who only played the second half, but had immediate impact; and senior Zyon Johnson who contributed another strong performance at prop.

The Redhawks head off to the Gonzaga Rugby Classic this weekend for their third trip to the DC area this season.