Boys varsity rugby was able to bounce back against Portage

Boys varsity rugby was able to bounce back against Portage

On Friday, April 21, the Deadheads of FH squared off against Portage. The Deadheads were eager to play and looking for their first win. After suffering a crushing loss last week to Grandville, they put that behind them and were focused on the task at hand: Portage. FHC really wanted the win. The game was the Battle for the Paddle. It is awarded to the winning team, and the Deadheads had its focus on winning and taking the battle.

As the game kicked off, the Deadheads showed that they were ready to go by coming out of the gates hot. They were playing for a lot. The Deadheads jumped on the board early with scores from Topher Beckering to give the team momentum. It was a very gritty first half with lots of passion being laid on the field, but the competition was very even. As the game continued on, the Deadheads received more scores from Erik Hansen, who popped in not one but two scores for the Deadheads.

“I felt in the second half we dug and dug and we won in a heart-beater matchup, and won the paddle,” senior Evan Lubben said.

However, Portage kept finding a way to stay in the game and kept grinding.

After the battle from Portage, the opposition found themselves leading the Deadheads 19-15 with a minute left. But the Deadheads weren’t going anywhere—they intercepted it in the midfield and tossed it over to Evan Lubben who was trucking right for the scoring zone and he just barely snuck in to give the Deadheads the win. It was an extremely amazing and sensational play by the Deadheads to win their first match and more importantly, the paddle that they earned. The final score was 20-19, Deadheads over Portage.

“Our guys played with a lot of grit and heart tonight,” coach Brad Anderson noted. “We never gave up, Portage played a good game and solid Rugby. With 15 minutes left we began to play our brand of rugby and exploit overloads, and win the rucks.”

This was a great win for the boys, and they look to keep it going in their next game on Wednesday, April 26, at 6 pm at Rockford High School.

“The night was a great night we need to work on a few things,” junior Alex Korff said. “But overall, it was a good game. Winning tonight will help us get the feeling of winning back, and now we will have more knowledge going further into the season.”