Red River Recap: Quiet Weekend Gives Rise to Explosive Games
Men’s Division I:
It was a tough day in the office for the West Houston Lions, as they suffered a hefty loss to the Austin Blacks, 92-0. Standing out from the rest of the team were number eight Hayden Johnson who scored five tries and fullback Adam Armstrong who scored 27 points, 22 of which came off his boot.
Women’s Division I:
Scores were closer in the Women’s first division, with the Austin Valkyries taking down the Dallas Harlequins, 21-12, to win their second game in as many weeks against the Quins. The Valkyries opened up a 14-point lead after only 18 minutes, but the Harlequins fought back and with 30 minutes remaining, they trailed 14-12. A try in the 70th minute put the icing on the cake for the Valkyries and they held on for the win.
Men’s Division II:
The lone game in Men’s Division II came from the Lone Star State. Austin Huns D2 put in an impressive shift to walk away with the 34-10 win over Fort Worth Rugby. From the first whistle until the last, it was all seemingly one way traffic for the hosts. They opened up a 17 point lead in as many minutes, before a scoring drought ensued to close the half. Fort Worth looked like they may have found a way back into the contest, early after the second half begun. However, any chance of a comeback was snuffed out when the Huns crossed shortly after to reestablish their prior 17 point lead. The Huns then continued to pile the scoring on, with Fort Worth crossing once more before the final whistle blew to add some garnish to the scoreline.
Women’s Division II:
Bay Area Rugby were on the wrong end of a lopsided scoreboard after Saturday’s encounter with the San Antonio Riveters, losing 73-10. Tori Armstrong and Christine Krieger were both outstanding in the winning effort. Armstrong contributing four tries, while Krieger added 38 points including four tries and nine conversions. In the other, much anticipated, game the Austin Valkyries D2 squad followed their D1 squad’s suit beating the Little Rock Stormers, 25-5. It was shaping up to be a close affair, with both teams scoring tries in the opening ten minutes, to set the stage for a 5-5 tie in the score. However, the second half went entirely the way of the Valkyries as they scored 20 unanswered.
Men’s Division III:
Plenty of action took place across the third division. Austin Blacks D3 continued their strong start to the year with an impressive outing against the McAllen Knights, taking them down 50-15. The other game out of the central pool saw Corpus Christi hang in the waning moments to see off a resurgent Alamo City squad and win 20-19.
In the North, conversions were the difference between Alliance and Grand Prairie as Alliance won, 14-12. Shreveport and Denton weren’t as evenly matched, as Shreveport landed a 17-point win, 41-24.
The story was similar in the South, with Galveston Rugby securing a 43-0 win over the Houston Arrows. Kingwood Crusaders and Bay Area Rugby were locked in a tough tussle, but the Crusaders ultimately prevailed, 35-29.
Men’s Division IV:
Alliance’s D4 squad followed their D3 squad’s suit and convincingly took down Grand Prairie Mavericks D4, 47-5. Houston Athletic D4 were too strong for San Marcos Greys D4 and sent them back with a 24-point loss, 38-14. The final game of the weekend saw Galveston Rugby D4 unable to take the West Houston Lions D4, as they were outclassed to a 39-24 scoreline.
