Red Wolf Rugby Club Defeats Clemson, 82-8
JONESBORO – Jason Scheepers scored three tries to lead Arkansas State University past another ranked opponent Saturday afternoon as the Red Wolves dominated Clemson, 82-8, in college rugby at Curt Huckaby Field.
A-State jumped to third this week in the D1ARugby.com top 25 poll after knocking off No. 1-ranked Life University a week ago. Clemson is ranked No. 23.
“Today we showed lots of good rugby and lots of immaturity,” said A-State Head Coach Blake White. “In order for us to really grow, we need to strive to play our best no matter the score, opponent or time left in the match. We need to buy into being process oriented, not outcome focused.”
Arkansas State didn’t waste any time as the Red Wolves scored five minutes into the game behind the try by Evan Roode. Four minutes later, Roode dashed across the line again to score the try and give his team the 12-0 lead.
Clemson managed to score with just over 25 minutes remaining in the first half to cut into the lead, 12-5.
However, Scheepers began his assault as he ran hard a minute later to make A-State’s lead, 17-5, followed with tries from Dante Bandoni, James Luecke, John Scotti and then more points from Scheepers to give the Red Wolves a 39-5 halftime cushion.
A-State came out just as a strong in the second half with Asa Carter getting the scoring underway. At the 24:32 mark, Scheepers took the feed from Keelan Watkins and raced in, making the score, 53-5, in favor of the home team.
A-State kept pounding the Tigers with successful tries from Watkins, Isaiah Poku and another by Luecke. Clemson added three points to their total, courtesy of a penalty kick, making the final score.
The Red Wolves go on the road, Saturday, Feb. 29, to Annapolis, Md., to play the U.S. Naval Academy at 11 a.m.
