Cornstalks and pumpkins will soon be everywhere, with scarecrows and Halloween decorations not far behind. Add to that festive fall formula nighttime Glendale Raptors rugby games. A crowd of more than 800 fans turned out at Infinity Park here for the team’s first-ever evening outing and they weren’t disappointed as the Raptors lit up the scoreboard, defeating the Denver Highlanders by a score of 34 to 17.

In near perfect fall weather each teams scored on penalty kicks early. Like autumn weather, however, play by the cross-town rivals was erratic as the Raptors held them without a Try until late in the second half. The Raptors meanwhile burst through the midfield defense to touch down under the posts for the first of three Trys at the 30-minute mark. The halftime score was the Glendale Raptors 14, Denver Highlanders 9.

The Raptors elected to go for post to open the second half upping the lead to 17-9. The Raptors scored another Try and two-point conversion kick to increase the lead to 24-9. Another three-point penalty kick pushed the score to 27-9 before the Highlanders finally scored a Try with the clock at 70 minutes. The Raptors followed with another Try seven minutes later and added a conversion kick to jump the score to 34-14. The Highlanders connected on another three-point conversion kick to make the final 34-17.

Ryan Chapman of the Raptors continued his torrid scoring pace with another Try in the Highlanders Game. He scored three Trys against Oregon State plus a Try against the Omaha Goats.

With the largest turnout of the year, including many first time rugby game attendees, it appears fans are adding nighttime games to their list of all those autumnal things to do. The Men Raptors next play the Kansas City Blues here on Oct. 9, with another 6 p.m. start time.