Glendale Raptors – 31
Denver Barbarians – 13

Glendale, Colo., Oct. 23– Call it the Clash of the Titans: The strong and storied versus the new and fortunate. It was the match of the fall season, two undefeated local rugby teams clashing before a record crowd of more than 1,200 at Infinity Park here in what many were calling the Churchill Cup of the Cherry Creek Valley.

Both the Glendale Raptors and the Denver Barbarians were sitting at 3-0, with wins over every league opponent other than each other. A win by either team would not only mean civic pride and local bragging rights but also a seismic shift in Division I momentum. At stake was not only first place in the West but also a chance to reshape the landscape going into next spring’s playoff combat.

Using possession and ball control the Raptors held the Barbarians to just a single penalty kick and one drop goal in the first half. The Barbos weren’t able to put the ball down in the Raptors goal area until the 70-minute mark. By then the Raptors led 28 to 13. The Raptors added another penalty kick in the final minute of the game, making the final score 31 to 13.

With so much to play for it was only a matter of time – less than four minutes into the game -- before Coach Mark Bullock elected to attempt the team’s first penalty kick. A second kick was successful at the 15-minute mark. Three minutes later the Raptors scored their first try and conversion kick to jump ahead 13-3. The Raptors added another penalty kick to lead 16-6 at halftime. The Raptors opened the second period with two five-point trys and a successful conversion kick to go in front 28-6 before the Barbarians finally scored.