By Maxx Steinmetz
After a three week hiatus, including the Fourth of July weekend, the Rutland Roosters held their first home game since holding their annual Keith Page Memorial Rugby Invitational.
This game was the first of a three game series leading up to the Cam-Am tournament held in Saranac Lake and Lake Placid.
The friendly match against the Monadnock Wolfpack (of Keene, N.H.) saw the Roosters looking for revenge after being crushed by a physical Wolfpack team earlier this year, bolstered by returning alumni in Keene.
Under a hot sun both sides had moments, both good and bad, making for a great physical contest.
Though the visitors scored three tries to the host’s two (which were scored by team captain, Pete “Pepsi” Dayton and Keegan Bliss, who scored his first try in his first game), it was the boot of Rutland’s Adam Diemar that kept Rutland in the game, adding points to Rutland’s tries where Monadnock was unsuccessful.
Trailing 15 to 14 in the final seconds of the game, a composed Diemar once again took to the tee for a penalty kick. After taking all variables into account, the ball soared over the cross bar giving Rutland the 17 to 15 win over their New Hampshire rivals.
Revenge was theirs!
Matt “Beast” Pennington was awarded Man-of-the-Match honors for his efforts at prop.
