The Knights scored 19 unanswered points in the second half of the rugby championship game to beat the Hawks 33-14, for the competitive league title on Saturday.
BYU-I students watch the championship game in the bleachers at the BYU-I stadium. Photo credit: Kaden Wilson
The Knights came to the game as the favorite to win as they dominated the regular season with a perfect 4-0 record.
Knights run out of the tunnel to take the field Photo credit: Kaden Wilson
The Hawks were the underdogs and entered with a 2-2 record.
Hawks prepare to take the field Photo credit: Kaden Wilson
The Hawks looked for revenge as their only losses in the regular season came from the Knights.
Lanz De Peralta passes the ball to his teammate for the first try of the championship Photo credit: Kaden Wilson
Lanz De Peralta, a BYU-Idaho student from Australia and Knights player, went to work in the first half. Peralta was involved in the two tries for the Knights, passing to a teammate for the first and scoring the second.
“It’s one of the best feelings,” said Peralta. “You feel like you’re one of the best players in the world when you score a try.”
Lanz De Peralta breaks free from a Hawks defender, on his way to score a try. Photo credit: Kaden Wilson
The Hawks played hard and got two tries of their own.
Hawks player breaks through the Knights line, runs to end zone Photo credit: Kaden Wilson
Going into halftime, the Hawks’ hopes of revenge stayed high with the score tied 14-14.
Hopes were not enough for the Hawks to overcome the defense of the Knights, they were scoreless in the second half.
The Knights proved themselves as champions, scoring three tries in the second half.
Blake Crosgrove, captain of the Knights who started playing rugby his freshman year of high school, played a crucial role in the Knights’ rise to champions.
Blake Crosgrove attempts to run the ball past the Hawks defender Photo credit: Kaden Wilson
“The second half was tied 14-14 and all of our team came in and we recognized we weren’t playing our game,” Crosgrove said. “We got unified. We knew we needed to win and we did what we needed to do.”
The Knights will reign as rugby competitive league champions until the next rugby season in fall 2024.
Knights team breaks their team huddle as champions Photo credit: Kaden Wilson
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