Utah ScorpionsMountain Sectionals will be hosted in Sandy, Utah this year. 3 teams will be at this event for one day of the best rugby action in the country. Come check out the Scorpions as they take on the Phoenix Fusion and the Tucson Pterodactyls!
The Scorpions headed to Las Vegas, Nevada to crunch some metal in the City of Sin. Teams requested they not bring Josh Wheeler so other teams might have a shot at the title. Even without their top goal scorer, Utah was able to come home with the trophy.
The weekend started on Friday where the Scorpions would begin the tournament playing a Canadian team that ended up fielding a team with only 3 low pointers. Utah had to give them a couple of players to even have a matchup. Game 2 featured the Scorpions against the Denver Harlequins. This was a hard fought matchup, but the Scorpions were able to put it to Denver in the fourth as they came away with a 52-47 victory.
Game 3 put Utah up against a team they hadn’t seen for 2 years, the New York Warriors. New York fought tough, but Utah’s bench was too much. Speed and fresh wheels kept coming for them. Utah took home another victory in this one with the final tally at 53-42. Game 4, Utah would face off against the tournament hosts, Sin City Skulls. The skulls were no match as Utah came out tough from the start and were able to take home the victory 53-42.
Game 5 would be the best matchup of the weekend. The Scorpions were up against the eventual winners of the MVP and best 1.0 class awards of the tournament. The California Quake started the game tough, taking the lead over Utah. The Scorpions showed their toughness and will as they took the lead later in the game and didn’t look back. The Scorpions were able to take home a 1st place trophy and the best 2.0 award for Levi Bohon. The Utah Scorpions would like to send out a big thanks to all of their fans, sponsors and volunteers, because without them, there wouldn’t be a team.
The Utah Scorpions kicked off their 2011 campaign with the Best of the West Tournament, held in San Diego, California. They came into the tournament fresh off their 5th place finish at Nationals, looking to start the season off with a bang. They started the week against one of their newest rivals in the San Diego Sharp. The last couple of meetings have gone wire to wire, so both teams were fired up. After coming in 3rd at Nationals last season, the Sharp added some new faces to add some youth to the team. The Scorpions came out early and hungry. They took the lead from the start and were able to hold it, until a few costly turnovers ended the game in the final seconds as they lost by a single point.
In game 2 the Scoprions were up against the National Champion Tucson Pterodactyles. They too were able to add some new faces in the off season and the Scorpions were out gunned as they came in with another loss, starting the season 0-2.
Game 3, the Scorpions smelled blood as they were up against the Desert Storm, who were a combination team of Sierra Storm and Sin City Skulls. The Scorpions jumped out to a large lead and never looked back as they crushed the squad that werent familiar with eachother on the court. Game 4 was much the same as the Scorpions cruised to victory over the Nor-Cal Quake.
Game 5 pitted the Scorpions against the London Annihilators, who are made up of Canadian National Team players. The Scoprions pushed hard as the Annhilator’s team chemistry was apparent. Utah never gave up as the game was a close contest the whole way. The equipment managers had their work cut out for them with as many roll overs and flats that happened in this one. The Scorpions ended up just how they had been seeded with a sixth place victory, but are viewing this tourny as a great learning experience as always. Their next tournament will be an International Tournament held in Tucson, Arizona. So come back to see stories and footage from the tournament.
The Scorpions are hosting a Halloween Party at Piper Down Olde World Pub, Friday October 28, 2011. Tons of raffle prizes will be given out and Scenic Byway will be rockin your socks off! Come be a part of the festivities and feel free to dawn an awesome costume. Costume Prizes will be given as well. The Scorpions hope to see you there!
Josh Wheeler has been training all off season with Team USA. Wheeler is already a great player with a ton of potential. Cheer him on by watching the live stream video September 23 – 25 at www.bogota2011.org.
The Utah Scorpions are once again hosted their annual golf tournament! The event was held August 6 at Stansbury Golf Course. The weather was beautiful and the 2 time returning champions were dethroned this year! Almost all of the players made it out and mingled with the over 70 golfers who attended the event. A local owner of a Dodge Viper brought his car and had it on display during the tournament as it is painted in Scorpion colors. The event was a tremendous success and we hope to see you there next year!
The Utah Scorpions were in Bosie, ID over the weekend to help build the sport of rugby. Josh Wheeler, Anthony Tucker, Levi Bohon and Casey Black all made the trip. ”It’s fun to give back and work with people who aren’t familiar with the sport, ” stated Anthony Tucker after the experience.
“Wheelchair Rugby has enriched my life and I’m glad I can share it with others,” added Levi Bohon.
Fox News 12 in Idaho documented the event and have a story at the following link: http://www.fox12idaho.com/story/14649402/wheelchair-rugby
Another Story has been posted by Boise Weekly: http://www.boiseweekly.com/boise/wheelchair-rugby/Content?oid=2292391
As the Utah Scorpions headed to the National Tournament for the 2nd straight year, they hoped to capitalize on the opportunity. Due to some allegations, the Scorpions were seeded 8th goin in. Ranked behind teams they had previously beaten throughout the season.
The Scorpions were scheduled to play the team who would eventually become the National Champion in the first game of the tournament. This game was followed by a loss to a very good team in the Phoenix Heat. After game 2 the Scorpions hit their stride.
Game 3 was against the Texas Stampede who are lead by some of the staff of Team USA, including the head coach as well as equipment manager. The Scorpions came out tough and through wise use of substitutions used by Coach Cowley, it kept the experienced Stampede off balance as they weren’t able to overcome the fresh wheels and different styles of play used by the Scorpions.
Game 4 was against the St. Louis Rugby Rams, who were the team the Scorpions beat for the DII National Championship last season. Both teams were able to advance into the Division I tournament this year and were expected to do well. The Scorpions played some very aggressive defense and were able to hold off the Rams in an exciting match-up. Even though the Scorpions finished the first rounds of the tournament 2-2, they were forced to play in the 5th and 6th place game.
This game once again put the Scorpions up against a familiar foe in the Texas Stampede. The Scorpions were 3-1 head to head on the season coming into this game with the stampede. This was, by far, the most exciting game of the tournament. Both teams came very amped up and ready to play. The defense was incredible as neither team scored until about two minutes into the game. The Scorpions were able to gain a small lead and hold off the stampede after 1 period of overtime. The game is best described by just watching it. You can view the game at the following link: http://www.vimeo.com/22513858
Congratulations to the Utah Scorpions on a 5th place ranking in the Nation to end the season!
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