As the Rugby Season gets underway, the Utah Scorpions will be hosting the first tournament.  The tournament will be held at the Copperview Recreation Center located at 8446 Harrison Street.  As the Scorpions look to defend their DII National Championship, they are not only looking for great fans, but also volunteers.  From helping pass out food to players, to helping clean the floors after the game.  Any help is greatly appreciated! Make sure to mark this date on your calendar, as this will be the best event you can attend this year!

The Scorpions held their 4th Annual Golf Charity Classic on August 21, 2010 once again at Stansbury Park Golf Course.  Over 80 players made it to the tournament in what was a beautiful day of golf.  The raffle was a huge success year, as among the top prizes were 2 snowboards, a $500 gift certificate for graphic design, an extremely rare pair of DC golf shoes and over 50 other high value items!  A big thanks goes out to all who participated this year and to all of the volunteers that made this event possible.  The winning team shot a round of 64 this year, with winners also being named for closest to the pin and longest drive for men’s and women’s.  This year was the first that all of the Scorpions were able to hop into golf carts and chat with the players as they played their rounds, and the best part was everyone was able to come away without an injury!

As the Scorpions headed home from their tournament on April 18, a wonderful greeting was heard as the were about to fly home… ” Onboard our flight, we have our 2010 Division II National Champions, the Utah Scorpions.”  A giant smile of relief came to all of the players faces as they had a round of applause, because they all knew, this championship didn’t come without hard work, perseverence and sacrifice.

The Scorpions headed to Lakeshore, Alabama, which is home to an Olympic & Paralympic Athletic Training Facility.  Here, they were about to face to best Division II opponents in the country.  Game 1 had the Scorpions facing the East Coast Cripplers.  The Scorpions proved that they had came here on a mission by crushing the Cripplers 61 - 37.  Game 2 put the Scorpions against a team they had only seen on film in TNT.  Once again the Scorpions took control of this game from the beginning, and put TNT’s championship dreams to bed as they beat them 56-45.

Day 2 was where the exciting games really started to happen.  The Scorpions looked to put a beating on another team they had not faced in several years in the St. Louis Rugby Rams.  The Rams are a deap team with talented subs and a coach who has been in the sport for many years.  The Scorpions came out a little sluggish in the first period and were actually behind for the first time in the tournament.  It was obvious that the Scorpions had to feel out their opponent for their weak spots, as they came out in the second half and opened up an early lead.  The Rams couldn’t take it anymore and began to substitute their starters, as the Scorpions took away another victory handling the Rams with a 44 - 37 victory.

Game 4 pitted the Scorpions against a very good opponent in the Seattle Slam.  The Scorpions looked to avenge a loss they suffered earlier in the season on a last second mental lapse that gave Seattle the game earlier in the season.  Seattle came out blazing fast, putting up a 5 point lead early in the first period.  Utah called a timeout to compose themselves.  Whatever their staff and coach, Tim Daynes, had said lit a fire under the Scorpions as they quickly regained composure and tied the game at 12 at the end of the first period.  The Scorpions hit their stride once again as they opened up a lead that Seattle could not overcome in the second half and the Scorpions took this one 57 - 47.

Sunday was the day that all of their sacrifice and determination would pay off.  They would once again face the St. Louis Rugby Rams for a chance at the pride of a first place finish.  The Scorpions came out tough, but the Rams weren’t just going to succumb to what seemed an inevitable fate, as they had already lost to them the day before.  Their coach tried to keep her players fresh as substitutions were a frequent occurence.  This was an extremely exciting match as the Scorpions held only a 2 to 3 goal margin throughout the game.  With each goal came the scream of the crowd as about half seemed to be rooting for the underdog Rams, and half for the higher seeded Scorpions.  As the match came to a close the Scorpions capitalized on some crucial errors by the Rams and were able to take home another victory with a score of 52 - 47, and a National Championship.

Josh Wheeler was named the MVP of the Division II National Tournament.  The Scorpions, as always, send out a big thank you to all of the countless hours of volunteer work that has helped them get to the highest point on the biggest stage.  If you would like to watch the final 2 games the Scorpions played, visit this link,http://usqra.tampadigital.com/.  A highlight video will be posted in the coming days.  Go Scorpions!

There is a news story posted by the Salt Lake Tribune http://www.sltrib.com/ci_14971659?IADID=Search-www.sltrib.com-www.sltrib.com

As the Scorpions headed for Tucson, Arizona, their sights were set on making a trip in late April to Birmingham, Alabama.  This is the site for the 2010 United States Quad Rugby National Tournament.  Five teams stood in their way of making history by becoming the first team from the State of Utah to qualify for this tournament.  The Scorpions came in to the tournament as a heavy underdog in the most competetive section in the nation.  The Denver Harlequins, who were a National Champion in the past had already transferred from this section in order to be sure they would qualify for the tournament.

The Scorpions were determined to make it this year.  They were tired of hearing everyone talk about how much potential they have.  They were at this tournament to show this potential has been turned into ability.  The first game of the tournament featured the Scorpions against the San Antonio Ruff Riders.  They were short a starter, and first year player, Ryan Walters stepped in to play the role.  The game was a hard fought battle as neither team was going home without making the trip to Alabama.  The Scorpions came up short in this game as well as the next two, as the experience of these teams took over and lead them to victory.

Game 4 put the Scorpions up against James Gumbert, coach of the USA Gold Medalist Rugby Team, and the Texas Stampede.  The Scorpions had their starters for this game and would need a victory in the next 2 matchups to make the National Tournament.  The Scorpions had never beat either of the next two opponents.  The Stampede were first up and they came out fast and hard.  Levi Bohon was so excited when getting the first turnover of the game, that he slammed the ball to the ground after the score and received a technichal foul.  The game was tight throughout, and the Scorpions came away with a 10 point victory after only having six total turnovers in the game.  Step one of the Scorpion’s season long goal was complete and they needed a win in the next one to solidify their position.

The final game of the tournament had the Scorpions facing the Houston Texans, who had ripped out 1 point victories in each of the last 2 matchups.  Utah was not going to be denied.  They came out with an intensity that they hadn’t yet displayed in this tournament.  Their defense was tough and offense was great as usual.  But there was a reason these Texans had taken victories in the last two matches as they never give up and know how to grind out wins.  After the first half, it was the Scorpions holding just a 2 goal margin.  However, their constant pressure and team speed seemed to take control as mid-way through the third quarter, the Texans gave in to what seemed an inevitable fate, and Utah came away with a double digit victory!

Josh Wheeler came away with another Most Valuable Player Award.  As always the Scorpions want to thank everyone who volunteered and supported them throughout the season!

Saturday was an early start for the Scorpions at 8:00 am against the top-ranked team of the tournament, the Raleigh Sidewinders.  This was a hard fought battle as the Scorpions were able to take an early lead once again.  The experienced Sidewinders, lead by their dominant 2.0, Mark Herndon, were able to keep the game close throughout.  Raleigh pulled out all of the stops as they were even made Anthony Tucker roll his chair over for the first time in his career.  It was an exciting match as every possession could have gave either team the victory.  The Scorpions continued to build their confidence as they were able to take out the Sidewinders, when they seemed to grow tired of the team speed displayed by the Scorpions.

Game 4 featured a tough match up in the #8 ranked, Tampa Generals.  Tampa had seen the speed of the Scorpions throughout the week and new they would have a tough time shutting down the quickness.  They tried a new technique and dropped back to the key defense.  The Scorpions, becoming more experienced each tournament, were able to teach the Generals a lesson on how to run key offenses and were able to come away with a double digit victory.

Day 3 put the Scorpions up against the Northeast Passage Wildcats who had been seeded low, but had been showing to be very competitive in all of their games as the Scorpions watched and determined their strategy, as this team was all that stood between them and the first place finish.  Utah once again came out fast and put an early lead on the Wildcats.  The Scorpions could smell blood and the championship.  This was more than enough motivation to come away with another double digit victory!  Highlights from the tournament will be posted shortly, so be sure to check them out!

Along with the team victory, Sergio Garcia also won the best 1.5 award,  Levi Bohon won the best 2.0, and Josh Wheeler was named the MVP!

Day 2 was where the winning began… The first opponent the Scorpions face were the Michigan Storm.  The Scorpions had learned a great deal from the previous losses and were able to trounce the #14 ranked Michigan Storm by over 15 points!  The Scorpions were able to minimize penalties and mistakes, which helped a lot in the victory.  The second game of the day featured the Scorpions against a depleted University of Arizona B team.  The Scorpions didn’t have much trouble and rolled to victory.

Day 3 was by far the closest game of the tournament for the Scorpions.  They were facing the Arizona Outcasts who had snuck by with 1 point victories in their previous 2 games.  The Scorpions came out tough, but the experience of the Outcasts seemed to be the factor as the took a 2 point advantage going into the half.  The Scorpions were determined though, and weren’t about to let this one get away.  They fought hard and got some much needed turnovers in the second half to eventually tie the game, and then take the lead.  The game was fast paced and intense as the Scorpions came away with the 5 goal victory!

The Scorpions look to continue the 3-game winning streak as they head to Jacksonville, Florida in January!