Paige Walker
The Mason City Riverhawks Rugby team is going to state this weekend after securing its spot in the state brackets on Monday against Muscatine and Cedar Falls. The Riverhawks play Sunday, October 19th, where they’ll take on Cedar Falls once again. This time at Southeast Polk.
“This has been our best season since the program reboot three years ago,” said Coach Kassandra Drey. “In the past, if we made it to state rugby, it usually came down to the last game of the season. But this year, thanks to a strong 6–4 start, we secured our spot early and avoided that end-of-season stress.”
The Riverhawks Rugby girls come from all over, including West Fork, Clear Lake, and Newman. The team has been a club for the past three years, coached by Drey and Sheree Haselmore.
“We have a solid group of six seniors—five of whom were part of the original reboot team—which has made a huge difference,” Drey said. “Their experience and understanding of the game show on the field.”
Waverly Shell Rock currently has two players in the U.S. player pool, and Cedar Falls has former players in the pool as well. But Drey says the Riverhawks are ready for them.
“Based on how we’ve been practicing and playing, we can definitely give them a run for their money. Our offense is starting to flow really well.”
“I think we have the technique and the skill to compete with Cedar Falls, we just need to not get in our heads before games and execute the things we’ve been working on. I think we can make them run around like headless chickens.” Rugby player Aniyah Smith.
The Riverhawks play on Sunday at 12:40 at South East Polk. Cedar Falls gave the Riverhawks a run for their money, but they are ready to bounce back.