Two weekends ago the Buffaloes went to Bend to defend their Pacific Northwest RFU championship title. Sadly, they came up a little short against Bend in the Final. However, second place earned them a trip to the Pacific Coast RFU Championships last weekend.
Their first matchup on Saturday was against the top ranked team from Northern California - Bay Area Rugby. This all-Somoan team came out strong, and Budd Bay battled hard all day. At 79 minutes the score was 15-15, and things looked to be going into overtime. However, on the final drive of regulation time, Budd Bay dotted down to win. With the conversion, final score was 22-15.
In the final, Budd Bay showed renewed confidence and beat Modesto 44-19. This resulted in Budd Bay winning the Men's DIII Pacific Coast Rugby Football Union Championships - the first time any team from the Pacific Northwest has ever done so!
The next time you see a Buffalo, be sure to congratulate them on the phenomenal level of play exhibited last weekend, both on and off the field!
The Buffaloes now head to Southern California for the USA National Championship Sweet 16s. They will be kicking off a few fundraisers in the next week or two to help earn some travel funds. As you might imagine, a trip to Southern California takes a fare amount of coordination and money.
I hope that when the fundraising gets announced you all can spread the word to your friends and neighbors. The more people chipping in the more we can help out our traveling ruggers.
If anyone would like to be preemptive with a donation, they can do so on the Buffaloe's website - www.buddbayrugby.com/buffaloes.
Congrats to the Buffaloes!
And of course, while the Buffaloes will be away for their next matches, the Barbarians and Steelheads still have a few games left. Be sure to check out the club calendar and get out and support them!
-Kyle
