On Saturday, May 2, the Spartan Raptors delivered one of their biggest wins in recent years, defeating the Southington Blue Knight Rugby Club, 41-24, on their own senior night in a dominant second-half performance that showed the grit and resilience of the team.
After a difficult loss to Simsbury the week before, the Spartan Raptors responded with intensity and energy against a Southington team they had not beaten in four years. While the first half was more competitive being 22-12 in favor of the Spartans, the momentum shifted completely after halftime as the Spartan Raptors began moving the ball more effectively and wearing Southington down physically.
“I think the first half we played selfishly and not to the best of our ability,” said senior John Collins. “We started moving the ball better and playing as a team. We also knew who their guys were and we started to key in on those guys and shut them down.”
According to head coach Mike Meyer, the turning point came when the Spartan Raptors opened up the field offensively and attacked the gaps in the Southington defense.
“The turning point for me was the second half when we started really moving the ball with the backs,” Meyer said. “Then sophomore Shane Meyer (Mike Meyer’s son) and senior Ronaldy Baez both stole the ball and took it up
the sidelines.”
The Spartan Raptors also made key defensive adjustments, targeting Southington’s back line during lineouts and forcing mistakes throughout the second half.
Collins said the physical play from Southington only added motivation for the team after he was hit illegally during the first half of the match, dumped on his head. This was followed by another illegal hit during the second half of the match, on an offsides call.
“A big turning point was us wearing them down and getting them tired,” Collins said. “Also me getting hit illegally was a big motivator for the win.”
Southington has never had a negative season for the past four years. The previous games with the Spartans ended with a Southington blowout, 2022-2023 being 59-12, while 2023-2024 being 63-10. Now, the Southington Blue Knights finished the 2025-2026 season with a 0-4-1 season. So, the victory carried extra meaning for the Spartan Raptors, who earned the win on Southingtons home field during the Blue Knight’s senior night celebration.
“This is a team we had never beat,” Collins said. “To go to their home on their senior night and really lay into them shows the grit and fight of our squad.”
Coach Meyer echoed the same feeling after the final whistle blew.
“We had a loss the week before and that could have kept us down, but instead we bounced right back and took a dominant win over a team we have not beaten in the last four years,” Meyer said. “That speaks words on our resilience.
As the clock hit zero, emotions poured out from players and coaches alike.
“I was still hurting, but it was pure happiness,” Collins said. “I really wanted to pull one over on these guys, and the win on their senior night made it even sweeter.”
Coach Meyer added, “When the final whistle blew I was ecstatic because we had just put in an amazing score, and I was truly happy for all the players.”
With the playoffs approaching, the statement win could provide the momentum the Spartan Raptors need heading into the first playoff game against Trumbull Rugby Club, on Saturday, May 16th.
