The Potomac Exiles traveled up 95 to take on a scrappy Wilmington team. In its first Division One home match, Delaware went up 7-0 early with a rolling maul off a lineout. Potomac responded with defensive intensity, keeping the ball deep in Wilmington territory. A Delaware mishandle on an attempt to find their kicker for a clearance led to an easy try for the defense, and a 7-7 tie. A few minutes later, some sustained possession led to a second try for the visitors, and a 14-7 lead they would not relinquish.
Shortly after, center Tyler Blaser exploded through a gap and found flanker Alex Diegel in support, who centered the try for the easy conversion. Junior Sucu followed that up with a long run featuring a series of cuts and spins, before feeding Iosia Luka for the try and big lead. Delaware tacked on some points before half with a penalty, but Potomac put the game away early in the second half.
Chris Saint led the high-paced offense with two second half tries, Diegel scored off a nice feed from fly half Allan Stafford, and Potomac dominated the rest of the match. Wilmington put one in the final minute to close the gap and make the game’s final score, 47-17.
Man of the Match: Amin Azizi led the team in tackles and turnovers gained. Special mention to Chris Saint for setting the offensive tempo and Ed Sharkey for laying the lumber on D.
-Alexander Diegel