Arizona Closes with Statement Win

ARIZONA SECURES STATEMENT WIN

ARIZONA 47
COLORADO STATE 11

Matteo Berenger and Ethan Heim played key roles in the Senior Day victory. (Photo credits: Tyler Horton)

Mar 30- Arizona capped off its regular season in dominant fashion on Saturday, honoring its seniors with a convincing victory over #15 Colorado State at Sitton Field. The 7th-ranked Wildcats delivered the fast start they were looking for, solidifying their position ahead of the D1A playoffs.

That early momentum was fueled by relentless effort and opportunism. Flyhalf Saxon Gerstl sparked the opening score with an interception and clever chip ahead, setting up a chase finished by Ethan Heim, who crossed for the first try of the match. Arizona struck again in the 9th minute, with Heim once more initiating the attack through a well-placed kick. Nick Morgan kept the play alive before flanker Tanner DeMassa finished the sequence, extending the lead to 12-0.

Moments later, Morgan produced a standout individual effort. Fielding a kick on the right side, the second-year center sliced through the Colorado State defense and outran the final defender to push the score to 19-0 following Matteo Berenger’s conversion 12 minutes into the match. Colorado State responded with a try in the 15th minute, but Arizona quickly regained control. Morgan added his second, running a hard line to stretch the lead to 26-7. The Wildcats continued to pile on before halftime, with tries from Jacob Jaffe and Andreas Andersson, along with another score from Berenger in support of an Ethan Heim break, capping a dominant 47-point first half.

With the result in hand, Arizona rotated its squad in the second half, leaning on a disciplined defensive performance to close out the match. Standout contributions from Jacob Jaffe, Tom Manning, Brody Johnson, and Tanner DeMassa anchored the effort.

“I’m thrilled with our attack in the first half, but I can’t say enough about the complete defensive performance, especially in the second half,” said Director of Rugby Sean Duffy. "Many thanks to CSU and we wish them the best in the postseason. A huge thank you to our seniors, as this is a special class and they've helped us take the next step on and off the field. I know they're as excited as I am for what's coming in two weeks when they get the honor of playing again on our home field."

Arizona’s 2nd XV also impressed, pulling away in the second half to secure an 82-12 victory over Colorado State’s 2nd XV to conclude their season.

The wins move Arizona to 17-7 overall, locking in the No. 3 seed in the West bracket of the D1A postseason. The Wildcats will host No. 6 seed Grand Canyon on April 11 at Sitton Field.

Arizona's full schedule can be found here.

Scoring vs CSU

Tries: Morgan (2), Heim, DeMassa, Berenger, Andersson, Jaffe

Conversions: Berenger- 6/7

Arizona vs CSU

4- Chris Grosse

6- Jacob Jaffe

7- Tanner DeMassa - VC