After losing two consecutive games to higher ranked opponents, the Sacramento State Hornet rugby team has bounced back with victories over Chico State and rival UC Davis.

The wins improved the 12th ranked Hornets’ record to 8-2 and helped solidify their run at the playoffs.

The Chico State game on Saturday was a hard fought contest in which the Hornets were able to pull away late.

“One through 15 (players) all hung in there and we were able to gather ourselves after a tough first 20 minutes,” head coach Chris Miller said.

The Hornets’ victory was highlighted with great running by Mathew Carlson and excellent kicking by Micheal Rodriguez, who was recently moved up from the B-team.

“Matt is the fastest player on the team and difficult to catch once he breaks away,” Miller said. “Mikey has a lot of energy and he earned his spot. He really stepped up.”

The victory also capped off the home field career of Hornet co-captain Anthony Burr.

“It was very pleasing to leave on top,” Burr said of the victory.

Burr’s final performance was a memorable one for Miller, who added: “He left his heart out there.”

Miller also praised Burr for being a great person off the field saying: “He ‘s a great ambassador with great principles. Anthony is the epitome of a student athlete; he has represented the university well. It has been a privilege to coach him.”

Burr was happy to end his home field career with a victory over Davis commenting, “It’s always fun to beat Davis.”

The two victories left the Hornets in a solid position for the playoffs with two road games remaining against Reno and Stanford.

“These were just wins and every win is important in this league,” Miller stated. The Hornets will continue to use a game-by-game approach the rest of the way, Miller commented: “We are in the toughest conference coast to coast. We can’t look passed any of our opponents. We have to take it game-by-game. Come tomorrow, it is all about Reno. We aren’t thinking about playoffs yet.”

The Hornets look to remain on the right track this Saturday in Reno.

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Josh Oates can be reached at [email protected]