Last spring, the Clayton men’s squad were coming off a losing season that finished with a glimmer of hope. The squad had gone through a number of changes over the previous few seasons and the 2024/2025 season brought an influx of young players into the squad, many of which came out of the Clayton High School rugby program.
Prior to the start of the 2025/2026 season the group got together to discuss goals for the season. At the top of everyone’s list was winning the Carolinas Rugby Union Division IV title and earning promotion back into Division III. The squad made a commitment to each other, the club, and the game.
Their mission became reality on Saturday April 11th as the Clayton RFC Bootleggers were crowned champions.
It wasn’t easy by any stretch. The match tested their fitness, discipline, depth, and belief. After falling behind in the first half, Clayton stormed back to defeat Triad RFC 46–31 and claim the Carolinas Rugby Union Division IV title.
It wasn’t clean nor was it easy, but it was exactly what a championship performance demands.
Played under unseasonably hot conditions, the Bootleggers battled through two yellow cards, mounting penalties, and a determined Triad side that refused to go quietly. What followed was a match worthy of the moment with two longtime rivals trading blows, momentum swinging, and a title hanging in the balance until the final whistle.
Triad struck first, capitalizing early with a converted try just five minutes in. Clayton responded quickly through Markice Rawls, but the first half belonged largely to Triad, who stretched their lead to 21–8 late in the half.
Then came the spark.
Off a broken scrum near midfield, Caleb Walters pounced on a loose ball and found Ben Roach in support, who raced in to cut the deficit to 21–13 heading into halftime. It was a lifeline and also a sign of what was to come.
The second half turned into a war of attrition. Big hits came from both sides, with Clayton’s Eli Leeworthy making his presence felt in contact, while injuries forced key players Doug Stillwell and Christian Copp out of the match. Depth would be tested and the entire squad answered.
Just minutes into the second half, captain Eric Hile stepped in front of an errant pass and raced into Triad territory before offloading to Roach, who finished for his second try of the day. Suddenly, it was a one-point game.
Moments later, Clayton struck again.
Clean ball from a scrum unleashed the backs, and Rawls lit up the pitch with a blistering 60-meter effort to give the Bootleggers their first lead of the match. The momentum had fully turned and Clayton never looked back.
Walters added another try with a quick tap near the line, pushing the lead to 32–21. Triad answered to keep it close, but the Bootleggers had found another gear.
With the match tightening late, Clayton delivered the knockout blow. Off a lineout just outside the 22, Chris Parker punched a hole in the Triad defense before Quincy Poe brought the line to life. A slick inside ball found Roach, who completed his hat trick in style, extending the lead and all but sealing the title.
Still, there was time for one more moment of magic.
From the restart, the Bootleggers chose to play wide and Roach broke free again before offloading from the ground to Ray Donnelly, who finished off the try to put an exclamation point on the performance.
When the final whistle blew, it was Clayton 46, Triad 31 and history was made.
The victory capped a remarkable season for the Bootleggers, finishing 12–2 overall and a perfect 9–0 in league play. After 13 years of existence, it marked the first undefeated championship season in the club’s history.
Just like the modest beginning for the club, the championship run was built on belief.
“Yesterday was the culmination of a year’s worth of training in the heat, in the cold, in the dark,” said Head Coach Walter Webster. “No matter the adversity that the men encountered, they trusted in their training and in each other. Our faith in each other led us to a come-from-behind victory to take the championship.”
That trust showed in every phase from the starting XV to the full 23-man roster, who were called upon throughout as conditions and injuries mounted.
Captain Eric Hile pointed to that collective effort as the defining factor:
“We have worked all season for this… playing down a man, playing injured, and everything in between. This was the first time in club history we’ve gone undefeated and come home as champions. It wouldn’t be possible without the players giving everything week in and week out—and the club, families, and town behind us.”
For Roach, who delivered a hat trick in the biggest match of the year, the moment was something even bigger than the performance:
“You dream about moments like this, but the reality is better than anything you imagine. A comeback championship in an undefeated season—none of it happens without an incredible group of men and an incredible club behind us.”
In the end, that’s what this one was about. It wasn’t just a trophy.
It was a squad that had belief, the club that stood behind them, and a championship earned together.
Final Score
Clayton 46 – Triad 31
Clayton Roster
Subs
Dante Moore, Peter Nalley, Mitch King, Ray Donnelly, Chris Belcher, Gareth Davies, Eli Leeworthy, Tron Newsome
About Clayton RFC
Clayton Rugby Football Club (Clayton RFC) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Clayton, North Carolina, dedicated to enriching lives through the sport of rugby. Founded in 2013, the club supports adult and youth programs, serving athletes ages 4 to 55. The club’s home is the Johnston County Rugby Park, one of the only purpose-built rugby facilities in the region, providing a hub for competition, community events, and the continued growth of grassroots rugby.
