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Local Sports

Local sports in the Panhandle are not just a game, they are a lifestyle. Our community eats, sleeps and breathes cheering on our local athletes.
News13 is On Your “Sidelines” bringing you more than the score.
News13’s Stephen Gunter is committed to giving you stories of the Panhandle’s top athletes, intriguing match-ups and unusual sports you may not even know exist.
sgunter@wmbb.com

Saturday, August 25, 2007

Hurricanes Host Rugby Tournament

PANAMA CITY BEACH- They play without pads and without a helmet.  Rugby players are tough as nails.

Twelve teams were in town Saturday for the Seventh Annual Hurricane Sevens Rugby Tournament at Frank Brown Park hosted by the Panama City Hurricanes Rugby Club.

Teams are made up of seven players on each side playing two seven-minute halves. 

The Louisiana Exiles (Baton Rouge), one of the teams in the tournament, won the event for the sixth straight year.  The Exiles beat Auburn 17-7 in the final.

“It’s a fun sport.  It’s physical.  I played football in high school.  I love physical sports,” Eric Middleton of Pensacola said.  “We drink a lot of beer and eat a lot of food.”

Joining the Hurricanes and the Exiles in the 12-team field include Montgomery, MTSU, Battleship-1, Battleship-2, Jackson, Auburn, FSU-1, Pensacola-1 and Southern Louisiana University.  One women’s team was also in the tournament.

“The best I could say to people in America is that it’s kind of a cross between American football and soccer,” Travis Lane of Louisiana said.  “You have the continuous play of soccer but the contact of American football.”

If you’re interested in joining the Panama City Hurricanes, call team President Mark Young at (850) 258-2431.

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