The Glendale Raptors defeated the University of Utah Saturday in Grand Junction, Colo., 43-26. The Utes struck first a little over three minutes into the first half. Glendale answered back with a pair of tries, and the score at the half was 12-7, Raptors on top.

“While we looked a little rusty coming off of the bench from the off season, I think there were a lot of positives to focus on,” said Glendale head coach Andre Snyman. “Our new players looked really good and it was great to see guys like Mike Kenyon and Casey Rock back in action.”

Kenyon is returning from two surgeries on his ankle, and Rock is fresh back from a year-long tour in Australia where he played at the University of Queensland.

The cobwebs seemed to be clearing out as the men took the pitch in the second half. Chad Slaby started the Raptors off with a try from the prop position. In all, seven Glendale players scored – Slaby, Kenyon, Davies, Statler (2), Winbush, Willis and Aldridge.

Kenyon tried in the corner off of a breakaway up the middle of the pitch, with plenty of support by his teammates. Winbush showcased his footwork and dummy abilities when trying off a ruck, faking a pass and juking an opponent to hit the try zone.

The Raptor men will host a second preseason scrimmage at Infinity Park on Tuesday at 6 pm against the University of Colorado. Regular season play begins Saturday, March 2 in the Stadium against Boulder.