Wrappin' up right: Thunderbirds win state championship

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class David Carbajal
  • 3rd Wing Public Affairs
ANCHORAGE, Alaska --  The Anchorage Thunderbirds won the 2008 Alaska State Rugby Championship by beating the Spenard Dragons 30-12 at Davis Field Aug. 23. 

More than 30 of the 54 members of the Thunderbirds are military personnel from Elmendorf and Forts Richardson and Wainwright. 

The team finished the regular season unbeaten, winning all six regular season games and sweeping three more for the state championship tournament. 

After a slow start to the championship game, the Thunderbirds came out in full force the second half scoring 15 straight points. 

For the second time since arriving at Elmendorf, a member of the team, Bryan Pemberton, 3rd Contracting Squadron, was selected to the 2008 Air Force Rugby team. As a member of the of the 2006 Air Force Rugby team, he was also picked for the 2006 Combined Services team, where the team competed for the National All Star Championship. 

This season, the Thunderbirds played teams that make up the Alaska Rugby Union: the Spenard Dragons, the Bird Creek Barbarians, the Mat-Su Maulers and University of Alaska-Fairbanks.