It had to happen at some point. The Liberty Rugby Football Club fell to Chuckanut 29-26 May 8 in a state playoff game.

The Patriots hadn’t lost to an in-state team in more than two years, but Chuckanut is consistently at the top of state competition. The two have met in the state title game each of the past two seasons.

“I think this is just what my team might have needed,” said Liberty coach Jeff Candler. “It’s been so long since we lost. They’re (Chuckanut) always competitive with us. It’s always close.”

The two favorites will most likely meet against May 22 with the state title on the line.

“This loss is insignificant in the bit picture,” Candler said. “We expect to see them again May 22.”

Simi Ratukalou, Jesse Evans and Kelly Bolduc all had strong games for Liberty.

Riley Locker led Chuckanut with an outstanding game. He scored on two tries and assisted on another.

Liberty’s U16 team beat Chuckanut 42-5 and remained undefeated this season.

Standouts for the U16 team were ‘Drez Henfeld, Jordan Oakes, Colton Jensen, Ty Candler, Scott Dean, Jacob Hill and David Black.