The Prince George Gnats didn't hit full stride against Enderby. But, with the talented Vernon Jackals in their path, they ran to a convincing victory.
In men's exhibition rugby Saturday in Vernon, the Gnats lost 20-19 to Enderby and rebounded to beat Vernon 52-19.
"Vernon is a pretty good squad," said Gnats second row player Derrick Przysieny. "We kind of came together against them. The first game we were a little rusty after the eight-hour drive down. I think we were just a little more on top of our game the second game."
Against Enderby, Steve Pereira, Markku Paivarinta and Troy McKenzie had tries for the Gnats. The scoring was spread around against Vernon, but McKenzie led the way with two tries and multiple converts.
For the games, the Gnats were joined by former team members Glen Williams and Jaiden Loveng, who now live in Vancouver.
The Gnats will be right back on the road this coming weekend. This time, they'll be in Prince Rupert for the Sea Fest tournament. In the annual event, they'll battle Prince Rupert and Terrace in Central Interior Rugby Union league games and they'll also take on Smithers in a sevens contest.
The Gnats opened their CIRU season May 27 in Williams Lake, where they fell 20-19 to the host Rustlers.
