Despite disappointment in their final game of the season this week, the side will be delighted with their overall performance as they racked up seven wins out of their ten games.
The season kicked-off on September 6 with a win against Saracens’ Oaklands College. In an end-to-end thriller, with the lead being exchanged on several occasions, the Warriors attack was too hot to handle and they finally sealed a 38-33 bonus point win courtesy of some outstanding scores from Rob Lester, Alex Haselock, Paul Wells and Charlie Gamble, with Jake Leonard impressing with the boot.
The second game saw the Warriors AASE taking on Sale Sharks’ Myerscough College at home. The lads came flying out of the blocks and dispatched their opponents 30-17, with tries from Lester, Gamble, Morgan Monks and Kai Lucas-Dumolo.
Warriors’ third clash was the tightest of the year, with the most dramatic finish after Freddie Spencer scored the winning try in the last play of the game as Ryan Watkins’ side claimed a bonus point win against Leicester Tigers’ Brooksby Melton College.
The last three games of the AASE League North Group saw Warriors continue their brilliant run as they beat Northampton Saints’ Moulton College 36-24, Yorkshire Carnegie’s Bishop Burton 31-17 and Newcastle Falcons’ Gosforth Academy 35-27.
This meant Warriors finished the first part of the season by winning the AASE North Group with maximum points after six wins from six and six bonus points – a feat never before achieved by the side.
There were some outstanding teams tries along the way and some excellent performances against tough opposition.
The next stage of the season saw the play-off rounds as the top four sides from the North Group went head-to-head to decide their Finals Day schedule.
Sadly Warriors came short in a repeat fixture against Oaklands College, where a harsh red card for a late tackle saw Warriors lose 19-7, after playing the majority of the game with 14 men.
That result meant it was hard for the team to qualify for the Cup Final as they would need to rely on other results in order to make it.
However, they bounced back with a great 22-19 win against Brooksby Melton College in their most physical encounter of the season.
The last play-off game was away to last season’s AASE League finalists Gosforth Academy, but Warriors lost 24-14.
A disappointing end to the year saw Warriors go down 50-17 to London Irish’s strong St Paul’s College 50-17 in their final game of the season.
But overall there will be plenty of positives to take from a successful season which saw Warriors win seven of their ten games.
AASE Manager Ryan Watkins said: “Overall the players have been outstanding and the development of the lads has been impressive.
“What has been even more impressive is the character these lads have shown in several tight games to come out on top.
“I’m incredibly proud of all of them and I’m excited to see how they carry on their development in the New Year and beyond.”