(Jeffrey Burns photo)

HARC (Houston) defeated the Denver Highlanders 24-15 Saturday in Houston as part of the men’s Division I Round of 32.

HARC will advance to the national Round of 16 for the first time in the club’s history.

Tries from Brad Allen, Geoff Marcek, and Isaac Odhiambo, and nine points from Allen's boot, proved too much for the Highlanders in conditions which clearly took their toll on the Colorado side.

And still in the West, the KC Blues were nipped 32-31 by Texas League champions Shreveport RFC in Shreveport, LA.

In extremely hot and humid conditions, the Blues and Shreveport played a very tight game that saw seven lead changes.

Holding a 31-29 lead with only minutes on the clock, the Blues were penalized in their own end and Shreveport’s kicker slotted the penalty to put the home side up 32-31, where it ended.

Locks Joey Shirley and Chris Lawler, center James Poli, and wings Dave Samples and Dustin Malone all scored tries for the Blues.

Elsewhere, the Glendale Raptors trounced the Austin Blacks 76-13 and Aspen belted the Austin Huns 78-9.

Meantime, in CRI action, the Las Vegas Blackjacks beat the Sacramento Lions 31-7. The Blackjacks will now move on to play HARC in the next stage of the playoffs.

The western brackets of the Round of 16 tournament will take place in Austin, TX, May 16-17, while the eastern brackets will be played in Columbia, SC, with a place in the Division I Final Four at stake.