The Battle in the Bay 7s produce several results of note, and perhaps a series of them came thanks to Arizona State University.

 

Not necessarily expected to get out of their pool, the Sun Devils almost won the group, losing to Cal 19-14 and beating UCSB and Utah.

 

That set them up for a buzz-saw on Day Two, against NCRC champions Central Washington, and then West Coast 7s champions UCLA in order to get to the final. 

 

ASU were very impressive against CWU, running out to a commanding lead and holding on 22-14. Against UCLA it was a tight game, but one in which ASU led late and then finished it off with a turnover and long-range try.

 

That set them up with Cal in the final, where the Bears looked fresher and won going away.

 

For ASU Head Coach Gary Lane, and for 7s Head Coach Ian Gregor, who has been hugely influential with the program, overall it was a good weekend.

 

“Going through Central Washington and UCLA, no wonder we were a bit flat against Cal,” said Lane. “Overall I think the guys have been working hard, and we had a lot of players who played well in their roles - Ryan Spiwak, Keenan Mayfield, David Todd. David’s not a huge man but he makes up for it in skill.”

 

And then there were the Sandstrom brothers, Adam and Alex. Rangy, aggressive, they repeatedly exploited small gaps and opportunities to create tries.

 

“One of the things we did was put Adam in a position for him to get the ball as much as possible, and then we put good players around him in support,” said Lane. 

 

Obviously it worked. 

 

Looking ahead, ASU will be in Cal’s pool once again for the PAC Conference 7s. This is the big one for the teams involved, as the PAC-12 championship in any sport is what resonates in those schools. 

 

“It certainly matters with us,” said Lane. “We’re looking forward to getting another chance at Cal and we hope to have another chance at UCLA. We have a young team, we’re learning from our mistakes, and all of the teams are playing better 7s this year. Our guys are working hard and committed to putting Arizona State Rugby on the map.”

 

Well they did that, at least a little bit.