Northern California went an impressive 2-0 in the Boys Varsity Southwest Regional Cup Saturday in the first day of competition.

NorCal opened against Southern California - the team Goff Rugby Report had labeled as the favorite - and NorCal won 29-20. Then the Pelicans followed that up with a 52-3 defeat of Washington.

Southern California beat Washington 21-5. All three teams play each other again on Sunday. If Northern California beat Southern California in the opener Sunday morning, the Pelicans clinch the tournament cup.

“We got some good performances from a lot of players,” said Jason Divine, one of the NorCal coaching staff. 

Among the players was flanker Bailey Abercrombie (Jesuit), who was part of a solid forward effort. The backs reaped the benefits. Wing Saia Luvalo (Granite Bay) scored four tries against Washington, while scrumhalf Erik Cortinas kicked five conversions. Flyhalf Nathaniel Short (Dixon), fullback Christian Dyer (Jesuit), and wing Jose Moreno (Bishop O’Dowd) also played well. Moreno helped get the NorCal team started off right.

“He’s a total gamer,” enthused Divine. “Some of the guys were a little nervous starting out, but he had no jitters and made some key plays for us.”

In JV action, Northern California finished the day 2-0 in a competitive series of games. Southern California, NorCal 2, and Washington all split their games, while the San Diego Barbarians finished 0-2.

NorCal 1 looks in good shape as they have San Diego and NorCal 2 to play on Sunday.

Boys Varsity Scores:

Northern California 29 Southern California 20

Northern California 52 Washington 3

Southern California 21 Washington 5

Boys JV Scores:

Southern California 39 San Diego Barbarians 0

Northern California 1 24 Washington 17

Northern California 2 53 San Diego Barbarians 5

Northern California 1 22 Southern California 15

Washington 32 Northern California 2 10