Wild Finish for Cathedral-vs-Torrey Pines Game
Wild Finish for Cathedral-vs-Torrey Pines Game
The big game in Southern California saw the top SoCal Youth Rugby single school team against the leading SCIRF team in Cathedral Catholic.
These teams are both feeders for the San Diego Mustangs club, so it was a bit of a Mustangs cup. And in a very, very well-played game played in front of a robust and loud crowd, the teams played to a 28-28 tie.
The game was tight throughout and late in the game Torrey Pines spent a good portion of time bashing at the Cathedral line. Finally, after a tap penalty play, the Falcons were able to get it over and, with the conversion, tie the game. With time up, Torrey Pines had a penalty from about 30 meters and off to the left side of the field. The Falcons opted for a shot at goal but the kick was short.
"It was a competitive and challenging game," said Cathedral Head Coach Matt Hawkins. "And while the outcome was not what we wanted, it offered invaluable lessons for our team—both players and coaches."
Cathedral took an early 7-0 lead. Torrey Pines tied it at 7-7. Another try from Cathedral made it 14-7, only for Torrey Pines to tie it up again. Once again, Cathedral took the lead; once again Torrey Pines tied it up. Cathedral could not shake Torrey Pines.
"We we never led," said Torrey Pines Head Coach Matty Sandoval. "[But] I feel good for two reasons. Result is good for the Mustangs. Plus, both teams played too well to lose. It might be the best high school game I’ve ever seen. Rugby was bit below both our standards, but the intensity was off the charts."
James Curtis came back in after a shoulder separation and immediately scored and No. 8 Will Barrett put in a huge shift for TP. Cathedral scrumhalf Spencer Huntley was very good and, said Sandoval, "almost beat us single-handedly."
"This experience will help us grow and improve in the long run," added Hawkins. "Moving forward, it’s our responsibility as a program to seek out more high-quality matchups that push us to elevate our performance."
