Major SoCal Weekend as Belmont Shore Edges Raptors
Major SoCal Weekend as Belmont Shore Edges Raptors
In a thrilling SoCal club faceoff, Belmont Shore edged SOC Raptors 31-29.
This was a Boys HS National Championships play-in, and with the result so close you've got to wonder if there's a place left for the Raptors regardless.
For Belmont Shore this was a mid-term exam of sorts. A young squad, they sort of eased into the season, losing their opener 29-5 to a very strong San Diego Mustangs team, and then beating Try Time. But they had a league bye last week, play (and beating) a touring Denver East team, so league-wide they hadn't gotten their feat especially wet yet.
That was ust fine for the coaches, as they had work to do.
"Overall we've been feeling good about our momentum," said Head Coach Johnny Pua. "We're gelling and find our niche and our flow. We're definitely a young team but we felt we were on track."
That was indicated last week when they beat Denver East and SOC Raptors tied the same team. Of course, Raptors had played a league game that weekend, but it did perhaps hint at this week's result.
Led by brothers David and Devan Tonumaipea in the front row, setting the tone and driving momentum. They made the gain line and kept the team moving forward, and the pack followed.
With Jaden Hernandez Salima showcasing a combination of size and skills that is rare. He broke the line and when the defense were sucked in to take care of him, he found his support to keep the attack going.
And Belmont Shore, warned Pua, is only getting started.
This wasn't exactly a collapse by the Raptors. They only lost by two points and with a little bit more good fortune might have won this game. As we said, if there's room, the Raptors certainly looked HS Nationals-worthy.
"We played some brilliant rugby for long periods of the game," said SOC Head Coach Sam McMillan. "Every time we scored in the first half, through poor execution off the kickoff receipt we allowed Belmont short field and with a big and well-coached team they scored every time. Our defense at times was smothering, give credit to Belmont, specially, Kingston Muta, who was a really good, big, strong and fast runner."
For Raptors, Nolan Abayeta toughed it out and played a brave game. Shea Summers started at flyhalf and was brilliant. Caden Hartley came to the game straight from the airport (hed been traveling for Spring Break) and got to the game on time. Hartley, said McMillan, "played his heart out."
Also on the weekend, in another play-in, the San Diego Mustangs looked enormously impressive with a 52-8 defeat of Thunder. Eight tries from the Mustangs sees them move to 4-0 in the SoCal league, heaving defeated all three of their main anticipated rivals in Thunder, the Raptors, and Belmont Shore. The Mustangs have only allowed 38 points in those four games.
