The first week of the Pacific West men’s collegiate conference is in the books.

Stanford started well with a 50-24 defeat of UC Santa Cruz. Stanford got on the board early when flanker Ian McColl broke from a driving maul to score. Santa Cruz replied and the two teams were at something of a stalemate until Stanford scrumhalf Alejandro Sanchez darted around a ruck and offloaded to wing Nino Abundes for the try and a 12-3 lead. Prop Mitch Hokanson started a movement that Sanchez finished to make it 19-3 at halftime.

Tries from McColl, and lock Alex Barron sandwiches a UCSC try to make it 29-10. And then in the final 20 minutes to scoring floodgates opened as the two teams combined for six tries.

Stanford was exciting in moving the ball in space, but suffered from penalty problems (Sanchez got a yellow card) and handling errors showed they have plenty of room for improvement. Injuries in the tight five led to issues in the scrum, but still the Cardinal won comfortably.

San Jose State defeated Sacramento State 31-26 in an impressive showing, while UC Davis edged Chico State 18-15.

“We have been working hard the last two months preparing for this league,” said UC Davis club president Darryl Woods. “We know each team will bring their best game against us and we look forward to meeting that challenge.”

Prop Hayden Meyers has been a powerful leader for the Aggies, and Brian Albin has done well to keep the scoreboard ticking over.

And then there’s Nevada-Reno, which blasted out of the gates big over Fresno State.

As for Nevada, Head Coach and former USA 7s captain Nelo Lui has them working together quite well.

“In the last three years, every year was spent mostly rebuilding, going over basics again with new incoming players,” said Lui. “This year we had a good start with new freshman from California that have played in high school, are familiar with the game, and are fit. I enjoy coaching these kids. They are committed and disciplined and respectful. They are the next generation of players and I am proud to be able to share my experience and knowledge with them.”

Unofficial Standings: