Danville is solid atop the Northern California Varsity Gold Bay conference as they beat one of their biggest rivals for the HS club championship, Hayward, 45-19 this past weekend.

That Danville was able to win speaks to the team’s quality, but that they won by so much speaks even louder. Danville Head Coach Jon Straka said it was still a difficult contest.

“It was a very tough game,” said Straka. “But we were able to physically match Hayward and play more disciplined. Hayward had a lot of chances with a heavy wind at their backs in the first half, but they didn't capitalize.”

That was crucial, as Danville led 19-7 at halftime, and then knew they hd the wind, and would be able, if they were smart, to pin Hayward back. They did that, ramping up the defensive pressure, and when Hayward was able to kick clear, Danville was able to steal several of their lineouts. And when they failed to do that, the Oaks poached enough ball to continue to keep Hayward on defense.

Flanker Lorenzo Richardson was outstanding, covering the field and punishing Hayward mistakes. Near the end of the game, with Hayward still looking to close the gap, he cleaned up a bad pass off a restart, broke some tackles, and burst through for a 70-meter run. He was caught just before the line, but Danville scored right after.

Lopeti Lui scored a key early try and continued to force turnovers. He kicked well from the hand, and when Danville’s hooker went down injured, took over lineout throws.

It was a wild performance, and a strong team effort, but Straka thinks they can be better.

“We are going back to work this week on our scrums and winning the ball quickly, which have been issues the past few weeks,” he said.

Meanwhile, in the Sacramento division in NorCal’s multi-school competition, Granite Bay remained undefeated after beating Pleasanton 51-0 in a non-league match.

Tyler Rouse returned to the team at No. 8, scored a try, and was named player of the game. 

“We’ve still got a lot of work to do,” said Coach Jason Divine. “We are just getting warmed up.”

And that’s true. Granite Bay has not faced Jesuit A-side v A-side, and also Sierra Foothills and Mother Lode remain on their docket. Those three teams are 9-2 in league play. Jesuit won two league games (three if you count their single-school match) in as many days, beating Sierra Foothills and CK McClatchy. Divine knows that his team’s toughest games are ahead.

This coming week, Mother Lode is at Jesuit, and Granite Bay hosts Davis. In the Bay Conference, Danville has the week off, while Peninsula Green hosts Lamorinda, and Oakland is at Pleasanton.

NorCal Multi-School (HS Club) Standings