The West Coast 7s kicks off the college 7s season in the California area with a tough 12-team lineup.

Of note is the fact that both the CRC champion (Cal) and the USA Rugby College 7s champion (Saint Mary’s) will be in the event. It’s likely neither team wants to pump up that rivalry too much … except not as the tournament preview quoted Saint Mary’s 7s Coach Joey Reavey said it’s clear the Gaels are the best 7s team in the country and would have won the CRC.

Well, there you have it. Cal Head Coach Jack Clark demurred on discussing such a standoff.

The San Luis Obispo tournament has been held five times previously, with Saint Mary’s winning twice, UCLA winning twice, and Cal winning it last year. All three previous winners are back.

For UCLA, Head Coach Scott Stewart is feeling pretty good about his squad. The Bruins may have graduated Zack Bonte, Set Sharpe, and Race Noeldner, but they have brought in some talented freshmen to make up for it. In addition, they return Niall and Cian Barry, as well as You Nakayama and will see young players such as Devin Lim, James Francis, and Ryan Bradfield break through, as well.

UCLA scrimmaged with Arizona State and while Stewart said the team was a little rusty, he likes what he has.

“Remember we’ve won this tournament, and we’re excited to play in it again and see who can compete,” said Stewart.

Meanwhile, Saint Mary’s is hoping to get back to the top spot, and if they do they will do it without their main 7s coach - it’s Fleet Week in San Francisco and as a newly-sworn-in police officer, Reavey will be on duty.

So the team is under the eye of Brendan O’Meara, another young recent Gaels grad who is taking on some coaching duties. Saint Mary’s is a very talented side, but will be without Aaron Matthews (ACL), Liam (foot), and Wesley Chock (ACL). Scholz Award Winner Dylan Audsley should be available to play, but the team will likely see several freshmen get some time. 

Ian Gregor leads Arizona State into a tournament they have every chance of winning. The Sun Devils return Bailey Stringer and Alex Sandstrom, and they think they can compete.

“We have nine guys that we took to the tournament last year,” said Gregor. “The guys always want to play for the cup in any tournament they play in and get as far as they can. They’ve built a reputation and are here to compete. The players who have gone through the system talk to them about that attitude and the guys get fired up.”

The other top seed is, of course, Cal. Like all the other teams, Cal will take a squad of 17 - a bigger squad allows for coaches to test players and get more athletes on the field during the weekend. Cal Head Coach Jack Clark said "It's good that the roster limits are expanded. It allows us to use the competition to develop some depth and really spread the playing time among the entire travel squad."

Players with postseason and championship 7s experience who could make the trip Saturday from campus include Thomas Robles and Patrick Barrientes, both big contributors at the CRC; Matt Ternan and Connor Sweet, who played significant minutes in the 2015 PAC 7s; and several other upperclassmen who are vying for selections. As many as six underclassmen could also make the travel squad for Saturday, including freshmen Keanu Andrade, Sam Cusano, Christian Dyer and Ken Kurihara.

Cal certainly is a favorite.

One of the teams to keep an eye out for, despite the fact they’re in a really tough pool, is Grand Canyon. Coach Ryan Kelly finally has some upperclassmen who have played rugby for GCU before, and with a little bit of experience they could take a step forward.

Having scrimmaged Arizona and Arizona State, GCU already has some on-field time. Watch out for freshman Brendon Curle, who was central to the Union HS team in Oregon, which has won multiple state championships. David Rich is a talented diamond in the rough out of Michigan who has impressive pace.

But, said Kelly, it’s worth noting that GCU is in a pool with the defending DIAA 15s champs (UC Davis), and the defending DIA 15s and USA 7s champs (Saint Mary’s). 

“We know it won’t be easy.”

So here’s the lineup of teams and games:

Pool 1: Cal, Santa Clara, and USC

Pool 2: Saint Mary’s, UC Davis, Grand Canyon

Pool 3: UCLA, San Diego State, UCSB

Pool 4: Arizona State, Cal Poly, Sanford

Cal Poly and Grand Canyon might be your upset specials. Cal Poly usually unleashes some talented athletes in fall 7s, and could certainly shock a few.

Schedule:

10am Santa Clara v USC; Stanford v Cal Poly

10:20am UCSB v San Diego State

10:40am Grand Canyon v UC Davis

11am Arizona State v Stanford

11:20am Cal v USC; UCLA v UCSB

11:40am Saint Mary’s v Grand Canyon

Noon Arizona State v Cal Poly

12:20pm Cal v Santa Clara

12:40pm UCLA v San Diego State; Saint Mary’s v UC Davis

Pool Winners go into Cup Semis

Pool Runners-up go into Plate Semis

Pool 3rd-place teams go into Bowl Semis