GRR: Carlsbad
Torrey Pines defeated Carlsbad in the meeting last year’s SoCal single-school champion and last year’s SoCal multi-school champions.
Played as a curtain-raiser for the game between UCLA and Stanford, the game was a contrast in styles; Carlsbad used its size and power, and Torrey Pines looked to go wide and kick to space to use their speed.
High-profile HS teams at the Storer Classic started off strong despite the rainy weather.
With rain a constant feature in Southern California these days, teams have eschewed the typical regional response to drops of water out of the sky (that is, they run screaming for shelter), and instead have done the best they could to practice and play.
The USA U18 men's team is assembling now in Amsterdam, set to play in the Corendon Summer Tour, and there are plenty of challenges ahead.
A year ago Thunder Rugby went to Boys HS National Championships underrated and won it all.
Coming of a tough loss against Belmont Shore, the SOC Raptors managed to edge Thunder 31-26, defeating the defending national HS club champions and making it clear that Southern California is competitive throughout.