Torrey Pines Flexes their Muscle vs Loyola

Torrey Pines 53 - 7 Loyola

David’s slingshot landed short of Goliath’s noggin today, as Torrey Pines held the upstart Loyola boys to 7 points, while racking up 53 of their own. There is plenty to like about this Loyola team, but Round One decisively belongs to Torrey Pines, who showed why they’re still one of the best teams in the state.

Yes, it was a dominant win for Torrey Pines, but Loyola should take some solace in knowing that the gap between them is not insurmountable—though it does seem wide at this point in the season—and they will need to simply get back to work, building on the foundation that is their young rugby program.

As Torrey Pines Head Coach, Matty Sandoval, noted: “Loyola is heading in the right direction, and has all the building blocks in place. We’re just a bit ahead of them, but they’ll catch up soon, and be formidable going forward.”

How it happened:

Torrey Pines came out of the gate swinging, scoring within the opening 2 minutes. It was set up by a well executed kick by fly-half, Rees Curtis (a theme in this game), which led to a rumbling try by a cluster of Torrey Pines forwards several phases later.

Loyola kept things interesting for a while after that, taking advantage of multiple Torrey Pines infractions and relying on powerful runs by their forward pack. Loyola’s Cassius Grimes—a force all day—busted through from a maul to put points on the board for Loyola, leveling the score 7-7 about 18 minutes into the first half.

But that was as close as the game was going to get. Torrey Pines went on a tear after that, scoring 46 unanswered points during the 52 minutes that followed.

Torrey captain and scrum-half, James Curtis, was lethal with his boot, delivering a barrage of box-kicks that put pressure on Loyola’s back three and gained territory. Curtis operated the breakdown like his own personal cockpit, deftly changing the point of attack and keeping his forwards and backs seamlessly connected. Vice captain Will Barrett anchored the 8-man position, making smart decisions with the ball in hand and standing out defensively.

Loyola’s forwards brought the fight, making bone-crunching tackles and running with an intensity usually reserved for four-legged creatures with horns. But defensively, Loyola struggled to keep up with Torrey Pines’ constant changes in attack, especially when the ball got wide (see: 4 tries scored by Torrey wingers). And the Torrey boys proved just as ferocious on defense, delivering big hits of their own.

In the end, the Torrey Pines lads put up 53 points total, and the scoring came from several players:

• Gunnar Paul, winger (2 tries)

• Gabe Gonzales, winger (2 tries)

• Shay Farrakash, flanker (2 tries)

• Will Schreckengaust, prop (1 try)

• James Curtis, scrum-half (1 try, 1 penalty kick, 5/8 conversion kicks)

Some Observations:

• This game featured a lot of penalties by both teams; diving-over, high-tackles, offsides, and a dangerous tackle by Loyola’s Ronan O’Rourke that led to a yellow card, to name a few. Ultimately—aside from Loyola’s try in the first half—Torrey Pines did a better job overcoming these miscues and turning their opponent’s infringements into scoring opportunities. But both teams will surely want to clean this up as the season progresses.

• Loyola tackles hard and runs hard. The effort was not lacking. The difference between these two squads lies in the finer details of the game, which will come with time as HC Marquise Goodwin continues cultivating Loyola’s rugby culture. The future is bright for Loyola; you can’t teach effort and they have that in spades.

• The 50:22 law is a MASSIVE advantage for teams who can kick well. Torrey Pines capitalized on this several times—usually off the boot of fly-half Rees Curtis.

What’s Next:

Torrey Pines plays the St. Augustine Saints this Saturday, January 25th.

Loyola meanwhile heads to Servite HS this Friday, January 24th.