☀️The weather was sublime.
🏉The rugby was exquisite.
The atmosphere was 👌
Rugby Riot was on hand in San Diego for the West Coast Sevens final weekend, and I was thoroughly blown away by the entire experience. The quality of play, the brotherhood on the sidelines, the cast and crew who pulled this event together—all of it was top notch. It’s a terrific sign, not just for SoCal rugby, but for the growth of the sport across the entire country.
Let’s dive in 👇
[Top photo credit: Alex Ho]
College Men
🏆Cal
Cal continued their string of excellent performances in the final leg of this tournament. With scorelines of 44–5, 40–0, 43–5, and 53–0, these gentlemen cruised through the bracket with determination and skill. Their chemistry was on point, and their ability to score from anywhere on the pitch was impressive.
Equally impressive is the way they defend. Sevens presents the very real problem of covering massive stretches of turf while staying connected, but Cal’s line stayed composed and calculating throughout the weekend—ferocious at the point of contact, calm everywhere else. Even when opponents managed to move the ball, they were usually creeping backwards toward their own try zone, desperately looking for a gap. Almost nobody breached the Cal line.
Solomon Williams was named Player of the Tournament after another outstanding performance. He was dangerous with ball in hand, decisive in defense, and seemed to pop up everywhere at once.
Hats off to Cal. A terrific cap to a dominant run through the West Coast Sevens this fall.
Solomon Williams
📸Credit: Alex Ho
UCLA
Despite falling short, the UCLA lads have plenty to be proud of. This is a young squad that plays fast, confident rugby. They may be a step behind Cal today, but the talent and effort are there. Just take their 42–0 win over a strong GCU side as proof. Definitely a group we’re excited to see again next year on the sevens circuit.
Bonus: Freddie Jobber delivered one of our favorite moments of the weekend—denying Cal a try single-handedly (literally) by holding the ball up in the try zone. See it here.
Jaden Seabrook carries the ball for UCLA.
📸Credit: Alex Ho
University of San Diego
These dudes play with heart. They battled every single match and took the bronze with a 19–17 nail-biter over GCU—despite losing to them in pool play the previous day. When USD went down to six men after a yellow card in the second half, GCU promptly crossed the line twice to grab a narrow 17–14 lead. But USD didn’t fold, closing the game with a tremendous, game-winning score as the clock hit zero. A testament to their fortitude—and one of the most exciting matches of the weekend.
UCLA players celebrate a try.
📸 Credit: Alex Ho
🏉 High School Boys
This division was stacked—and wildly entertaining.
🏆OMBAC
Our dark horse candidate turned champions. OMBAC were opportunistic and relentless in their championship match against Cathedral Catholic. Down 15–7 with just four minutes left, they stormed back with three unanswered tries to take the Cup.
Their poise under pressure stood out—they stayed composed at difficult moments when they could have easily melted down. Coltyn Dickerson had an incredible weekend, scoring 11 tries and displaying power and pace every time he touched the ball. A couple of their playmakers showed great awareness in broken play, and their defense stiffened at just the right moments. A complete team effort, and one they’ll be talking about for a while.
Kingston Garrison (OMBAC)
📸 Credit: Alex Ho
Cathedral Catholic
When these kids are gelling, it’s something to behold. They’ll regret a few rare lax moments in the final defensively, but that doesn’t take away from how sharp they looked all weekend. Cathedral’s passing and support play are textbook examples of how sevens should be played—crisp, patient, and connected. Their ability to switch tempo and read space made them one of the most entertaining sides to watch.
Reese Reiter (Cathedral Catholic) crosses over for a try.
📸 Credit: Alex Ho
Carmichael Hawks
The Hawks flew down from NorCal and had to hop straight off the plane and onto the pitch for their opener on Saturday. It took them a minute to find rhythm, but once they did, they were fun to watch—aggressive, fast, and disciplined.
They took the bronze with a 3-2 record, and that 3rd place match against Belmont Shore was terrific.
Notable: This year was Carmichael’s first time fielding a sevens squad. Can’t imagine it will be their last—these boys are good.
Rupeni Rukuvau (Carmichael) breaks away for a long-distance score vs Cathedral Catholic.
📸 Credit: Alex Ho
Torrey Pines Falcons
Winners of the Plate Cup, the Falcons were one of the grittiest teams of the weekend. They didn’t always have the polish of a pure sevens side, but leaning into their 15s DNA made them a tough out for everyone. Hard-running, high-effort rugby from a side that just kept coming. They had their highlights: Multiple tries by the Taich Bros, a clever kick and chase try by Rees Curtis, monster runs by Shay Farkash—and they were only a few plays away from earning a place in the Cup bracket on day two.
Andrew Taich offloads to Rees Curtis
📸Credit: Adam Taich
Other notables: Inferno, Oceanside, J Serra, and Belmont Shore all showed quality and skill throughout pool play.
🌟 Players Who Stood Out
Yeah, we’ll miss a few… there were a lot of players deserving of shout outs.
Solomon Williams (Cal)— Player of the Tournament twice this fall. Dynamic spark plug. Constantly in the thick of things on both sides of the ball.
Coltyn Dickerson (OMBAC) — Eleven tries in two days. Power, speed, and a nose for the try line. He was a force all weekend and a huge part of OMBAC’s comeback win in the final over Cathedral (2 tries scored in the final minutes).
Adrian Pham & Jameson Brown (OMBAC) — Pham is a shifty dude—a super creative runner. He made life difficult for would-be tacklers all weekend. Brown was an enforcer on defense and displayed smart distribution with the ball in-hand.
Reese Reiter, Dylan Trower, & Kingston Hawkins (Cathedral Catholic) — This trio ran the control room for Cathedral. When something brilliant happened for their squad, it was usually when the ball was in one of these guys’ hands.
Andrew, Nicholas Taich, & Rees Curtis (Torrey Pines) — The Taich brothers were workhorses. Relentless on defense and violent runners on the attack—they stood out on the field. Curtis made some clever moves on the attack, but his defensive work stood out—he frequently made back-to-back-to-back tackles to keep his team in games.
Chase Basson (USD) — Basson was the heartbeat of the USD team—vocal and a frequent headache to opponents with the ball in-hand. Plus, he had one of the biggest hits of the tournament against GCU.
Seti Perona, Rupeni Rukuvau, and Logan Morris (Carmichael) — Perona was elusive to the point of frustration for opposing teams. Rukuvau is a complete player who can strike with incredible pace from anywhere on the pitch. Morris is a tackle-breaking runner who seemed to be having more fun than anybody out there. The guy was always smiling!
🏉 Final thoughts
It was wonderful to soak up the SoCal rugby vibe. Former Eagles were all over the sidelines—coaching, spectating, and adding real depth to the weekend’s atmosphere.
The brotherhood between teams was just as striking, with players hanging out between matches and trading friendly jibes mid-game.
The entire event ran like clockwork—from the ball boys (the real heroes of the weekend!) to the officials, to the commentators—everything clicked with professional cadence. A massive shout-out to the Spieker family and the crew they assembled. They nailed it.
On a broader level, West Coast Sevens offers more than regional bragging rights—it’s a glimpse into what a strong rugby nucleus can accomplish. And there are more of these pockets forming around the country.
Many of the youngsters competing here will carry that same energy into coaching, refereeing, and building new clubs of their own. That’s what grassroots looks like: communities like SoCal spreading the love of rugby wherever they go.
Let’s keep this family growing. I love it.