SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — The Golden Bears commenced their 2018-19 schedule playing Olympic 7s on Saturday as two squads, one comprised primarily of upperclassmen and the other made up of underclassmen, went a combined 6-0 at California Polytechnic State University.
 
Cal culminated its Saturday by beating Arizona with its upperclassmen team, 29-0, then defeating UCLA with its underclassmen team, 14-5, in the two cup semifinals before the two squads met in a final whose result and statistics will not be part of the year's official record.
 
"We did mostly well throughout the day," said head coach Jack Clark. "Pretty good for the underclassmen team to get past a good UCLA team in the semi. In the end, it just feels better having today under our belts."
 
Cal began its day with a 50-5 win over UC Santa Cruz by the upperclassmen followed by a 59-0 shutout of Fresno State by the underclassmen. The elder Bears then beat Cal Poly, 24-12, and the younger Bears defeated UC Davis, 31-5, before the triumphant semifinals over the Wildcats and Bruins.
 
"We felt prepared," said freshman Jason Severance, who scored one of his two tries against UCLA. "Everyone came out with intensity and it was tremendous to represent Cal."
 
"A great honor to put on this jersey," agreed freshman Sam Walsh, who connected on 8-of-9 conversions in three matches. "Among the freshmen and sophomores, we tried to keep our heads clear and stick to our structure."
 
Senior captain Nic Mirhashem confirmed the upperclassmen noticed the underclassmen's efforts. "A big thing for us was how the younger guys would perform, and they put in a very good effort," he said. "Collectively it was a good start for us all."
 
The Rugby Bears will next compete at the Treasure Island stop of the West Coast Collegiate 7s Oct. 21-22 before Cal hosts the 2018 PAC 7s Tournament Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 3-4, on Witter Rugby Field to complete their autumn schedule. January 2019 will kick off the spring 15-a-side season as Cal continues its 137th year as the oldest intercollegiate sport at the University.
 
The Scoring Timeline vs. UC Santa Cruz
 
01: Marcus Shankland 5, Ken Kurihara 2
 
03:00 Garrett Kay 5, Ken Kurihara 2
 
05:00 Garrett Kay 5, Ken Kurihara 2
 
06:00 Taylor Damron 5, Ken Kurihara 2
 
07:00 Marcus Shankland 5
 
Halftime Score: California 33, UC Santa Cruz 0
 
09:00 UCSC 5
 
10:00 Garrett Kay 5, Ken Kurihara 2
 
12:00 Thomas Spradling 5
 
14:00 Marcus Shankland 5
 
Final Score: California 50, UC Santa Cruz 5
 
The Team vs. UC Santa Cruz
1. Kay, 2. Spradling, 3. Heaney, 4. Kurihara, 5. Damron, 6. A. Roeske, 7. Shankland
 
The Scoring Timeline vs. Fresno State
 
01:00 Luke Ogburn 5, Sam Walsh 2
 
03:00 Blake Richards-Smith 5, Sam Walsh 2
 
05:00 Thibault d'Auriol 5, Sam Walsh 2
 
07:00 Sam Golla 5, Sam Walsh
 
Halftime Score: California 28, Fresno State 0
 
08:00 Henry Poon 5, 2
 
09:00 Nick Bloom 5
 
11:00 Nick Bloom 5, Henry Poon 2
 
13:00 Jason Severance 5
 
14:00 Nick Bloom 5, Henry Poon 2
 
Final Score: California 59, Fresno State 0
 
The Team vs. Fresno State
1. Richards-Smith, 2. Severance, 3. Golla, 4. T. d'Auriol, 5. Walsh, 6. L. Ogburn, 7. Bloom
Replacement: Poon
 
The Scoring Timeline vs. Cal Poly
 
03:00 Elliot Webb 5
 
04:00 Keanu Andrade 5, Elliot Webb 2
 
06:00 Zachary Tavenner 5
 
Halftime Score: California 17, Cal Poly 0
 
09:00 Sam Cusano 5, Elliot Webb 2
 
11:00 Cal Poly 5
 
13:00 Cal Poly 5, 2
 
Final Score: California 24, Cal Poly 12
 
The Team vs. Cal Poly
1. Kay, 2. Andrade, 3. Dyer, 4. Tavenner, 5. E. Webb, 6. Lockyear, 7. Cusano
Replacements: Heaney, Spradling, Damron, A. Roeske
 
The Scoring Timeline vs. UC Davis
 
01:00 Oliver Sharpe 5, Sam Walsh 2
 
04:00 Luke Freeman 5
 
06:00 Henry Poon 5, Sam Walsh 2
 
Halftime Score: California 19, UC Davis 0
 
08:00 Jack Gallagher 5
 
10:00 UC Davis 5
 
12:00 Jack Gallagher 5, 2
 
Final Score: California 31, UC Davis 5
 
The Team vs. UC Davis
 
1. Broekhuizen, 2. Janis, 3. Freeman, 4. Poon, 5. Walsh, 6. J. Roeske 7. Sharpe
Replacements: T. d'Auriol, Gallagher, Severance
 
The Scoring Timeline vs. Arizona
 
03:00 Elliot Webb 5, 2
 
05:00 Elliot Webb 5
 
07:00 Christian Dyer 5
 
Halftime Score: California 17, Arizona 0
 
10:00 Ken Kurihara 5, 2
 
12:00 Nic Mirhashem 5
 
Final Score: California 29, Arizona 0
 
The Team vs. Arizona
1. Dyer, 2. Andrade, 3. Mirhashem, 4. Kurihara, 5. E. Webb, 6. Lockyear, 7. Cusano
Replacements: Tavenner, Spradling, Damron, A. Roeske, Shankland
 
The Scoring Timeline vs. UCLA
 
03:00 Oliver Sharpe 5, Sam Walsh 2
 
Halftime Score: California 7, UCLA 0
 
09:00 UCLA 5
 
12:00 Jason Severance 5, Sam Walsh 2
 
Final Score: California 14, UCLA 5
 
The Team vs. UCLA
1. Severance, 2. Janis, 3. Golla, 4. Poon, 5. Walsh, 6. L. Ogburn, 7. Sharpe
Replacements: Bloom, Broekhuizen, T. d'Auriol, J. Roeske, Gallagher