BERKELEY – California plays for the national collegiate 15s championship Saturday at 6 p.m. PT in Stevens Stadium at Santa Clara University, where the Golden Bears take on the Running Eagles from Life University. The match is televised live on CBS Sports Network.
 
Cal reached the final with a 28-24 win over Saint Mary's on April 27 in the West Region national semifinal in Moraga, Calif., while Life earned its trip with a 27-19 victory over Lindenwood in the East Region national semifinal played on its home field in Marietta, Ga.
 
The Bears and Running Eagles face each other for the fourth time in their 15-a-side histories in Saturday's championship. They have additionally met four separate times in the last seven years in the national postseason for 7s, while their three previous 15-a-side meetings span a period of 36 years.
 
The 1982 national collegiate 15s championship in Greeley, Colo., was a 15-14 Cal victory over then Life Chiropractic College that gave the Bears their third straight title. Cal and Life met again at the national 15s quarterfinals in Moraga, Calif., on May 7, 2011, and the Bears advanced with a 43-10 win on their way to their 26th all-time title in the 15-a-side game. Last year, Cal was defeated by Life in the 15s final, 60-5.
 
Cal-Life All-Time Series
1982 National 15s Final: Cal 15, Life 14
2011 National 15s Quarterfinals: Cal 43, Life 10
2012 CRC 7s Bronze Medal Match: Cal 26, Life 7
2013 CRC 7s Final: Cal 19, Life 14
2015 CRC 7s Semifinal: Cal 33, Life 5
2017 CRC 7s Final; Cal 19, Life 0
2018 National 15s Final: Life 60, Cal 5
 
There are no common opponents between Cal and Life in the spring of 2019. The Running Eagles are undefeated, advancing through the national postseason with a 34-3 win over Penn State at home in the Round of 16 followed by a 40-25 win vs. Navy in the national quarterfinals held in Annapolis, Md. Life's eight-point win over Lindenwood in the semifinals was its third over the Lions this season, following a 22-11 result at home and a 47-6 result on the road against LU in the regular season. Life also notched regular-season wins over Penn State (53-24) and Navy (19-18), both at home, hanging on against the Midshipmen by one point on March 9. Visiting Arkansas State fell, 27-15, to the Running Eagles, Davenport was defeated, 27-9, on the road, and Clemson got blown out in South Carolina, 95-3.
 
Cal (18-1) won the Dennis Storer Classic in January with a victory over UCLA before going on a tear through D1A teams UC Davis, San Diego State, Arizona State, Cal Poly, Santa Clara and Utah. The Bears then sealed their sixth consecutive PAC Rugby Conference Championship with a 55-13 over the University of Arizona Wildcats. Cal defeated the University of British Columbia at home, 24-22, and sent a completely different XV to Vancouver, Canada, where it suffered its lone defeat by a score of 28-24. The Bears closed out their regular season with a 29-19 win over Saint Mary's College, then defeated UC Davis in the Round of 16 and Arizona in the quarterfinals before their semifinal win at Saint Mary's.
 
For Life, the lineup in Saturday's final is expected to be experienced, starting in the front row with prop Julian Montes, a 5-11, 250-pound "fifth-year" for the Running Eagles who graduated high school in 2013. Montes began at Tulsa Community College in 2013 and had a stint at Rogers State University before attending Life. Montes is joined by excellent Zimbabwean hooker Brian Muntanga, a 5-7, 210-pound junior who started for Life in the 2018 final, and prop Kareem Odeh, a junior who checks in at 6-0 and 245 pounds.
 
Scottish lock Jamie Berrisford is back for Life as a fifth year, and the 6-4, 230-pounder is slated to start again in Saturday's final alongside Daemon Torres, a 6-3, 240-pound senior. Another fifth year, Mike Islava, who stands 6-2 and 215 pounds, is projected to start at flanker after previously starting at lock in the 2018 final. Islava is likely to be joined in the back row by 6-2, 210-pound Justin Johnson, a junior who started in the 2018 final, and the 6-1, 225-pound South African Keagan Sparks, a junior who came on as a replacement in last year's final and came to Life from the Durban Sharks Academy.
 
In the backline for the opposition, returning starters from the 2018 final include junior scrumhalf Ryan Rees; senior flyhalf Duncan Van Schalkwyk from South Africa; senior center Harley Wheeler, who played wing in the 2018 final; and fifth-year fullback Mitchell Wilson, an Australian who played inside center in last year's final. Likely to join those returning starters are Argentine center Matthew Mairowitz, a replacement in the 2018 final; wing Julian Roberts, who comes to Life from Hawaii following his older brother Nikey, a replacement in the 2018 final; and opposite wing Connor Mooneyham, a 2014 high-school graduate who is listed by Life as a fifth year.
 
For Cal, head coach Jack Clark is likely to select the same front row that started the semifinal in senior Jack Iscaro, sophomore Jack Manzo and junior Damon Wiley. The Bears' back-five forwards are more speculative except for senior captain Nic Mirhashem at one flanker position. Sophomore Sam Golla seems to have created space for himself in either the second or back row. Junior Sebastian Bader and freshman Max Murphy are candidates at lock, as are junior Thomas Spradling, senior Ben Casey, junior Sid Holland, senior Cormac Heaney and freshman Jason Severance in the back row.
 
Freshman Henry Poon is assured at halfback and could be paired with freshman Sam Walsh or senior Elliot Webb at flyhalf. Junior Ken Kurihara appears headed to the bench as a replacement at the halfback and wing positions. Centers will be selected among juniors Christian Dyer and Keanu Andrade, and sophomore Adam Roeske. Sophomore Marcus Shankland, junior Sam Cusano and senior Troy Lockyear will likely wear the 11, 14 and 15 shirts.
 
Saturday's final will conclude the 15-a-side schedule for the Blue and Gold but does not signal the end of the Golden Bears' year. As student-athletes prepare for their academic exams, California will transition once again to the Olympic 7s form of the game to compete at the Collegiate Rugby Championship held June 1-2 in Philadelphia.