Live Oak crushes Ramblers; set to face Los Altos on Saturday
Morgan Hill – Live Oak opened Skyhawk Conference play with a solid 47-5 victory over the Bellarmine Prep/San Jose – based College Park Ramblers Rugby Club. Live Oak’s demanding non-league schedule over the past three weeks (4 games and a tournament) paid off with great dividends as the Ramblers were clearly out played in all phases of the game.
Anthony Guidry (Sr., wing) opened the scoring for the Acorns with his first try of his career. Dustin Muhn (Sr., fullback) added two more tries and Tommie Sparling (Sr., center) tallied a fourth try. Erik Cifuentes (Sr., 8-man) rounded out the first half scoring with 10 points on two penalty kicks and two conversions. The score at the intermission was Live Oak 30, College Park 0.
Live Oak began the second half with several substitutions but still came out strong, building a 42-0 lead on two tries and a conversion by Cifuentes, giving him 22 points on the day.
Oliver Garcia added a final try to round out the Acorn scoring at 47 points. College Park added a try late in the game. The Rambler scorer was unavailable.
Live Oak continues Skyhawk Conference play next Saturday, Feb. 18 against Los Altos at Live Oak High School. Game time is tentatively set for 1pm. The Acorns’ record stands at 7-1.
The Acorns have dominated their opponents early this season and preseason with just one loss. At the Kick Off Tournament in Sacramento two weeks ago, perennial rugby powerhouse Jesuit of Sacramento (two-time National Champion) handed Live Oak its only loss, 19-3, in the tournament final.
Nine rugby teams/clubs participate in the Skyhawk Conference, including the Live Oak Acorns, the Aptos Beach Dogs, the College Park Ramblers, the East Palo Alto Eagles, the Los Altos Lions, the Peninsula Beavers, the Silicon Valley Durabos, the St. Lawrence Warriors and the Valley Christian Warriors.
U19 High School Rugby is full-contact, 15-a-Side play. Each player must be under 19 years old and be a registered high school student. U19 High School Rugby started in the 1970s and is made up of four geographical conferences; the Bay Conference, Redwood Conference, Sacramento Conference and the Skyhawk Conference.
