Mira Costa’s rugby team enters the playoffs Saturday in defense of its Southern California Youth Rugby championship. It will be riding a two-game winning streak
After going undefeated to capture the 2014 title in its inaugural year, Mira Costa improved this season’s record to 5-1-1 with a 19-10 home victory over Long Beach Wilson Friday night. The win kept the team’s home unbeaten streak alive in its two-year history.
Mira Costa suffered its first defeat in the history of the program on Dec. 12 when a depleted Mustang squad lost to an oversized Dana Hills team 35-12 on the road.
The other blemish on Mira Costa’s record came on Jan. 9 when host St. John Bosco scored 19 unanswered points to tie the Mustangs 26-26.
Although 10 Mustangs were honored prior to Friday’s game on Senior Night, it was junior fly-half Justus Tavai who led Mira Costa to the win in the regular-season finale.
Playing in his first complete game of the season after suffering as football injury in the fall, Tavai scored all three trys for Mira Costa. Senior Isaiah Leilua, who moved from his usual position of fly-half to play inside center for the first time this season, converted twice in the Mustangs 19-10 win.
“Wilson is a very good team and was a very big challenge for us,” Mira Costa Head Coach Duke Dulgarian said. “This was a good tune-up match for us as it looks like we will travel to San Diego to take on the Point Loma High School Aztecs. They are an extremely good side.”
Dulgarian considered the contest against Wilson to be the best team game the Mustangs have played this season. After losing eight of 15 starters to graduation, Dulgarian said this year’s squad was inexperienced but is constantly improving.
“We shared the ball against Wilson with virtually every player carrying the ball,” Dulgarian said. “Senior captain and hooker Juwan Johnson had numerous runs. However, he was not alone. Locks Gunnar Kissman and Justin Johnson each had their moments driving the ball for the Mustangs as did props Joshua Madden, Greg Boras and Ethan Alverson. Wings Nick Coons and Kevin Russell each had big games as did Andy Large as he came off the bench to make a couple of big tackles.”
Dulgarian acknowledged his seniors that included second-year lettermen left wing Matt Large, flanker Lincoln Personius and team captains Isaiah Leilua and Juwan Johnson.
Leilau is the all-time conversion leader for Mira Costa and Johnson has set the program’s scoring record.
“Johnson has really taken off,” Dulgarian saisd. “He has one full year of experience under his belt, he loves the game and is a student of it as well. Leilua switched positions to fly-half this year and he has done a tremendous job replacing Harrison Morrow who is now playing for UC Davis.”
The senior class also included six first-year lettermen: right wing Cameron Harger, lock and jumper Cole Hunter, outside center Tre Searcy, Alverson, Coons and Madden.
Dulgarian and Palos Verdes coach Jeremy Wilkinson are doing their best to help the sport of rugby grow in the South Bay. They have named their annual game the South Bay Scrum-Down and play for “The Oar,” a perpetual trophy awarded to the winner of each year’s contest. Mira Costa defeated visiting Palos Verdes 55-0 on Jan. 16 to claim bragging rights for another year.
Dulgarian personally reached out to principals, athletic directors and head football coaches of all local high schools to come watch the game.
“I’m sorry to say that only the principals at Redondo and El Segundo responded,” Dulgarian said. “It is a bit frustrating. But I believe that if we can just get two more local schools such as Redondo and West to give it a try then the sport will really take off here in the South Bay and there are so many kids and adults that play rugby in the South Bay right now.”
As rugby moves from the club to the high school level, the game is growing at a faster pace in the San Diego area. Dulgarian said the focus is to get the San Diego Section of the CIF to make it a sport which will influence the CIF Southern Section.
Until rugby becomes a CIF-sanctioned sport, is it governed by Southern California Youth Rugby which, in an effort to grow the sport, has implemented at 70% rule meaning that 30% of the players from a school can actually be students that attend other schools.
“This rule actually hurts our program as our District requires only Mira Costa students,” Dulgarian said. “That is the way we want it, however it still hurts us when we play a school like St. John Bosco that has about the same number of male students as our school and yet still goes off campus to find players. I feel that the rule actually hurts the growth of the sport.”
Rugby, however, has increased in popularity worldwide, returning to the Olympic Games in 2016 with a 7-on-7 version of the game that will be played in Rio de Janeiro. Rugby was played in four of the first seven Olympics with 15 men per side. The U.S. is defending rugby gold medal champion, winning in 1920 and 1924.
Dulgarian feels misconceptions about rugby has slowed its growth domestically. Only requiring shorts, jerseys, shoes and socks and a ball, rugby is one of the most inexpensive sports to play. It is also safer than football and soccer.
“It is a contact sport; however it is not a collision sport,” Dulgarian explained. “We don’t have hard plastic helmets and steel facemasks. Also, generally speaking the only contact that occurs is at the point of attack as opposed to football where there can be 11 separate battles taking place on any one given play. There are no blind-side blocks in rugby that you have in football as blocking is not allowed.
“The other thing that people don’t know about is the rugby culture. Someone new to the game sees a match and thinks its kill the guy with the ball. In fact, rugby is a very gentlemanly game with a huge emphasis on good sportsmanship. Following the match the home team hosts the visiting team to dinner in which the players exchange gifts such as “Man of the Match” while making new friends. This is something that is non-existent in the other contact sports.”
