San Diego Old Aztec Athletic Club Youth RugbyClub News & Photos
SDYA NEWS
CONGRATULATIONS SAN DIEGO YOUNG AZTECS
FOR AN OUTSTANDING SEASON!
U16's...2009 3rd in So. Cal!!!
U12's....2009 1st in division & 2nd overall in So. Cal!!!
Four Young Aztecs U12’s are Selected a Jr Griffins
04/25 - 4/26
U16 BOYS IN SO CAL FINALS
04/09/2009
U16s COMPLETE LEAGUE PLAY UNDEFEATED,
MOVE ON TO PLAYOFFS
Coach Dave
Agustin Centurion, Gavin Kleege, Max Kalber, Devin Lim, and Skylar Mason. Also invited but unable to attend were Eamon Kelly, Jayson Pappas and Lole Veimau. After checking in, the boys were put thru vigorous fitness testing including a ten minute run, push ups, shuttle run and planks. After a short break they separated by position and were put through a series of drills. This was followed by lunch and a quick lecture on the History of Rugby. Then the real fun began. They were put into teams and scrimmaged. The Young Aztecs performed very well during the scrimmages. Noah Bloomberg had a number long, tackle breaking runs, Christian Bernard continued his tackling prowess and Agustin Centurion stunned the crowd with a drop goal. Devin Lim displayed his passing prowess and Max Kalber made a number of open field tackles. In the engine room, both Skylar Mason and Gavin Kleege provided great scrums for their teams. The boys also got to hang out with players from the Wallabies, Mustangs, Gators and Penguins. All in all it turned out to be an awesome day of Rugby. Then the selectors had tough decisions to make. Who would be chosen as a 'Probable' and who would be a 'Possible.'
('Probable' = probably with make the 22 man roster and 'Possible' = possibly will make the 22 man roster) Christian, Agustin, Gavin and Noah are 'Probables' while Devin, Max and Skylar are 'Possibles' In addition, Eamon and Lole were also invited as 'Possibles' All of the boys are invited to
attend three training sessions, where they can earn one of the coveted 22 spots. The final 22 will play against the North Jr Griffins on April 25th at Cal State Fullerton during the SCYR Championships. Good Luck to All the Young Aztecs.
Dave Mason
04/24/10
The U12's team lost
10-17 in a hard fought battle against Santa Clarita during
Saturday's playoff game in Valencia.
Although the game was delayed by an hour due to horrific LA traffic, the Aztecs came out extremely focused and delivered some of the most crushing hits and hardest runs of the season against a very strong and large Santa Clarita side (with two 150 pound wingers).
Even though we won the majority of scrums, rucks, and had them on their heals (and backs) the majority of the game, two early break through runs by these wingers put Santa Clarita up in the 1st half. Our boys left it all on the field, but in the end ran just short of time during their comeback. They played the entire game with intensity and finished the game with their heads held high.
I was extremely impressed with the great effort from every Aztec player, as well as their parents who rallied to make this quick notice playoff game happen. We even had the support of the U10 coaches and several older U10 players who had the chance to play in a short second game, which we won 7-5.
The U12's will be sending a number of studs up to the U14's next year,but from what I've seen from the U10's we will be gaining quite a few also.
Thanks to all for a great season!
Coach Sean
________________________U12 Match Report 4/24/1
Although the game was delayed by an hour due to horrific LA traffic, the Aztecs came out extremely focused and delivered some of the most crushing hits and hardest runs of the season against a very strong and large Santa Clarita side (with two 150 pound wingers).
Even though we won the majority of scrums, rucks, and had them on their heals (and backs) the majority of the game, two early break through runs by these wingers put Santa Clarita up in the 1st half. Our boys left it all on the field, but in the end ran just short of time during their comeback. They played the entire game with intensity and finished the game with their heads held high.
I was extremely impressed with the great effort from every Aztec player, as well as their parents who rallied to make this quick notice playoff game happen. We even had the support of the U10 coaches and several older U10 players who had the chance to play in a short second game, which we won 7-5.
The U12's will be sending a number of studs up to the U14's next year,but from what I've seen from the U10's we will be gaining quite a few also.
Thanks to all for a great season!
Coach Sean
03/18/10 The Ruck & Roll Fundraiser party has quickly become traditions for the SDYA club! A great success and a good time had by all at the 2nd Annual event which happend on St. Patricks Day. A huge thank you to all of our party goers and donors we really appreciate all the support you have given, because of you we were able to reach our fundraising goal! Thank you to the following: Brick By Brick, Brickyard Cages, USA Sevens,
11/30/09 SDYA have grown and now have 5 High School age teams formed this year! The Chieftains, Cougars, Conquistadors, Pointers & Saint Augustine. It's been a great success for us to see the league increase and the excitement has only begun!
Check us out in the news
________11/30/09 SDYA have grown and now have 5 High School age teams formed this year! The Chieftains, Cougars, Conquistadors, Pointers & Saint Augustine. It's been a great success for us to see the league increase and the excitement has only begun!
Check us out in the news
CONGRATULATIONS SAN DIEGO YOUNG AZTECS
FOR AN OUTSTANDING SEASON!
U16's...2009 3rd in So. Cal!!!
U12's....2009 1st in division & 2nd overall in So. Cal!!!
San Diego City Schools continue to add Rugby into their sports programs!! The National Guard has sponsored two NEW High School Teams - Point Loma High School and Serra Mesa High School. Each school will be receiving $5000 dollars worth of equipment, and uniforms to assist in the start-up of their high school rugby team.
Four Young Aztecs U12’s are Selected a Jr Griffins
On Sunday April 26th SCYR held the first ever U12 Jr. Griffin games. Twelve of the fifteen U12 programs sent boys to the tryouts and practices which lead up to the Final Match. The twelve clubs were split into two team, North and South. The boys played a series of five twenty minute periods allowing all the boys an opportunity to display their rugby skills. Over fifty boys participated, but only 24 were selected as Junior Griffins. Congratulations to:
_______________________Christian Bernard, Eamon Kelly, Agustin Centurion and David Lim
Your Team Mates and Aztec Family are very proud of all the boys who participated.
04/25 - 4/26
U16 BOYS IN SO CAL FINALS
The Aztecs U16 boys traveled to Fullerton this past weekend to compete in the Southern California Rugby Union finals at Cal State. The boys finished third, losing their semifinal game to Belmont Shores, 33-6, before defeating Eagle Rock in the third place game on Sunday, 24-19.
On Saturday, the Aztecs tried to strike first as Wilson Raley’s 35 yard free kick just six minutes into the game was long enough but fell wide right. Belmont hit the scoreboard first with a try five minutes later to take a 5-0 lead. Shortly after, the Aztecs were in striking distance again as Dominic Carusillo intercepted a Belmont Shore’s pitch at midfield breaking into the open field before a Belmont Shore’s penalty moved the ball within six yards of the goal line. Unfortunately, the Aztecs were unable to cross over to tie the match. Belmont scored again to take a 12-0 lead, but only a minute later the Aztecs replied when Codi Jones smothered a clearing kick from the Belmont fullback, returning it untouched. Wilson Raley’s conversion left the Aztecs down at halftime, 12-7.
In the second half, the Belmont Shore size took control of the contest. The Aztecs had a couple of chances near the goal, but Belmont put the game away ten minutes before the end when a pitch was intercepted and returned the length of the field. That made the score 26-7 and effectively ended any chance for our boys to get back in the game.
On Sunday, the Aztecs got revenge for a non-league 17-0 loss to Eagle Rock back in February. Although Eagle Rock took a 7-0 lead, Joe Cook replied midway through the first half. Keoho Smith answered another Eagle Rock try just before halftime, Wilson Raley converting so that Eagle Rock held a narrow 14-12 lead. A serious injury to an Eagle Rock player delayed the second half start. Karen Fong, assistant coach noted, “I think the main thing that sticks out to me was after the big injury for an Eagle Rock player (he had to be taken out by paramedics so there was a good 20 min break in the start of the 2nd half), our players were able to maintain their focus and keep playing our game.” Within the first ten minutes of the second half, tries by Thomas McHugh and Daniel Ross turned the game around, giving the Aztecs a 24-14 lead that withstood the final Eagle Rock try.
On Saturday, the Aztecs tried to strike first as Wilson Raley’s 35 yard free kick just six minutes into the game was long enough but fell wide right. Belmont hit the scoreboard first with a try five minutes later to take a 5-0 lead. Shortly after, the Aztecs were in striking distance again as Dominic Carusillo intercepted a Belmont Shore’s pitch at midfield breaking into the open field before a Belmont Shore’s penalty moved the ball within six yards of the goal line. Unfortunately, the Aztecs were unable to cross over to tie the match. Belmont scored again to take a 12-0 lead, but only a minute later the Aztecs replied when Codi Jones smothered a clearing kick from the Belmont fullback, returning it untouched. Wilson Raley’s conversion left the Aztecs down at halftime, 12-7.
In the second half, the Belmont Shore size took control of the contest. The Aztecs had a couple of chances near the goal, but Belmont put the game away ten minutes before the end when a pitch was intercepted and returned the length of the field. That made the score 26-7 and effectively ended any chance for our boys to get back in the game.
On Sunday, the Aztecs got revenge for a non-league 17-0 loss to Eagle Rock back in February. Although Eagle Rock took a 7-0 lead, Joe Cook replied midway through the first half. Keoho Smith answered another Eagle Rock try just before halftime, Wilson Raley converting so that Eagle Rock held a narrow 14-12 lead. A serious injury to an Eagle Rock player delayed the second half start. Karen Fong, assistant coach noted, “I think the main thing that sticks out to me was after the big injury for an Eagle Rock player (he had to be taken out by paramedics so there was a good 20 min break in the start of the 2nd half), our players were able to maintain their focus and keep playing our game.” Within the first ten minutes of the second half, tries by Thomas McHugh and Daniel Ross turned the game around, giving the Aztecs a 24-14 lead that withstood the final Eagle Rock try.
“I saw the growth from Saturday to Sunday,” was the analysis offered by Coach Phil Jones. “Once the whistle for the kickoff blew, they played hard and well.”
Congratulations are offered to the boys and coaches for taking tremendous strides in their first year as a team. High praise from Coach Jones: “In November, half the team had never played before. Everyone was willing to go over the basics again and again. Even with our inexperience, we were able to complete at the higher level. Individual effort helped to make the team.” By Wayne Palmer
_______________________________________Congratulations are offered to the boys and coaches for taking tremendous strides in their first year as a team. High praise from Coach Jones: “In November, half the team had never played before. Everyone was willing to go over the basics again and again. Even with our inexperience, we were able to complete at the higher level. Individual effort helped to make the team.” By Wayne Palmer
04/09/2009
U16s COMPLETE LEAGUE PLAY UNDEFEATED,
MOVE ON TO PLAYOFFS
The Aztecs U16 team advanced to the Southern California Rugby Union’s playoffs with a 31-10 win over cross-town rivals Mustangs on March 28 at Dusty Rhodes Park. The playoffs will be held the weekend of April 25-26 in Orange County at Cal State Fullerton. Pairings have yet to be finalized, but the Aztecs expect to be seeded third in the tournament and will play the second seed on Saturday. The other teams qualifying for the tournament are Belmont Shores, Eagle Rock and Fallbrook.
The Aztecs completed league play with a 5-0 record by wearing down a physical Mustangs club. The boys jumped to an early lead with a great sideline run by Dominic Carusillo just three minutes into the game. Wilson Raley’s conversion gave the Aztecs a 7-0 lead early. However, with both teams fighting to move on to the playoffs, the game settled down into a battle of field position and the strength of the forward lines dictated much of the action, leaving the game with only one first half try.
Early in the second half, the Aztecs got some breathing room on a try by hooker Keoho Smith. Wilson again converted, this time from a very sharp angle to make the score 14-0. Fullback Matthew Fowler followed across the goal line five minutes later and the strength of the forward wall began to wear on the Mustangs. A hope for a third straight shutout ended with ten minutes to play, but a tremendous effort from Sabahudin Rezepovich, who returned a clearing kick from 22 yards away extended the lead to 24-5. In the final minutes, the teams swapped goals, with the last score from Smith again as the whistle to end the game sounded.
Other players for the Aztecs in the league clinching game included forwards Conor Beck, John Dompor, Joe Cook, Marco Scavuzzo, Matthew Palmer, and Peter Hulburt, and backs Terence Wagner, Codi Jones, Thomas McHugh, and Josh Crisci.
Congratulations are in order for Coach Phil Jones, taking a group of many first year players and molding them into a team whose season will extend one month more than expected.
Wayne Palmer
__________________________The Aztecs completed league play with a 5-0 record by wearing down a physical Mustangs club. The boys jumped to an early lead with a great sideline run by Dominic Carusillo just three minutes into the game. Wilson Raley’s conversion gave the Aztecs a 7-0 lead early. However, with both teams fighting to move on to the playoffs, the game settled down into a battle of field position and the strength of the forward lines dictated much of the action, leaving the game with only one first half try.
Early in the second half, the Aztecs got some breathing room on a try by hooker Keoho Smith. Wilson again converted, this time from a very sharp angle to make the score 14-0. Fullback Matthew Fowler followed across the goal line five minutes later and the strength of the forward wall began to wear on the Mustangs. A hope for a third straight shutout ended with ten minutes to play, but a tremendous effort from Sabahudin Rezepovich, who returned a clearing kick from 22 yards away extended the lead to 24-5. In the final minutes, the teams swapped goals, with the last score from Smith again as the whistle to end the game sounded.
Other players for the Aztecs in the league clinching game included forwards Conor Beck, John Dompor, Joe Cook, Marco Scavuzzo, Matthew Palmer, and Peter Hulburt, and backs Terence Wagner, Codi Jones, Thomas McHugh, and Josh Crisci.
Congratulations are in order for Coach Phil Jones, taking a group of many first year players and molding them into a team whose season will extend one month more than expected.
Wayne Palmer
04/09/2009
U12 Junior Griffin Rugby Game
Southern California Youth Rugby in conjunction with the Southern California Rugby Football Union is holding the inaugural U12 Junior Griffin game on Sunday April 26th at 2:30 on the campus of Cal State Fullerton (here is a link to a good campus map http://www.fullerton.edu/campusmap/CampusMap.htm) Nearly 400 boys from 15 clubs played in the U12 division and the top 50 will be playing two matches to determine who the top 22 players are. The Young Aztecs are well represented as mentioned in last weeks report; however, there was an oversight in that report. The report failed to mention All-star fullback Reef Hosch. Reef performed well at the trials and has a great chance of being selected for the final 22. Unable to attend the trials but invited to the first workout were Lole Veimau and Eamon Kelly. Lole’s swerving runs and Eamon’s slashing cutbacks made positive impressions on the coaches and each of them also has a good chance of making the team. The team has two more training sessions before the big game. As a result of our appearance in the U12 final I was selected as the Head Coach of the southern division All-stars. Let’s wish all the boys good luck.U12 Junior Griffin Rugby Game
Coach Dave
04/01/09
U12 Junior Griffins Trials
The U12 Junior Griffins Trials (All-stars tryouts) were held last Sunday at the home field of the Back Bay Rugby Club in Newport Beach. The Young Aztecs had six nominees at the event- Captain Christian Bernard, Noah Bloomberg,U12 Junior Griffins Trials
Agustin Centurion, Gavin Kleege, Max Kalber, Devin Lim, and Skylar Mason. Also invited but unable to attend were Eamon Kelly, Jayson Pappas and Lole Veimau. After checking in, the boys were put thru vigorous fitness testing including a ten minute run, push ups, shuttle run and planks. After a short break they separated by position and were put through a series of drills. This was followed by lunch and a quick lecture on the History of Rugby. Then the real fun began. They were put into teams and scrimmaged. The Young Aztecs performed very well during the scrimmages. Noah Bloomberg had a number long, tackle breaking runs, Christian Bernard continued his tackling prowess and Agustin Centurion stunned the crowd with a drop goal. Devin Lim displayed his passing prowess and Max Kalber made a number of open field tackles. In the engine room, both Skylar Mason and Gavin Kleege provided great scrums for their teams. The boys also got to hang out with players from the Wallabies, Mustangs, Gators and Penguins. All in all it turned out to be an awesome day of Rugby. Then the selectors had tough decisions to make. Who would be chosen as a 'Probable' and who would be a 'Possible.'
('Probable' = probably with make the 22 man roster and 'Possible' = possibly will make the 22 man roster) Christian, Agustin, Gavin and Noah are 'Probables' while Devin, Max and Skylar are 'Possibles' In addition, Eamon and Lole were also invited as 'Possibles' All of the boys are invited to
attend three training sessions, where they can earn one of the coveted 22 spots. The final 22 will play against the North Jr Griffins on April 25th at Cal State Fullerton during the SCYR Championships. Good Luck to All the Young Aztecs.
Dave Mason
