Old Boys Win Sharkapalooza in Newport Beach
Survive two razor-thin games behind the boot of Padraig Cremin
Sharkapalooza was an annual 15s old boys tournament hosted by Back Bay on their scenic pitch by the Balboa Pier in Newport Beach. Organizational issues and Covid led to the Sharks losing that field for rugby since 2019, so it was with great excitement that the reconstituted Beach Cities RFC (Back Bay and Huntington Beach combined) were able to restart this classic.
Per old boys’ rules, the day started with guys showing up late, or not showing up at all, but the squad rallied to win their opener 14-12 over a combined old boys’ side of Huntinton Beach/Back Bay/Fullerton. A missed conversion by the opposition at full time was the difference.
In the second game, played back-to-back, Santa Monica had an easier go against Riverside/LA/Temecula, winning 45-7 and getting a well-deserved two game break in the action.
In the final, deciding game of the day, the Golden Dolphins played Old Southwest, which travelled well from Arizona, and featured a couple of SMRC alum including Alan Gibb and Chris Campisano. SMRC led most of the game, but it came down to the wire, but the Dolphins’ last try was converted on a near impossibly wide kick by Padraig Cremin, who had spot on all day. With the score 28-26, the last five minutes showed a furious red zone effort by Old Southwest derailed by a game-saving tackle into out-of-bounds by 62-year-old flanker Michael Brooks for the win at full time.
In addition to Cremin and Brooks, there was also standout play by Beackboks’ Ali Ross and Cris Erdtsiek in the backs, fierce loose play by Taylor Manavian, Aaron Blatt and Steve Bagnara, towering performances from the twin towers of John Turner and Erick Kapp. (Kappy with only three or four near-fights.) Alex Rylance jumping in for the last game brought pace. Aaron Dann sacrificed his shoulder in the final goal line stand, breaking his clavicle in three places. “I’ll be back,” Dann says. Koby Shimada revived his scrumhalf role from Aspen delivering excellent ball out to the backs. A huge addition to the squad were some “new old boys” from Touch Rugby LA: Howard Braithwaite, Gareth Symons and Nicholas Dumbell. Plus, beach dad and U10s coach Jorge Devotto. Sideline support came from OC old boy transplants Kain Cross, Dominic Riebli and Scott Ketchum. Legends!
Due to a surprising lack of props, club president and old boys organizer Steven Johnson played every minute of all three games at tight head. When interviewed, Johnson said, “It was a walk in the park.” Which was understood to mean he walked from scrum to scrum to scrum all day.
