Sharks swarm together

Bryce Alderton

While being one of only four teams still playing in the country, the

Back Bay Rugby Football Club is pleased with its performance so far,

but remains quite hungry.

“If we don’t win a national championship, we are going to be

disappointed,” Back Bay Coach Scott Bracken, who also competes for

the Sharks, said.

Back Bay, based in Newport Beach, will face Charlotte in a men’s

club Division I national semifinal at 3 p.m. Saturday at a field

titled “Little Q,” positioned in the southwest corner of Qualcomm

Stadium’s parking lot in San Diego.

The Sharks (14-3) have won four straight playoff games and are

making their second final four appearance in the program’s 20-year

history. Santa Monica will play top-seeded Worcester in the other

semifinal at 1 p.m. Saturday.

A win today and Back Bay would play in its first national final at

3 p.m. Sunday.

After finishing third in the Red Division during the regular

season behind Santa Monica and Old Mission Bay, respectively, the

Sharks have reeled off impressive victories against formidable foes.

In the round of 16 in Grand Rapids, Mich., last month,

seventh-seeded Back Bay tallied a 23-8 victory against Life College

before knocking off the Boston Irish Wolfhounds, the two-time

defending national champions, 19-18, on a last-second 45-yard kick

from Matt Busko.

Defense has keyed the Sharks’ run, Bracken said.

Newport has allowed an average of 10 points in four playoff games.

“A month ago, players became focused,” Bracken said. “It’s hard to

explain, but everyone bought into what we were trying to do. Players

started to understand and see how well the system works that we had

been trying to run all year.”

Bracken said the Sharks’ second playoff game, against Seattle, was

Back Bay’s best of the year.

“Everyone was playing within the system,” he said. “No one tried

to do everything on their own.”

The Sharks have focused most of their practice time honing their

defense.

“We’ve got extremely skilled and fast people, so we can score

points,” Bracken said. “Defense is all about heart. If you want to

tackle somebody, you tackle somebody.”

The Sharks defeated Light and Boston without two key players,

David Fee and Jacob Waasdorp, who were competing for the United

States team in international play.

Back Bay captain Brian Surgener is also a U.S. Eagle. Back Bay’s

Greg Smith and Eric Anderson were also selected to the U.S. team, but

chose not to play for the team due to work responsibilities, Bracken

said.

The Sharks feature six newcomers among the starting lineup, which

Bracken, with the help of assistant coaches Jeremy Ognall and John O’

Leary, have tweaked in the postseason.

A few position changes involving Fee and Busko also helped key the

Sharks’ recent surge.

Fee moved from the wing to fly half, like a quarterback in

football, while Busko shifted to inside center. Busko won “Man of the

Match” honors against Seattle, Bracken said.

Surgener, a returner who starred in the sport at Cal, which won

its 21st national title in April, has also taken on a greater

leadership role as the season progressed.

“Brian has played the best season I’ve ever seen as a coach or a

player,” said Bracken, who began playing the sport at San Diego State

in 1988 and became a U.S. national team member. “In the previous

couple years he was passive, but he has stepped up and taken charge

of this team.”

The team includes: Dan DeClark, Smith, Waasdorp, Christian

Bradley, Surgener, Darian Sharif, Joe Aleki, Shawn Kalifi, Chay

Chang, Fee, Craig Hartley, Busko, Jobe Sanonu, Jason Raven, Anderson,

Bracken, John Johnston, Carlos Jovel, Cameron Frater, Mike Payne,

Julio Duenes, Peter Lamond, Lawrence Tuasosi, Luga Faatoese, Pat

Linden and Paul Baumer.

The players go to their day jobs -- several are loan officers --

and practice on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at St. John the Baptist

Catholic Church and School in Costa Mesa.

Back Bay plays its home games at Peninsula Park.

The Division I championships have been held in Pittsburgh the last

three years, so this year’s location is a welcome gift, Back Bay

President Dave Fleck said.

When club teams travel, players often need to pay their own way

for trip expenses.

“In San Diego, hopefully we’ll have a home crowd,” Fleck said.

The trip to Michigan for the sweet 16 last month cost players

about $500, Bracken said.

Back Bay fielded an under-19 team for the first time this season

and Fleck hopes the adult team’s finish will help attract more

players to the sport.

“We are really trying to push the youth program,” Fleck said.

“This has been a successful year with Surgener, Waasdorp [and Fee]

making the U.S. Eagles and now being in the national championships.”