RUGBY1/17/2026 7:03 PM | By: Cal Athletics


Bears Defeat Fresno State and UCLA

LOS ANGELES- California rugby rolled to back-to-back victories at the annual Dennis Storer Classic, defeating Fresno State 50-5 and UCLA 45-0 on Saturday.
 
Freshman Julian Bishop started out the scoring against Fresno State, one of eight underclassmen starters in the Bears first contest of the day. Back-to-back tries from freshman Gur Levy and a try from Flynn O’Connell to end the first period helped the Bears build a halftime lead of 24-5.
 
Senior Jayden Flores scored the first try of the second period, while sophomore substitute Noa Grasse and freshman Tommy Ashton finished out the scoring for the Bears, who led from wire to wire. Levy led the Bears with two tries in the first contest, while John Warren and James Curtis added two conversions each, and Jack Openshaw converted one.
 
Against UCLA, the Bears went with a new starting XV, with an even mix of under and upperclassmen. Seven different players scored tries in the contest, including four in the first half.
 
The Bears came out firing, playing some excellent rugby in the first 20 minutes to build up a 33-0 halftime lead. Junior Nate Comiskey started off the scoring with a try two minutes in, followed by tries from Brice Muller, Emmett Cook, and Oliver Bamford. Chris Biller added a try in his first start as a flanker right before the half.
 
Warren and captain Rand Santos closed out the scoring for the Bears in the second half, while Filip Edstrom added four conversions, and Santos converted one.
 
“We appreciate both Fresno State and UCLA for the matches,” head coach Jack Clark said. “We will see the Bruins again in a couple weeks, but we wish Fresno the best in their season. We had some good moments in both matches, but our overall performance was uneven. Too many periods of play below our standard.”
 
The Bears will return home to Witter Rugby Field next week where they will host Olympic Club on Saturday at 1 p.m. PT. Tickets can be purchased here.
 
Scoring Timeline:
Cal vs. Fresno State
3:00 –  Julian Bishop, 5, John Warren, 2
11:00 – Gur Levy, 5
14:00 – Fresno State, 5, Fresno State, 2
18:00 – Gur Levy, 5
20:00 – Flynn O’Connell, 5, John Warren, 2
Half: Cal, 24, Fresno State, 5
26:00 – Jayden Flores, 5, James Curtis, 2
29:00 – Byron Finley, 5, James Curtis, 2
35:00 – Noa Grasse, 5, Jack Openshaw, 2
39:00 – Tommy Ashton, 5
Final: Cal, 50, Fresno State, 5
 
Cal vs. UCLA
2:00 –  Nate Comiskey, 5, Filip Edstrom, 2
8:00 – Brice Muller, 5
13:00 – Emmett Cook, 5, Filip Edstrom, 2
15:00 – Oliver Bamford, 5, Filip Edstrom, 2
19:00 – Chris Biller, 5, Filip Edstrom, 2
Half: Cal, 33, UCLA, 0
22:00 – Rand Santos, 5, Rand Santos, 2
26:00 – John Warren, 5
Final: Cal, 45, UCLA, 0
 
Starting XV:
1. Oliver Kirk 2. Alex Vieira 3. Cade Crist 4. Miles Malone 5. Brice Muller 6. Ryan Wenstrom 7. Chris Biller 8. Oliver Teague 9. Solomon Williams 10. Rand Santos 11. Nate Comiskey 12. Filip Edstrom 13. Oliver Sinclair 14. Emmett Cook 15. Oliver Bamford
 
Substitutions: Talae Tuimaunei, Seamus Deely, John Warren, Jack Byszio, Jayden Flores, Cormac Saint, Brady Weingart, Tom Archer, Kimani Laumoli, Gur Levy, Peter Symington, Michael Freeman
 
Â