Bears Edge St. Mary's to Reach National Championship Game

STANFORD-Early in the second half of Friday's semifinal match against Saint Mary's, senior Louis Stanfill noticed his team had diverted from its strategy.

"Keep it next time!" he shouted to fellow forward Paul Jesseman, who had just committed a turnover after offloading the ball as he was taken to the ground.

After all, the match was much closer than the Cal rugby team's match against the Gaels earlier this season, and a bid to the national championship was on the line.

The top-seeded Bears earned that bid, edging fifth-seeded St. Mary's 41-31 for a chance to claim their fifth consecutive title.

But it sure wasn't easy.

"This was a clear mission: Win by a point," coach Jack Clark said. "And we were able to win by a point. Game over."

In Saturday's title match, Cal (23-1) will take on second-seeded Brigham Young, which defeated 11th-seeded Colorado 42-13 in the other semifinal match on Friday. The Bears have faced and beaten the Cougars in the championship match for the last two years.

Against the Gaels (20-4), Cal was not as disciplined with the pick-and-jam attack in the second half as it was in the first, when the team built up a 29-12 lead thanks to three converted tries in the first 15 minutes.

It became a match between the strength of the Bears and the speed of St. Mary's, whose backs electrified the crowd with several breakaways throughout the game.

Luckily for Cal, two tries by the Gaels in the final three minutes of the match were too little, too late.

"They're a good team," Clark said. "It's the final four. You've gotta credit them … Now it's turn the page. Be really smart during this interval and do what we can to come out and play as well as we can (Saturday)."

Tags: NATIONAL COLLEGIATE CHAMPIONSHIP; LOUIS STANFILL