May 5, 2026 Newsletter

Club Schedule/News 

This weekend we have U18 Premier boys in SCYR club title match vs. Mustangs (@Mustangs, time TBD) and U16 Premier boys in 3rd place game vs. Belmont Shore (@ Raptors, time TBD). U18 Boys Gold season is now over. U18 Girls hit their championships at Encinitas (ECP), good luck both boys and girls!

Anyone that missed the communication for boys nationals logistics and fundraising yesterday, newsletter yesterday can be found here: https://thunder-youth-rugby.beehiiv.com/p/may-4-2026-nationals-travel

And big news with several seniors making exciting plans for college rugby next year:

Well done! Love seeing Thunder alumni getting a great education while furthering their rugby careers!

U18 Boys 

On Saturday our U18 Premier had a rematch against Belmont Shore. This time asa post season SoCal semi-final . Thunder came out firing and scored 2 early tries by Nate Ragudo and Ryan Scully. With the game already looking to be heavily in Thunder’s favor Belmont would say otherwise and fire back with 3 unanswered tries of their own pushing the boys to stay switched on. The first half would be in Belmont's favor though with their biggest lead being 33-19 but Thunder would answer just before half making it 33-24. The boys would find their rhythm in the 2nd half in both attack and defense scoring 3 tries to none bringing the final to 41-33 Thunder. Avi Dutt, Nate Leovao, Nate Ragudo all had big games on Saturday. Next up, SCYR U18 Championship vs SD Mustangs!

Our U18 Gold team played against Santa Monica Saturday morning in a Gold Tier 2 matchup. This was a rematch from week 1. This battle was all heart with only 14 players available that morning Thunder boys knew they had a tough task ahead. No excuses were made and players Emmanuel Archontakis, Gavin Dauod, Chente Leatherman and David Ibanez rose up to lead the boys. All 14 battled until the final whistle with the highlight being Carlos Geronimo dotting down his first ever try in the corner getting to shoot the boot post match. However Santa Monica proved to be too much, final being 19-56. Unfortunately this ends the Gold season.

U16 Boys

Thunder’s U16s winning streak came to a tough halt in the semifinal, falling 47–5 to a strong OC Raptors side. Credit goes to the Raptors not only for their high-quality play, but for outstanding sportsmanship—stepping in to lend Thunder a spare set of jerseys after an unfortunate mix-up left the team without theirs. It was a reminder of what makes rugby culture so special.

From the opening whistle, Thunder faced immense pressure, with the Raptors controlling the game through tactical kicking and a relentless attacking presence. Despite the scoreline, Thunder showed flashes of quality, stringing together phases between forwards and backs and creating multiple line breaks. However, the inability to convert those opportunities into tries proved costly.

Discipline also played a role, with two yellow cards leaving Thunder short-handed against a team that capitalized on every advantage. In the end, the deficit was too much to overcome.

Thunder now turns its focus to the week ahead, regrouping and preparing for a third-place matchup against Belmont Shore, with determination to finish the season on a high note.

U18/15 Girls

U18 girls

The U18 girls went 2-0 this weekend with strong wins against Temecula and Rebels. In the first match against Temecula, the girls delivered an outstanding performance on both sides of the ball. Offensively, they did a great job reading the defense and moving the ball into space, while defensively they maintained constant pressure, leading to multiple turnovers. The second game against Rebels was a tougher, more physical matchup, but the girls rose to the challenge and came out on top. They continued to execute well offensively, finding space effectively and showcasing some very impressive offloads to keep the ball alive and maintain momentum.

We are excited and ready as we head into championships this weekend!

U15 girls

The U15 girls went 4-0 this weekend with wins against Rebels, Hawaiian Gardens, Temecula, and Dragons. In the first game against Rebels, the girls showed a lot of heart. Even though calls weren’t going their way, they didn’t give up and kept fighting for each other. They stayed strong defensively and completed the majority of their tackles. In the second game, they did a great job communicating and started to play smarter by moving the ball instead of wasting energy. Their passing really opened things up for the team. The third game against Temecula was a tough one. The girls had to dig deep and hold on, as it wasn’t their cleanest performance, but they still managed to push through and get the win. In the final game against Dragons, the team showed great sportsmanship. With uneven numbers leading to a 5v5 situation, they adjusted and kept playing their game. Despite the other team’s attitude, the girls stayed composed and focused, finishing the day strong. This was the U15 girls final weekend of the season. The coaches and staff are incredibly proud of the team and how the season turned out. We’ve seen so much growth and improvement from this group, and we can’t wait to see them back on the field next season.

Alumni News

Some great news this week with Thunder alumni!!!

Solomon Williams - What a week for one of the original Thunder players…coming through every age group at the club, now graduating from Cal-Berkeley this month with TWO national titles (including this year, beating Navy this past Saturday)…where it was also announced that he won the Rudy Scholz award (think of it as the college rugby Heisman Trophy (https://goffrugbyreport.com/news/solomon-williams-named-winner-2026-rudy-scholz-award)

Davenport won the men’s CRAA D1A Challenger Cup final on Saturday as well (beating Utah 37-17)…THREE Thunder alumni on the team with Ray Taele, Zavier Leatherman, and Damien Ramirez getting in on the “trophy action”!