California rugby began its 2026 season with a decisive win over Cal Poly, defeating the Mustangs 101-0 on Saturday in Berkeley. The Bears saw nine different players contribute to the score, with Max Threlkeld and Filip Edstrom each recording three tries. Edstrom also made 12 successful conversions.
Captain Rand Santos started the scoring for Cal, followed by two tries from Threlkeld among the next three scores. Edstrom’s first try gave the Bears a commanding 35-0 lead. Threlkeld added another try nine minutes later, and Ryan Wenstrom scored just before halftime, bringing the score to 56-0 at the break.
Solomon Williams opened the second half with his second try of the match, and Edstrom quickly added his second as well. The Bears continued their momentum in the final quarter of play, registering four more tries including a late effort from Cormac Saint just before full time.
After this victory, California will travel to compete in the Dennis Storer Classic against Fresno State and UCLA on January 17.
“That’s not the score line anyone wants, and it doesn’t reflect the Mustang’s quality,” Head Coach Jack Clark said. “I think the match just got away from them in the first half and got difficult from there. Our boys showed signs of our potential by playing some good rugby. We played together and we played hard for the first time out.”
The starting lineup for Cal included Alex Vieira, Cade Crist, Oliver Kirk, Byron Finley, Brice Muller, Seamus Deely, Oliver Teague, Ryan Wenstrom, Solomon Williams, Rand Santos, Nate Comiskey, Filip Edstrom, Max Threlkeld, Emmett Cook and Oliver Newall. Substitutes featured Zurich Ashford, Oliver Sinclair, Cormac Saint, Peter Symington, Miles Malone, Chris Biller, William Schreckengaust and Jack Byszio.
In addition to their main squad’s performance, Cal’s reserves also secured a strong result with a 92-0 win over Cal Poly’s reserve team.
