June 1, 2004

BERKELEY, Calif. - Cal's rugby team is largely comprised of in-state Californians, many of whom are first identified at Cal's summer rugby camp. This year is no exception, with seven summer-camp alumni earning spots in the 2004 class. They are Kevin Kroll, Paul Jesseman, Baron Vaught, Lucas Yancey, Nick Yancey, Jay Smith and Ron (Yogi) Yokubaitis.

If there is a similarity in all Cal recruiting classes it is that character and academics are feted first, followed by athletic potential then rugby skill.

"We work hard to find our guys. It is important to us that they are stand up, high character young men before all else," Cal varsity coach Jack Clark said.

Clark and his staff have assembled an exceptional recruiting class, securing commitments from 17 high school standouts.

"We have put a solid year of work into this year's incoming class and our efforts have produced an outstanding group of young men," Clark said.

Typically, the Cal gets a player or two from the U.S. under-19 national team. This year that player is Kevin Kroll, a prop who played in the under-19 World Championships in South Africa. Kroll, a National Merit Scholar finalist, was first identified at the Jack Clark Summer Rugby Camp in 2003 and has been accepted to Cal's School of Nuclear Engineering. Kroll, who prepped at Whitefish High School in Wisconsin, also played football. Clark values his leadership potential, "as our only under-19 national team player from the World Championships, Kevin is the most pedigreed player in the class," Clark said. "I see him as one of the future leaders of our team."

The Sacramento area has maintained a close link to the Cal program as many Cal players played their high school rugby in the capital city. Next season, Sacramento-area products Paul Jesseman and Cody Stevens join the Golden Bears. Jesseman comes from rugby juggernaut Jesuit High School. The 6-4 Jesseman plays second row and was a mainstay in the lineout, helping the Marauders win the 2004 National High School Rugby Championships in Dallas, Texas.

Clark is already familiar with Jesseman's lineout skills: "Paul was always going to be a Golden Bear," Clark said. "He started coming to our summer camp as a sophomore. He possesses very good aerial skills for a young player. He is a collegiate level lineout forward as a prep."

Stevens a 6-1, 220-pound linebacker from Mira Loma High School in Sacramento, was selected his team's Defensive Football MVP for three consecutive seasons. Cody plays center for the Cougars Rugby Club.

Another High School National Champion will join Cal in Patrick King from Elsie Allen High School in Santa Rosa. King plays fullback and led his team to the tier B High School National Championships also in Dallas. Elsie Allen High is coached by Allen Petty, a protégé of Clark's and a former Cal rugger.

While most of Cal's recruits come from the Golden State, this year four out-of-state residents join the Bears: the aforementioned Kroll from Wisconsin is joined by Ron (Yogi) Yokubaitis, Jason Lee and Connor O'Brien. Yokubaitis comes from Austin and played linebacker for Westlake High School in the Texas 5A Championship game. He will look to play fullback at Cal. Jason Lee hails from Shawnigan Lake High School, the Canadian rugby "nursery" where he played halfback and earned British Columbia under-19 honors. O'Brien, the Colorado High School Player of the Year, is a slick ball-handling center from East High School in Denver, Colo.

Cal has always placed tremendous value on athleticism even at the expense of rugby experience. The Bears have been more successful taking raw athletes with plenty of speed and explosion and teaching them the sport of rugby rather than the other way around. Many of this year's recruits played rugby as a second or even third sport. Kyle Balough and Sean Wilhelmy, both new to rugby, were starters for the De La Salle Spartans Football team which recently earned the 2004 USA Today High School National Championship; the Spartans have not lost a game since 1991. Both All-League Lineman, Balough and Wilhelmy are in their first year of rugby.

Clark admires the De La Salle program: "These guys are prototype De La Salle athletes," he said, "mature, committed and highly successful. I just like being around them."

Three other football standouts in the 2004 recruiting class are Scott Kidd, Ross Kilroy and Jim Barret. Kidd, from Campolindo High School, is a 6-0, 200-pound All-Bay Area linebacker who also ran the 300-meter hurdles and the 4x100-meter relay. Kidd plays back row for the La Morinda Rugby Club, which has had several players play for Cal.

Clark is keen to coach Kidd: "He's quite a combination: a nose for the ball linebacker and hurdler," he said. "Wait until you see this lad in a year or so."

Kilroy played defensive nose tackle for the Loyola High football program the 2003 CIF Division 1 Champion. Kilroy plays prop for the Los Angeles Cougars Rugby Club, coached by recent Cal alum Josh Downes. At 6-1, 270 pounds, Jim Barrett blends considerable size with good feet and an open stride. Barret, who was the MVP for the Sacred Heart High School Football team in San Francisco, has been playing prop for the Golden Gate Youth program and comes highly regarded.

"Big Jim has a very good motor for a player of his size," Clark said. "He's athletic and tough and has quite a future in front of him."

In an interesting bit of irony, former Stanford football and rugby star Mike Yancey will be sending his twins to play rugby for Cal. Lucas and Nick Yancey from Woodside High School are both talented football and rugby players with very good all-around skills. The Yancey brothers play in the backs for the Peninsula Green Rugby Club in the South Bay. Joining the Yanceys is Peninsula Green teammate Baron Vaught. In addition to rugby, Vaught, at 6-3, 215 pounds, played football and was All-League in track, competing in the 4x100, 4x400 and the long jump.

Also from the South Bay are Jay Smith and Ted Taylor. The 6-2, 205-pound Smith played tight end and Middle Linebacker for Homestead High School, the De Anza League Champion. Smith plays flanker for the Silicon Valley Rugby Club. Taylor, from Palma High School in Salinas, hopes to play wing at Cal. Taylor runs the 100, 200, 400, and was a state semifinalist in the 4x100 relay. Ted, a fourth-generation Golden Bear, was also a three-year starter for his varsity soccer team.

Clark is hoping to add two players, a third player from De La Salle and a second player from Jesuit, who will significantly impact this class, but details were not available at presstime.

The Cal football team has signed a couple of phenomenal gridiron athletes, William Taufoou and Sekeli Faaeteete, with Northern California rugby backgrounds whom the program hopes to feature. The hard running and physical Taufoou joins Cal from St. Francis High School in Mountain View, playing his rugby at the center position for the Silicon Valley Club. At 6-0, 240-pounds, Taufoou was the West Catholic Athletic League Football Player of the Year.

The 6-1, 212-pound Faaeteete was a SuperPrep and Prep Star All-American. He is considered one of the best football athletes in the nation. The San Leandro High product rushed for 700 yards and nine touchdowns at fullback and collected 68 tackles at linebacker and safety. The Samoan native was ranked the No. 15 athlete in the U.S. by Rivals.com and the No. 12 linebacker in the country by TheInsiders.com.