Santa Maria Sharks - Youth Rugby Games played at Fesler Jr. High.
Sign-up Dates
- June 25 – S.M. Elks Lodge (Car Show)
- July 9 & 23 – TBA
- Aug. 27 – TBA
Volunteer Coaches needed.
For more info, call (805) 934-3775
James Gentry – League President My name is James Gentry and I was born and raised here in the Santa Maria Valley. I have attended the local schools and graduated from Santa Maria High School in 1988.
While growing up in Santa Maria, I wrestled for the YMCA as a youth. And during my Junior and Senior year in High School I played Varsity Football for Santa Maria High School, where I played Defensive and Offensive linemen. I also wrestled as a Heavy Weight and was offered a wrestling scholarship from a Southern Cal. Jr. College, but had to decline due to other obligations.
My interests in sports led me to coaching my son in wrestling from 1991 to 1993 where he wrestled for the Boys and Girls Club here in Santa Maria. After that I started coaching my two sons in football for the Nipomo Football League from 1993 to 1998 where we won several league and super bowl championships in different divisions, “two of which were undefeated”.
In 1999 I went on to coach one of my sons as an Assistant Offensive/Defensive line coach for the Santa Maria High School Freshman football team, where we won league that year.
After a short break I started coaching in the Santa Maria Youth Football League from 2003 to 2008. In my first season as a Defensive Coordinator we went undefeated and made the Super bowl. I have been very fortunate ever since all my teams have made it to the playoffs or better.
During my coaching stint I also started playing Rugby; In 1997 I helped start the Arroyo Grande Men’s Rugby Football Club (as a founding member.) I fell in love with the game and played until 2008. In the off season I also played for the Santa Maria Men’s Flag football League, where my team won three championships.
Currently, I coach the youth under 14 and youth under 12 with the Arroyo Grande Club.
My newest goal is to start Youth Rugby here in the Santa Maria Valley. The Future is to have a Central Coast League from Lompoc to Paso Robles with many age groups participating and having fun.
I have been very fortunate in all my years in coaching, and playing sports in being able to meet some of the greatest kids, parents, and team mates, that I would like to pass this experience on to others.
A game of rugby football developed from a version of football played at Rugby School and was originally one of several different versions of football played at English public schools during the 19th century.
The game of football that was played at Rugby School between 1750 and 1859 permitted handling of the ball, but no-one was allowed to run with it in their hands towards the opposition's goal. There was no fixed limit to the number of players per side and sometimes there were hundreds taking part in a kind of enormous rolling maul. This sport caused major injury at times. The innovation of running with the ball was introduced sometime between 1859 and 1865. William Webb Ellis has been credited with breaking the local rules by running forwards with the ball in a game in 1823. Shortly after this written rules were established for the sports which had earlier just involved local agreements, and boys from Rugby School produced the first written rules for their version of the sport in 1870.
In the result that the teams were still tied at the end of the match, a drop goal shootout was held. The selected kickers of the two teams would have one shot at the goal each and would take turns shooting at the goal until one of the kickers missed.