“It’s not a team. We call it a family,” Razorhawks assistant coach Alo Sanft said.
Every Tuesday and Thursday, cars flood East Palo Alto’s Rich May Field parking lot. Kids excitedly run to practice together and parents greet each other with hugs and laughter.
The EPA Peninsula Rugby Football Club, known as the Razorhawks, was founded in 2015 when the preexisting Razorbacks and Seahawks teams combined. The team is dedicated to introducing the fun and teamwork of rugby to kids K-12.
All teams practice simultaneously in designated areas of the field. “The little kids can look up to all the bigger kids and get an insight into what it looks like to play high school rugby while strengthening the program’s bond,” M-A junior Lucy Sanft said.
As parents watch from the sidelines and younger siblings playfully run around the field, the teams begin practice. With warm-up laps, tackle lessons, passing drills, relay races, and scrimmages, players train hard to prepare for their rigorous weekend games.
“I think our team is just different,” Paly junior Paula Pongi said, “We’re from EPA—nobody knows about us. I like being looked at like the underdogs.” Despite representing such a small city, the Razorhawks maintain a legacy of victory in their various age-level leagues and have produced successful athletes.
“Rugby has expanded a lot, and many colleges are starting to bring it into their programs,” High School Boys Coach Rob Peterson said. “The neat thing is a lot of these kids have an opportunity to further their education and get into more schools because of the game.”
“Our tournaments help you get noticed since scouters are there. If you play well, they’ll come and talk to you about playing for their school,” M-A Junior Antonina Tangilanu said. “There’s so much guidance from this team that you can get if you want to play in college.”
Several Razorhawks coaches played at the collegiate level. This year, Razorhawks have 10 alumni attending schools for rugby.
Another pillar of the program is its dedication to community connection and engagement. “Coach Dave ‘TD’ took a lot of kids off the streets that were getting wild. He gave us something to do after school,” Razorhawks Vice President Sione “Palei” Tu’ipulotu said about playing on the inaugural Razorbacks team in 2002.
After the Razorbacks joined with the local Seahawks team, many of the original players returned to leadership, and the founding teams’ values remain.
“[I came to the Razorhawks team] to give every kid the opportunity to experience what leadership, respect, discipline, hard work, teamwork, and accountability look like in the game of rugby, which can translate into life,” President Vaea Sanft, who also played for the Razorbacks, wrote on the Razorhawks website.
The Razorhawks embody EPA’s community-driven spirit with their unconventional approach to often over-competitive, unenjoyable, and overpriced club sports leagues. With inexpensive registration fees, they offer scholarships to families who need them most and hope to provide more financial support with increased funding.
“My favorite part of the team is seeing our young girls grow into the sport and the encouragement they receive,” Parent Joyce Latu said. “Female ruggers are something that you don’t see often.”
EPA’s predominantly Black, Polynesian, and Latino population influences the team’s demographics. “I feel like rugby is a sport that can bring everyone together, especially Pacific Islanders,” Lucy Sanft said. Rugby is popular in many Polynesian islands, like Tonga, where it is the national sport. “I think it’s good to have people that you relate to so you can feel like you belong,” Sanft said of playing with Polynesian and EPA peers.
“I was part of the Tinsley program, so my life was very much in Palo Alto despite living in EPA,” Latu, a parent of three Razorhawks players, said. “Since my kids are also in the program, I try to balance it. If they’re going to school in Palo Alto, then they’re going to do extracurricular activities here so that they can be immersed in our own community and feel a sense of home.”
Players come from across the Bay Area to participate in the Razorhawks experience. “I’ve made a bunch of friends here since I was a little kid,” Gunn High School senior Dominic Peterson, who has been playing rugby for eight years, said. “The people are the reason I keep coming back. Each year I play, I get to know more people from EPA, so it definitely feels like a second home.”
After hours of practice, teams end in a huddle-up to discuss upcoming schedules, hold a group prayer, and end with a team cheer. Players usually stay after for celebratory pizza parties or take donated items, like free sports bras from the local non-profit Bras For Girls.
“No matter what your background is, you come here, you’re our family,” Coach Sanft said. “We look out for each other. Whether you can make it to practice or not, we’ll look out for your kids.”
You can donate to the Razorhawks here to help them provide scholarships to young athletes. If you are interested in joining the Razorhawks, click here.
