Fallbrook Girls Rugby Club dominates SoCal

FALLBROOK – Fallbrook Girls Rugby Club continues to dominate Southern California Girls High School Division 1 and Open Divisions. The Division I team finished Week 3 of competition building upon their undefeated streak at 10-0 for the season.

The FGRC team is led by Captains Tiahna Padilla and Jordan Duncan. The Div. I team continues its defensive dominance as no team has found a way to break into the try zone this season. In week 3, all positions and players found ways to score in games against the very well coached Rancho Bernardo and Poway High School Teams.

Leading try scorers in Week 3 were Tiahna Padilla with six tries and Liberty Benitez with five tries and 14 conversions on the weekend. Head coach John Duncan was asked, given the success of the D1 squad, is it challenging to keep players focused? “Keeping the team focused isn’t too difficult due to their love of the game, however, preserving the intensity is a struggle. One technique I use is to have each player review their previous games played and set weekly goals for the upcoming week.”

Liberty Benitez (junior), the center in her fifth year with the club was asked what her Week 3 goals were and she responded “Make more positive tackles and sustain kicking proficiency.” When asked how she felt about her performance in meeting the week’s goals, she said she felt good about the tackling and that she’s had better kicking days.

The high school Open team has found similar successes as they are currently 5-1 on the season. The Open team has been plagued with injuries going into Week 3 with the loss of their captain in Week 1 and, like many teams, COVID impacts.

The Fallbrook Girls Open team went 2-1 in Week 3, dropping their initial game to Torrey Pines High School. The Open team’s scrum half, sophomore Cora Haughey, was questioned after the Week 3 matches about what were the team’s thoughts going into the next game after the loss and she responded, “We all took a deep breath, absorbed the moment and discussed the need to work harder to not be in this position again.”

Following the initial loss, the FGRC Open team rebounded and finished strong with victories against Tesoro and Long Beach Poly High Schools.

Fallbrook recruitment is continuous and this week the FGRC Open team welcomed newcomer Kailey Peet (freshman) to the team when she competed in her first matches with the team. Not new to rugby, as Peet has played with the local coed Fallbrook Club in previous years, she was asked what the biggest difference is now playing with the FGRC who in the small village of Fallbrook are known for their rugby accolades, Peet responded, “The difference I have experienced with this program is it feels more like a team. The way the coaches approach drills and the games make rugby more fun and enjoyable. The girls are more inviting and interested in playing mistake- free rugby and holding each other accountable. It feels as if we are a real family.”

Fallbrook set its sights on the following weeks, and with the recent announcement of postponement in the Los Angeles Rugby 7s Tournament, they look to April to compete at Tropical 7s in Tampa, Florida.

Submitted by the Fallbrook Girls Rugby Club.