Warriors take 3-1 record into second round of boys rugby season

Joe Naiman

Village News Reporter

Fallbrook High School’s boys rugby team will enter the second round of league play with a 3-1 overall record.

The Warriors finished the first round 2-1 in league play after defeating Mira Costa High School of Manhattan Beach in a Jan. 29 game at Fallbrook. A non-league game Feb. 5 at Coronado ended as a Warriors victory.

“I’m happy about it,” said Fallbrook coach Sierra Arteaga.

Both the 17-15 win over Mira Costa and the 21-19 triumph against Coronado involved Fallbrook overcoming a halftime deficit. “We had two back-to-back games where we shut out a team in the second half,” Arteaga said.

Mira Costa led the Warriors by a 15-5 margin at halftime. Thomas McSheehy scored the first-half try for Fallbrook in that game.

“Mira Costa came down, they were very well prepared for our game plan, and they played a very sharp defense that made it difficult for us to play the game we wanted to play,” Arteaga said.

Fallbrook was able to make adjustments in the second half. “We kicked the ball more, utilized more space, and came out on top at the very end,” Arteaga said. “It was fortunate for us.”

Midway in the second half, James Jones scored a try and Tyler Craven kicked the conversion for two additional points. With about eight minutes left, Tank Benitez scored a try to put the Warriors ahead for the rest of the game.

“It was fun for the boys,” Arteaga said of coming from behind. “It was a new experience for us being down and being able to overcome that.”

Coronado held a 19-7 halftime lead. Preston McCarthy scored Fallbrook’s first-half try and Degan Cerulli kicked the conversion. About 10 minutes into the second half, McCarthy scored another try and Cerulli added two points with the conversion. In the final three minutes of the game, George Aguilar scored a try although the Warriors did not make the conversion kick.

“We came through and we were successful,” Arteaga said.

“Coronado’s very well organized,” Arteaga said. “It was a tough game for us.”

Fallbrook had previously defeated Cathedral Catholic and lost to St. Augustine, and both of those were home matches. All three of Fallbrook’s second-round matches will be on the road starting with the Feb. 11 contest at Cathedral.

“We just have to make sure we’re focused and disciplined,” Arteaga said.