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Sophie Parker to Isabella Devore / Photo: Jay Coulter
There is some nuance to the Southern California youth leagues. The girls’ competitions are divided into single-school and club seasons; there are age-grade divisions; and both 7s and 15s are played, all between December and May.
The single schools are currently in season and compete in two separate divisions: 7s (Green) and 15s (Red). The 7s division is divided into Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego pools, and involve 20 sides across 17 schools. The San Diego competition is the largest of the three, accounting for 10 schools, and there is also a modest JV division. The single-school 7s championship is Feb. 17.
New this year is the girls’ single-school 15s division, which is mirroring the California Interscholastic Federation-compliant boys’ division.
“We want rugby to be a CIF sport, going from club to an actual high school sport. That’s the level we need to be equal with soccer, basketball,” Rancho Bernardo coach Ken Devore looked toward administrative issues. “Every year we’re fighting for stadium time, and it seems like we get bumped if there’s any kind of problem, and so we scramble. The goal is to have Friday night games in SoCal eventually. The [CIF] application process is a long one but last I heard, we were on track.”
The 15s division includes four teams, and everyone plays each other twice before the Feb. 24 championship. Rancho Bernardo is currently in the lead, having defeated Torrey Pines 51-15, Del Norte 40-0 and Poway 54-14. Devore’s squad is currently 40 players large, allowing the coach to split the team into a varsity 15s team and JV 7s squad.
“When I started three years ago, there were nine girls that played,” Devore said. “I attribute that growth to two things: the growth of rugby itself, and – I’m not just trying to promote my daughter – but Isabella really promotes the game. They see her play and that brings others out. We started to see more athletes from other sports try it out, too.
“When it comes time to actually sign up, that’s usually around the time we start teaching tackling,” Devore added. “If they’re on the fence, once they see that, they’re hooked. They love it.”
Devore apprenticed under Fallbrook coaches Marin and Craig Pinnell, and he’s paying the ultimate homage in building Rancho Bernardo like the Warriors program.
“They’re great people and they’ve done a lot for high school rugby,” Devore said. “I took the Fallbrook model to Rancho Bernardo and empower the players to make their own decisions on the field and think critically. I’m really just a big cheerleader. My daughter is the captain and she’s really the commander to get the troops in line to play. Once in a while I’ll have some feedback.”
Isabella is a Girls’ High School All-American (GHSAA) and employs her experience from the flyhalf position. She’s a mentor and example setter, and the senior will continue her rugby with Lindenwood University in fall 2018. She connects well with outside center Samantha Stern, a brand-new player with a basketball background.
“She has great footwork and is excelling rapidly,” coach Devore praised. “She scores 30% of the tries when we play. She and Isabella work together, and they usually find each other in open space.”
Sophomore inside center Savannah Simmons is a second-year player and also has a lot of potential. In the forwards, Devore looks toward Dannia Saldivar to set the example. The prop is a tough ballcarrier and has a tremendous work rate – one of the tenants of Rancho Bernardo’s game.
It might seem like a short season for the single schools, but once their 7s and 15s leagues end in February, players are allowed to then join a club team for the March-May block. Although a schedule has not been released, there are currently 14 U18 teams listed, and they’re supposed to play 15s. The U16 and U14 squads play 7s.
“If they love the sport of rugby and look at it as a track to college, then I encourage them to also play club, especially with Fallbrook because they get exposed to a different level of rugby than most,” Devore said. “Fallbrook goes to nationals, will play Canadian teams. But there are lots of good clubs – San Diego Aztecs, Coastal Dragons, South Bay Spartans, Poway Spartan Army, and Belmont Shore.”
Devore indicated that seven Rancho Bernardo players are planning to play with Fallbrook this spring. There are also plans to play in the LVI, and one will see a certain individual on a select side. Further down the road, Devore is looking toward feeder programs and talking to middle schools that already play touch rugby in PE class. And in between, there’s a whole lot of rugby between single schools, club, all-star 15s, summer 7s and other elite assemblies.
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