Nash (and her three Land Park teammates in the background) and Opeti are both NorCal all-stars
Rugby NorCal has named its high school and middle school all-star pools for the 2019-20 season. These pools would have provided varsity, JV and U14 squads for the USA Rugby Regional Cup Tournaments (RCTs) had Covid-19 not canceled these June events.
The RCTs served as a major select-side opportunity and talent-identification venue, and the NorCal region would have participated in the Great Northwest Challenge. With the creation of USA Youth & High School Rugby, a new 501(c)(3) organization that is affiliated by not run by USA Rugby, it will be interesting to see how/if the all-star systems will change moving forward.
Seventy players from 15 teams compose the U18 / high school pool. The Land Park Harlequins lead with seven selections, while Mother Lode, Pleasanton and Sacramento PAL all have six. Berkeley, Bishop O’Dowd, Carondelet, Danville, Lamorinda and Menlo-Atherton follow with five players apiece. Elk Grove United (4), Liberty (4), Gridley (3), Milpitas PAL (3) and River City (1) are also represented.
Six programs contributed players to the U14 / middle school pool, but Mother Lode, Danville and Sac PAL led the way with five players each. Elk Grove United (3), Pleasanton (2) and Gridley (1) also sent players to the pool for a total of 21 reps.
NORCAL ALL-STAR PROSPECTS
U18 / HIGH SCHOOL
Timaima Balawakula – L, Sac PAL
Naomi Barrios – C, Berkeley
Sera Benesh – P, Sac PAL
Ezuma Ekomo Ble – W, Milpitas PAL
Kai Brandt-Templeton – FH, Pleasanton
Carmen Bregoli – FH, Danville
Leila Bulabalavu – C, Pleasanton
Hannah Cabarles – SH, Danville
Lily Cartwright – FL, Pleasanton
Kiera Chapman – SH, Danville
Morgan Cunningham – C, Lamorinda
Sydnee Davis – W, Carondelet
Amaya De La Cruz – C, Land Park
Sara Doyle – C, Milpitas PAL
Ella Dundas – C, Mother Lode
Adriana Edwards – FL, Mother Lode
Seini Fetokai – H, Lamorinda
Skye Frank – SH, Berkeley
Elesia Fuentes – C, Gridley
Laila Hannum – SH, Bishop O’Dowd
Kathrine Hansen – C, River City
Sophia Hilger – H, Land Park
Hannah Holoch – H, Mother Lode
Grace James – C, Elk Grove United
Malia Jenkins – P, Bishop O’Dowd
Maddy Jones – FL, Bishop O’Dowd
Tohuia Kaihau – L, Land Park
Allison Kile – SH, Sac PAL
Kaylee Kuy – SH, Mother Lode
Lucy Lamborn – FH, Carondelet
Malia Latu – 8, Liberty
Morgan Leflar – FH, Mother Lode
Camerah Leonard – FH, Berkeley
Athena Lewis – C, Carondelet
Rachel Lowe – SH, Lamorinda
Ysabella Lucero – C, Bishop O’Dowd
Nicola Lynch – C, Pleasanton
Haley Madrigal – C, Liberty
Madelyn Madsen – P, Elk Grove United
Malia Mailangi – FL, Sac PAL
Melesisi Malupo – L, Danville
Vaimoana Malupo – FL, Danville
Julia Martinez – 8, Gridley
Mele Mataele – C, Menlo-Atherton
Jorgie Miller – C, Land Park
Kiele Myata – 8, Mother Lode
Destiny Nash – P, Land Park
Lupineti Netane – 8, Menlo-Atherton
Leila Opeti – FB, Lamorinda
Catherine Otuhiva – C, Bishop O’Dowd
Caitlin Papalia – L, Carondelet
Angelina Pohahau – P, Menlo-Atherton
Promise Rouse – FH, Land Park
Simone Sackett – C, Land Park
Christina Sama – W, Menlo-Atherton
Falemei Sanft – SH, Menlo-Atherton
Savannah Short – FL, Carondelet
Shania Stanley – C, Liberty
Fern Stark – 8, Berkeley
Cindy Taulava – L, Pleasanton
Salote Tausinga – Sac PAL
Ebony Tuiaki – P, Milpitas PAL
Taryn Turner – C, Elk Grove United
Mounga Vaitai – H, Lamorinda
Annika Valkonen – 8, Pleasanton
Aryana Veimau – P, Sac PAL
Jenna Villapania – W, Gridley
Elizabeth Whalen – FL, Berkeley
Marissa Wollbrinck – FH, Elk Grove United
Lliana Zapien – SH, Liberty
U14 / MIDDLE SCHOOL
Yona Allouche – SH, Danville
Veisinia Brown – L, Sac PAL
Phoenix Carlson – P, Pleasanton
Clara Fennell – H, Mother Lode
Tupouseini Fotofili – SH, Sac PAL
Gwen Gilchrist – W, Elk Grove United
Hannah Glaser – FH, Danville
Juliet Jones – L, Elk Grove United
Mackenzie Kroeger – C, Mother Lode
Anaseini Malupo – C, Danville
Maata Malupo – P, Danville
Aryanna Mansfield – FL, Gridley
Katrina Mokofisi – L, Sac PAL
Sierra Peterson – W, Sac PAL
Kaya Smith – P, Mother Lode
Gabby Sovenski – FH, Mother Lode
Hualani Trejo – W, Sac PAL
Sarah Ward – SH, Elk Grove United
Naomi Van Zandt – C, Danville
Halateka Williams – P, Pleasanton
Anna Wright – FH, Mother Lode