Heading into the Falcon 7s, ARPTC founder Jules McCoy posed a scenario that ended up being a forecast: At any given tournament, a club team can be better than an academy team, so why keep them out of the elite competition? Fallbrook Warriors beat four National Development Program (NDP) squads en route to the Falcon 7s High School Elite Championship, a victory that was especially fulfilling given a mixed 2021.
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Fallbrook won Southern California Youth Rugby this past spring, but there was little fanfare from the league itself. The title was awarded on season-ending standings – there were no playoffs and championships, like the boys’ competition.
“The girls were bummed that there wasn’t a SoCal championship and we were all unsure whether we’d be named champions or what,” Fallbrook head coach John Duncan said. “And the last trip to Orlando [Tropical 7s] left a sour taste in their mouths – the bad publicity and other coaches saying they beat us – so I think Falcon 7s was a redemption tour.”
For the trip to Little Rock, Ark., Duncan mixed players from the championship squad with those from the second team, so the younger players could experience that next-level environment. That forward-thinking strategy can bring some short-term discomfort, as new personnel and combinations can challenge continuity. But Fallbrook saw an opportunity to develop the ability to adapt.
“One thing that Fallbrook does well, we try to get them prepared for different scenarios,” Duncan said. “Let’s say someone is a flyhalf for their whole career and then they go to college and there’s an All-American flyhalf. What do you do? Either you sit or move to a different position. So we like to move them into different positions so they’re comfortable with whatever comes their way.”
Fallbrook was in a pool with three other NDPs, so there were some nerves as the team readied for its opener against Northeast Academy. But after a spirited rendition of the hokey pokey – the team’s pre-game ritual – Fallbrook built some chemistry in a 42-0 win. Jordan Duncan led on the scoreboard with a hat trick, and the big lead allowed younger players to bank meaningful minutes.
“When we were in season, everything we tried worked. We weren’t challenged and so we didn’t know what we needed to work on,” Duncan said. “So that was one of the first messages when we got to Falcon 7s. ‘We say we play for each other and we’re a family and all that good stuff, but that’s easy to do when everything’s going well.’ I told them I’d be looking for leadership when we’re stressed out, or morale’s down, or we’re hurting against harder teams – will the arguing start? You see it in the opposition, coaches start yelling and players yell at each other. I told them, ‘I want to see what you guys look like when you’re stressed out. Will you break down and yell at each other?’”
Duncan got that insight in round two against Rhino Elite. Fallbrook was familiar with the NDP and also some of the players from SoCal and NorCal.
“We knew they’re a big team and play 15s style crash ball,” Duncan said of expectations. “We knew our defense had to be on and we had to try and outrun them. That’s basically what we did, but having a wing in the forwards and moving younger players up, the team continuity wasn’t quite there yet, and we had a lot of knock-ons. A lot of penalties. We almost beat ourselves but luckily our defense and poaching were strong.”
Fallbrook held on for the 12-7 win but the battle took a toll. Tiahna Padilla, Jordan Duncan and Liberty Benitez, a sophomore who moved from wing to prop, took injuries.
Fallbrook faced the USA South Panthers’ second team in the final pool play round and won 17-5.
“The South was another academy that was big and liked to crash,” Duncan said. “They had better hands than Rhino, so the offloads were better. But defense was on-point again.
“We incorporate our defense to interface with our offense,” the coach said. “We’re immediately getting the ballcarrier to ground and pouncing on the ball, and that’s worked so well throughout the season. That’s how we were able to run through other teams. Typically, support is slow to the tackle, so it’s easy for us to get hands on the ball and either draw a penalty for not-releasing, or we steal it.”
Fallbrook focused on recovery after the first day of competition. The team immediately did ice baths, assistant coach Taylor Duncan ran the squad through mobility exercises in the pool, and everyone downed liquid IVs to replenish with electrolytes. Hydration was back to where it needed to be for the second day of games, and so the heat wasn’t as impactful as it had been the two days previous.
Meanwhile, the Duncan coaches strategized in case some of the injured players couldn’t return to the pitch Sunday, and that forethought paid off.
“I pulled [Padilla] aside and said, ‘You have to be true to yourself and true to me: If I put you out there, are you going to play 100% or are you going to be a detriment to your team,’” Duncan recited the conversation ahead of the Sunday semifinal against Rhino 2. “I wasn’t going to let her play because her ankle was still wrecked but I wanted her to make the call. She made the big decision and sat out that game. That was big of her.”
Jordan Duncan moved over to flyhalf and the team operated well. Fallbrook banked a 29-0 semifinal win to advance to the final against Rhino Elite.
“They were kind of feeling good about the rematch because they wanted to win the cup,” Duncan said. “They didn’t put all this blood, sweat and tears into it to walk away with nothing.”
Padilla got her ankle all taped up for the final.
“I told her, ‘When you’re out there, you have to move normally because otherwise they’ll target you,” Duncan said. “They’ll look for the weak spot for an advantage. ‘You sure?’ She said, ‘Yes, I’m good to go.’”
Duncan made one personnel change from day one’s starting squad, and a younger player was charged with the integrity of the sideline. Rhino wasn’t able to break through the middle, as Fallbrook was stout in the A gap and applied good pressure in the fringes, but Rhino was able to find success on the wing. The NDP took a 12-0 lead into halftime.
“It was ugly,” Duncan said of the first half. “Taylor and I heard the players on the bench saying, ‘They’re in their heads. They’re thinking too much.’ But we told them, ‘Just watch. This team is resilient. Calm down and have faith in this group.’”
Duncan took over the restarts and kicked off the second half with a nicely placed and weighted drop kick, which Fallbrook retrieved and worked for that first score. Rhino didn’t adjust its kick-receipt formation, so the Warriors kept working the high, short restart for more opportunity. The defense held tough and the offense ran good lines, but those successful restarts were important. Sophomore prop AJ Haughey led in the way of work rate and was named Elite MVP. She has won a full scholarship to ARPTC and can apply the monies to a full-time residency of her choosing.
“She’s a sponge,” Duncan said. “Everything you tell her to do, she jumps right on, no questions asked.”
Fallbrook overcame a 12-0 halftime deficit to win 17-12 and the Falcon 7s trophy.
“When everything was on the line, they showed resilience,” Duncan said. “They didn’t break down or yell at each other. They gave corrective criticism, and it was encouraging. It worked.
“It was quite emotional at the end, to say the least,” the coach added as he highlighted the final matches with seniors. “They got the redemption they wanted from this year, and I think we’ll come back bigger and stronger next year. I hope SoCal does, too.”
The other side of Falcon 7s featured the college and national team recruiters, who watched all of the games on the ARPTC fields. Duncan indicated that he has an open dialogue with many collegiate scouts, but he did meet USA Girls U18 head coach and talent I.D. lead Martha Daines, who indicated that several Warriors would be hearing from her.
“It was a nice bonus to have them there,” Duncan said of the next-level evaluators. “Everything is useful – especially for those players who normally don’t play up. They got to showcase their skills to higher-level coaches and programs.”
Fallbrook is taking the rest of the summer off although some Warriors might be seen on different teams at the NAI 7s in Salt Lake City. In July, the team will be cheering on its second alumna – Kayla Canett – to feature in Rugby 7s Olympic Games.
FALLBROOK
Brianna Beath
Liberty Benitez
Analiese Dalton
Jordan Duncan
Tatum Gillihan
Silvia Guadarrama Ramirez
Emma Haughey
Madison Jersey
Tiahna Padilla
Lucy Powell
Sadie Schier
Staff
John Duncan – head coach
Taylor Duncan – asst coach
Dana Duncan – manager
Rosey Fisher – manager