All-California School Final Rematch Full of Talent

03.12.2026HS Boys

St. Francis is in their third state final in four years.

Author: Alex Goff

In recent years with Southern California's school competitions split between SoCal Youth Rugby and SCIRF, there has been some debate as to which team is the most competitive to enter the All-California Final; but not there is no debate.

With the merging of those two competitions there is no doubt that Torrey Pines is the top school team to come out of the southern part of the state, and those Falcons will travel north this weekend to face St. Francis in the All-California school final.

Torrey Pines has put together a squad of smart rugby players who understand how to put themselves in position to win. Head Coach Matty Sandoval said his team relies less on athleticism (although they have that) than on teamwork and tactical nous.

Torrey Pines vs Orange Lutheran. Photo Adam Taiche.

They work their phases, are precise in ball retention, and when they get a penalty, they kick to the corner and maul.

Everyone might know what's coming, but that doesn't mean they can stop it.

With Reece Curtis enjoying an impressive season controlling the action at flyhalf, and the Falcons being excellent at playing field position, it gets very difficult to score on Torrey Pines.

The Falcons are 9-0 going into this game, having played not a single weak, or even close to weak, team. Outside of league play they faced both finalists in SoCal Multi-School competition, Oceanside HS and San Clemente (who they played twice). They also faced NorCal D1 school finalist Bishop O'Dowd.

They won those games and also beat St. Augustine, La Costa Canyon (twice), Cathedral Catholic, and, to make this final, Orange Lutheran. In all they outscored opponents 317-165.

Falcons

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3.14.26
4:00pm

Lancers

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The road for St. Francis was no easier. The Lancers are 4-2. their two losses were a non-league game against NorCal D1 winners Serra HS, and their league opener against Rio Americano.

They garnered revenge for that Rio Americano loss in the NorCal Open Division final, winning 27-24, and they also beat De La Salle, St. Ignatius San Francisco, and Sacramento Jesuit.

The Lancers return eight players who won the All-California final last season.

Up front their pack work centers around tighthead prop Judah Reed, who gets the tough work done and sets the tone.

Their backline remains special, with flyhalf Uate Pifeleti, a USA U18 7s player, running the attack, and always a threat to run. He kicked the game-winning penalty to take the NorCal final.

The midfield is Kaimani Keanaaina (also the captain), who is a dominant defender and has scored eight tries this year, including two in the NorCal final, and Motu Keanaaina, who has seven tries and is always a threat to break one open.

That midfield is just two of six Keanaaina brothers who all are talented rugby players. One other, Kawika, is a speedy freshman wing on this team and combines nicely with talented senior fullback Sefanaia Alatini.

This is the fourth year of St. Francis's rugby program. Under DOR Keala Keanaaina, who is also the school's Dean of Students, and with former Eagles Mark Scharrenberg (Head Coach) and Albert Tuipulotu (Assistant Coach), they have experts at the helm.

In their first year St. Francis already started strong with wins over the likes of De La Salle. They have repeatedly beaten teams ranked #1 by GRR. They finished 2nd in California in 2023, took third in 2024, and won the All-California Final over Torrey Pines last year.

"I am proud of our boys for maintaining composure and coming up with a win [in the Norcal Final] despite a lot of obstacles thrown at them," Scharrenberg said. "We're looking forward to playing Torrey Pines for the State Championship for the third time in four years. It's a team we have a huge amount of respect for."