There’s a drought in California, but water isn't what Fallbrook is craving. The four-time reigning high school champion is struggling for competitive games, and as nationals approaches, the Warriors are not feeling as confident as seasons past.

“We usually go into nationals feeling match-ready, because we’ve played some tough matches during the season,” Fallbrook co-coach Marin Pinnell said. “But we’ll be using the semifinals and final in SoCal to still work through some of our development. We’re a little behind, and it’s frustrating for Craig and me – "

“Because it’s a long season – four to five months,” co-coach and husband Craig added. “We haven’t had the games we needed, and we haven’t developed as fast as we would have liked.”

So what’s changed? The Pinnells indicated that, in general, the level of play in SoCal has dropped off. The team used to look forward to its games against Fullerton, which had long provided good competition but not since the Lady Lions won DII nationals in 2013. The Warriors also used to value their games against ICEF, but not this year. ICEF traveled to Japan and before departing informed Fallbrook that it was planning to forfeit their league match, which was scheduled after the overseas tour.

South Bay has stepped up this year and is Fallbrook’s lone competitor in the region. The Spartans beat ICEF 55-22 last weekend in the SoCal semifinals, while Fallbrook eliminated Fullerton.

“No one is pushing us anymore,” Craig said. “Three years ago, we were playing college teams until USA Rugby stopped high schools from playing against colleges. That was really helping because it was an opportunity for a top game.”

The first sign of Fallbrook’s developmental issues occurred at the Fullerton tournament, when Danville and Pleasanton defeated the SoCal side in abbreviated matches. But the coaches were grateful for the experience.

“Looking back, that was great for us,” Craig explained. “Playing Pleasanton and Danville showed us where we should have been – and we could have been there in other seasons, but we weren’t. That was a good yard stick for us; wish we had more of those games during the season.”

“It’s nice playing Danville,” Marin expanded. “They’re like the Amazons, but they seemed fitter and faster. They gave us the pressure to test our defense, which was awesome. When you’re on attack all of the time, you don’t know what your defense is going to do, but now we can have those conversations with the girls and build from there.

“Against Pleasanton, since we got beaten by Danville, we had to get over a mental hurdle, which is another part of developing the whole package,” Marin said.

Fallbrook also played a quality Canadian side, Abbotsford, at the tournament. The British Columbia DII champion was well skilled, so when a DI B.C. high school, Vanier, came to town recently, the Warriors were excited for the game.

“We were expecting a really good game, and they brought some different things, but we won quite easily, 56-5,” Craig said. “We actually saw more pressure against Fullerton – even though I just said they weren’t as strong as before. They tended to bring more pressure from all aspects of the game.”

And although the team does not hinge on the performance of one player, Fallbrook missed Richelle Stephens. The most decorated Warrior, the All American and junior Olympian struggled with injuries and didn't rejoin the team until the end of March. Stephens has been flyhalf for five years, so while Emma Workman (former All American who returned from Texas) did well to fill the halfback position, there was no replacement for that kind of leadership.

Stephens is back now and healthy, and she's reunited with scrumhalf Alexi Eich, who recently returned from a Penn State visit. The duo work to put attackers like All Americans Lilly Durbin and Michel Navarro into space. The pair was spectacular in Las Vegas, playing for the High School All Americans during the programs' first-ever outing, and the sophomore fullback received special praise from coach Mollie McCarthy for her advanced decision-making skills. They both have great around-the-corner speed, too. Outside center Kayla Canett is also a devastating striker, and when Stephens heads to Lindenwood University next fall, Canett is first on the list to take over flyhalf.

The outside attack receives a boost from sophomore Hannah Savin. Very fit and fast, the wing is playing up with the U18s and is one to watch.

Look toward Alexi Eich to lead the forward attack from No. 8. The senior pairs nicely with newcomer Domonique Jordan, a Griffins player who relocated from San Diego this year. The junior adds a lot of strength and verve to the pack.

"For some of our seniors, they’ve won a national championship every year,” Marin said of the nine seniors on board. “The players have a comfort level: We’ve done it before, so it’s just going to happen naturally again. That’s not the case and you have to rebuild every year – we know that.”

“Every year, the group has a different outlook,” Craig said. “You have to reinvent the wheel, try to understand them, and playing games is crucial to that process. It’s really difficult otherwise.”

Fallbrook will continue its growing process next weekend during the SoCal championship on May 2 against South Bay. Nationals follows two weeks later in Pittsburgh, Pa.