As five-time National champions and home to numerous 7s and 15s HS All Americans, Fallbrook could hardly think much higher, but for Fallbrook coaches Marin and Craig Pinnell, there is always a new goal.

And sometimes the goals are not about championships - maybe it's about the individual. At the recent SoCal 7s tournament at Cathedral Catholic High School, each player was given a goal to reach in preparation for the 15s season.

“Each year, we have new players and thus we must rebuild a team each season. Our goal is always to learn to play rugby at the highest level possible. We never walk into a season as a national champion, but rather we work hard every practice to be the best we can be,” Marin Pinnell said. “Being a national champion is so much more than the final game; it’s the way the girls carry themselves the entire season. Our goal of being rugby players is what we strive for. We don’t just say we are rugby players; we work hard to become them.”

Pinnell was quick to mention seniors Michel Navarro, Miriam Friebe, Kayla Canett, and Alyssa Faust as well as juniors Lilly Durbin, Destiny Arena, Hannah Savin, Julia Haigh, and Alyssa Henneberg - all players to watch, who are talented, smart, and, above all, reliable.

“We also have some younger up-and-comers at the U14 age group with Olivia Sonia, Mabel Adams, Abbey Savin, Eva Stuts, and Tiahna Padilla. It will be exciting to watch the U14s play this year,” Pinnell said.

The Southern California Youth Rugby End-of-Season event for girls' 7s was good for developing the players as individuals in a 7s context, however it gave limited insight into the player’s abilities to coordinate their skills in the 15s season.

“We had specific goals for individual players and goals for the teams as a unit. For example, we wanted some girls to run with the ball more, others to focus on positive tackles, and then having them work together as seven players and not individual entities,” Pinnell said.

ICEF, Fullerton, and South Bay will each be facing off against Fallbrook in one home and one away game. The Gold Division is known to put out some decent competition. Fallbrook will also be playing in Las Vegas and the Fullerton Tournament where they are expected to dictate the pace of play against their opposition.

“You can have 40 girls rostered between three teams, but that doesn’t mean you have 40 rugby players,” Pinnell said. “We are constantly working to develop discipline, commitment, and an athletic work ethic.”