Stung somewhat by a one-point loss in the final of Southern California’s Varsity White division in 2018-19, the Jaguars are out to go one step further in SoCal’s single-school division.

(SoCal rugby splits its season with single-school in the winter and club in the spring. In addition, single-school is split with the  SCIRF teams that are able to follow California Interscholastic Federation guidelines, and the SCYR Varsity White is for established teams drawing players from one school, but the school doesn’t necessarily support the team.)

The Jaguars draw players from Valley Center HS in Valley Center, Calif., and have been building a pretty effective team that almost won it all, losing 35-34 to La Jolla in a comeback that just missed. They scored six tries in that game, but converted only two.

“That was a good team,” said Head Coach Mark Ginella. “But we lost eight seniors from that team so we have some work to do.”

Among those lost is Ben Wierenga, who is with the HS All Americans at the World School 7s this weekend in New Zealand.

Boys HS All Americans To Play In World School 7s

But, there are players to watch. Xavier Jones is an accomplished wrestler who is a talented runner and excellent tackler at inside center. He still green in a rugby sense, but has a ton of potential. He partners nicely with Jax Murren, who is a key attacking threat in the #13 jersey.

Up front, prop Israel Martines is a leader and a physical presence with the ball and in the breakdown. Meanwhile, on the other end of the size spectrum is Ginella’s son, Marco, who has been playing rugby for nine years and helps run the offense at scrumhalf. Relatively small, Ginella the younger is a brave tackler who often lays in a big hit on a much larger opponent to get his team going.

“We are getting kids with six to eight years of experience in youth rugby,” said Ginella. “And that really helps us. Now we’re also getting coaching help from the Legion, and that’s been great.”

The San Diego Legion MLR team has been sending its players around the region to coach with high school teams. The assistance is very welcome, and former Las Vegas Blackhawks standout Devin Short is now in his second season coaching with the Jaguars.

“He’s been a fantastic addition,” said Ginella.

Looking ahead, Friday the Jaguars open up against Alta Vista HS in the San Diego North division. They’ve got work to do with Carlsbad, Mission Vista, and Rancho Bernardo also in that league. But no one would blame them for having eyes on getting back to that final.