The Southern California Red division got back on the field Saturday when as reigning champions Fallbrook took on the La Costa Canyon Mavericks. 

Fallbrook lost a lot of key players to graduation over the summer and is looking rebuild this year, while LCC has been building toward a strong season.

And it was Las Costa Canyon that got off to a flying start when Victor Epstein turned over the ball on the Fallbrook 22 and fed Sean Lumkong. Just back from the HS All American winter camp, Lumkong passed to Den St Martin, who hit the hole to score under the posts. Nico Gilli made the conversion for a 7-0 lead.

Fallbrook controlled the next 10 minutes of play in the LCC half before Nico Gilli box-kicked ahead 50 meters to turn the tide. The resulting pressure saw Epstien control a wobbly pass to feed Gilli, who danced his way through three tackles and managed to offload to LCC captain Patrick French for the score. Gilli made the kick and the score was 14–0.

Fallbrook continued to apply pressure for 15 minutes after kickoff, but LCC did well to absorb it, and when the ball was turned over, Justin Petersen, attacked the line, and hit a speeding Ethan Smith who went 50 meters to score under the pole.  Gilli kicked the covnersion to make it 21-0.

For 15 minutes LCC was forced to absorb wave after wave of big Fallbrook ballcarriers content to simply pick and drive.  They were held up twice over the tryline before the big #3 Steven Greeley managed to burst over for the score. The conversion was missed making the score 21-5. A Fallbrook error from the kick in allowed the hard-working Dean St Martin to win the ball and drive it over. Lock Austin Guinn hit the line hard to power over under the posts, and Gilli added the extra two points.  28-5.

Fallbrook responded quickly with a well-worked through the backs to make it 28-12, and then LCC responded. A clever kick ahead by Gilli on his weak left foot advance play 50 meters into Fallbrook territory.  From the resulting scrum on the Fallbrook 22, the LCC backline split, with Petersen standing to the right of the scrum, and Lumkong to the left. Gilli hit Lumkong at pace, and Petersen attacked the inside channel drawing in two Fallbrook defenders. Lumkong held back the pass as the space open out wide and hit John Ditto, who went in untouched for the score. Gilli again added the two points to make it 35-12.

From the restart Fallbrook maintained pressure with the big forwards and managed to fight their way over the line for a try, 35-17. Ditto was sent to the sin bin for a high tackle and Fallbrook had an opportunity to apply more pressure.  But LCC was able to maintain possession, and kept the game in the Fallbrook half with smart tactical kicking.  Once Ditto returned to the field, the LCC forward pack started to assert itself with Kruger, Mackelroy and Tarr doing a lot of the heavy lifting.  A Fallbrook scrum on their own five-meter-line went awry, and LCC moved the ball out to Petersen, who attacked the line, stepped inside, and managed to reach out to score -  42-17.

From the restart, the ball was recycled to Petersen, who recognized the fullback was not home and kicked into the unguarded space. Gilli raced ahead and dived on the ball before it rolled dead. A great try for Gilli, but he then missed his first conversion of the day, keeping the score at 49-17.

Fallbrook was then reduced to 14 with a yellow card for a tip tackle, and Patrick French immediately made them pay with a sniping dart to the blind side to score untouched.  52-17

The game became decidedly loose as the subs came on. French put Sean Lumkong into space out wide and he raced in to make it 58-17, and thatr's how it ended.

For the second game in a row, all of the La Costa Canyon tries were scored by the backs, but it was the forwards, led by Man of the Match Scott McElroy at porp, who deserve the credit for repelling the bigger Fallbrook squad and providing the LCC backline with quality ball. LCC Coach Reuben Spilkin said the lineouts struggled, and there was much work to do as St. Augustine looms this coming Saturday.

Also in the SoCal Varsity Red Division, Torrey Pines beat Poway 17-7. St. Augustine tied Del Norte 12-12 in a result that was a bit of a surprise for a St. Augustine team that was expected to win.

Here are the unofficial Varsity Red standings:

- Ed Petersen