Although Sacramento is the girls high school team to beat in Northern California, Danville is the team to produce an upset. The Bay Area side finished second at last weekend’s Kickoff Tournament and the pre-season bout against the Amazons highlighted a brilliant rivalry that will hopefully bloom for years.

The Lady Oaks have sky-rocketed into notoriety. Only three years old, the team finished 7^th at the 2013 High School National Championship, and then followed with a 5^th place finish in 2014. Now that players are banking some serious games, the program is growing in confidence every year and already zoning in on this year’s national tournament.

“I was pleasantly surprised when we were invited to nationals in our first year,” Danville coach Simi Hingano said. “But we had beaten the number four and number 10 teams in 2013, and that allowed us to come in at number eight.

“In our first year, we had implemented a simple scheme that played to our strengths,” Hingano reflected on the team’s evolution. “Now we’re really focusing. Our forwards are as fast as our backs, and our backs are as strong as our forwards. We’re trying to play fast – ruck and go – and really mix it up.”

Danville plays a punishing brand of rugby, but as Pleasanton discovered, can be lured into penalty trouble. In the teams’ game on Saturday, the Cavaliers played quickly around the breakdown and some defensive panic turned into a waterfall of infringements, which allowed Pleasanton to advance the length of the field. That game ended in a 17-5 decision – an impressive result considering Danville’s size and power advantages.

During those trying moments, Hingano’s daughters – junior center Mata and senior fullback Leti – were extraordinary. Mata is a well known entity, having played for the USA U20s last summer during the Can Ams. Leti is also on the radar, and she put in an MVP-worthy performance Saturday. Father Sesi pinged the fullback as the emblem of Danville’s fearless, fast style.

“That’s the only reason I created this program,” coach Hingano thought of his daughters’ futures. “I wanted to give them an opportunity to play and go onto college. We talk about it every single day.

“Everyone, from one to 15, is so talented and can play at the college level,” Hingano added. “So we’re working at getting them exposure and maintaining their grades. Most of them come from families where no one has gone to college, so I’m hoping that other colleges will them the opportunity to play.”

Last year’s class produced three players who are currently playing at DI programs BYU, Central Washington and Ohio State. And now that Danville is reaching into the middle school ranks – Elise Preisser and Abby Smith will work into Silver Division-level games this season – the team will continue to produce players with ample experience. In a few years, those effects will be felt locally, regionally and nationally.

“Sacramento is still the best in the conference, but we’ll give them a really good match,” Hingano said. “We are playing better and our chance to compete for nationals is way better than the last two years.”

The NorCal title will be decided between Sacramento, Danville and Pleasanton, but all will play Silver Division-level teams. Stay tuned, as we'll keep a close eye on all three teams this season.