The first thing you see is the size disparity. In just about every national final they've played, the Fallbrook Girls Team from Southern California is the smaller squad, sometimes by a significant margin.
It's just a function of the students at their school, just as it is that the Sacramento Amazons are bigger. This year, it seemed the disparity was augmented by the fact that Fallbrook lost some key personnel, not least of whom was Megan Pinson. Yet somehow, Fallbrook made it back to the NIT final, and once again, in fact for the fourth year in a row, they won it all.
"Each year you graduate a bunch of kids and you think, 'wow, we're losing some really good players, how do we handle that?'" said Fallbrook Coach Marin Pinnell. "So we put all our effort into the next batch, and we had a bunch of players coming up who had been with us for a few years, knew the system, knew the structure, and now it was their turn to pull their weight. And then we just went game by game."
And game by game worked nicely. Fallbrook finished 6-0 in league play, with additional games in the Fullerton Youth Tournament, and against tourists Dixon and Plesanton from Northern California, and Snow Canyon from Utah, as well as tournament games in the Champagne Classic and at the Las Vegas Invitational.
It's just a function of the students at their school, just as it is that the Sacramento Amazons are bigger. This year, it seemed the disparity was augmented by the fact that Fallbrook lost some key personnel, not least of whom was Megan Pinson. Yet somehow, Fallbrook made it back to the NIT final, and once again, in fact for the fourth year in a row, they won it all.
"Each year you graduate a bunch of kids and you think, 'wow, we're losing some really good players, how do we handle that?'" said Fallbrook Coach Marin Pinnell. "So we put all our effort into the next batch, and we had a bunch of players coming up who had been with us for a few years, knew the system, knew the structure, and now it was their turn to pull their weight. And then we just went game by game."
And game by game worked nicely. Fallbrook finished 6-0 in league play, with additional games in the Fullerton Youth Tournament, and against tourists Dixon and Plesanton from Northern California, and Snow Canyon from Utah, as well as tournament games in the Champagne Classic and at the Las Vegas Invitational.
"It was really nice to see this group pull through and want it and fight for it," said Pinnell. "And against the Amazons in the final they really fought for it and seeing how much they wanted it just validated all our efforts."
Wanting it isn't always enough, though. Marin and Craig Pinnell, who coach the team together, knew they had to help their players make up for their lack of size with a rigorous strength program.
Wanting it isn't always enough, though. Marin and Craig Pinnell, who coach the team together, knew they had to help their players make up for their lack of size with a rigorous strength program.
"We go into a season knowing we're the smallest team out there," said Pinnell. "We devleop our skills to the highest level, and our fitness. We did a lot of strength conditioning as well. We teach a lot of agility and thinking on the field and we ave one of the smatest teams in terms of knowing the game. I think in tough games, because the players are making their own decisions and are good at it, they have an edge."
Leading the team on te field was flanker Taylor Duncan. With the graduation of Pinson, a "natural leader," said Pinnell, the coaches weren't sure who would take the captain's reins. Duncan was chosen after a rigorous selection process and, said her coach, "did an awesome job."
Flyhalf Richelle Stephens played superbly in directing the attack, and against the larger teams such as SoCal finalists South Bay and NIT finalists the Amazons, she was constantly a target by flankers and centers.
"She can run, kick, and pass, and she can take a hit," said Pinnell.
Craig Pinnell praised the work for Michelle Navarro, who moved from fullback to flanker, and Lilly Durbin, who stepped into the #15 jersey.
"It was kind of like having two fullbacks on the field," said Craig Pinnell. "Michelle was all over the place and to have two players who could play that position was quite nice."
Meanwhile, center Casey Karl earned a look with the USA U20s. Karl and Duncan, along with the stalwart forward Brittany Eldridge, will graduate, once again leaving the Fallbrook team with someholes to fill. But with a mostly underclassmen forward pack, and a proven ability to reload, expect to see them back at the top level again.
Flyhalf Richelle Stephens played superbly in directing the attack, and against the larger teams such as SoCal finalists South Bay and NIT finalists the Amazons, she was constantly a target by flankers and centers.
"She can run, kick, and pass, and she can take a hit," said Pinnell.
Craig Pinnell praised the work for Michelle Navarro, who moved from fullback to flanker, and Lilly Durbin, who stepped into the #15 jersey.
"It was kind of like having two fullbacks on the field," said Craig Pinnell. "Michelle was all over the place and to have two players who could play that position was quite nice."
Meanwhile, center Casey Karl earned a look with the USA U20s. Karl and Duncan, along with the stalwart forward Brittany Eldridge, will graduate, once again leaving the Fallbrook team with someholes to fill. But with a mostly underclassmen forward pack, and a proven ability to reload, expect to see them back at the top level again.
