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High School Awards Of The Decade

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High School Awards Of The Decade

Royal Irish in the mud. Dan Bandoni photo.

It's been a decade of major changes in high school rugby, but some things do remain the same, with a few teams dominating the landscape.

Here's a look at who gets our awards for the decade:

HS Girls Team Of The Decade: Fallbrook HS

The Southern California team won five national titles, and made the final in three more. They produced national team-level talent throughout. While we could split these awards up into single-school and club, we haven't because the teams are hopping between the two divisions (and championships), and it seems Fallbrook is the one constant. 

However, as honorable mention: United, Sacramento, Kahuku, DSHA, and Kent all deserve recognition.

The Key HS Rugby Stories Of The Decade

HS Boys Single-School Team Of The Decade: Tie-Gonzaga HS and Jesuit Sacramento

We tried to split these two, but they're basically equal. 

Both won four national championships. Both finished 2nd three times, and 3rd twice. The only difference is that Gonzaga also logged a 4th-place finish, while Jesuit had one year where the Marauders failed to make the top four. 

However, it's worth noting that Jesuit still leads all high schools in producing Eagles. So it's a tie.

(By the way, for those playing at home, the other two teams that won national titles in the 2010s were Dixon HS and Xavier HS.)

HS Boys Club Team Of The Decade: Royal Irish

This Indianapolis-based club provides a compelling reason why there remain high school clubs. Made up of players from two schools in Indianapolis, Royal Irish could likely not field a team as a single-school from either. One of the schools is basically too small, but manages to produce a few really talented players. As a group under Head Coach Scott Peterson, they have blossomed. Royal Irish won the BHSNC club division in 2012, 2014, 2015, and 2017, and finished second in 2013, 2016, 2018, and 2019. That's eight out of the tean years where they were one of the two best HS clubs in the country.