The first half of the Southern California Boys HS season will be over Saturday afternoon after Fallbrook and Torrey Pines face off for the Varsity Red championship.

This is the conference that was SoCal Youth Rugby’s foray into a school-district-specific single-school league.

All of the teams are in the San Diego district of the California Interscholastic Confederation. The experiment has worked well enough, with many of the games being competitive, and the top four teams being close to equal. But only two make the championship game, and they are 5-1 Fallbrook and 5-1 Torrey Pines. Fallbrook’s only loss was in the first weekend, 22-10 to Cathedral Catholic. Had Cathedral won their last game of the season, against St. Augustine, they would have made this championship game.

Torrey Pines started 3-0 and dominant before being humbled by Fallbrook 51-0 on January 30. But they rebounded with a key win over Cathedral to secure their spot in the top two.

Head Coach Matty Sandoval said his team is grateful for another shot at Fallbrook. Injuries and unavailabilities hurt the Torrey Pines four weeks ago. Now they are much closer to healthy. Skillful flyhalf Ryan Cavanagh missed the Fallbrook game due to illness. He combines well with power-running Toran Raby in a strong backline, but Cavanagh’s ability to distribute is crucial. At scrumhalf Torrey Pines were hurt by the loss of Jack Hoperich, but Sandoval drafted Christian Spencer into the position. Spencer is experienced, but not at scrumhalf but quickly adjusted to his role and was a key element in the Torrey Pines defeat of Cathedral.

So it will be a different Torrey Pines team that faces Fallbrook this time around. Fallbrook, though, is still very good.

Led by senior No. 8/hooker Stephen Branham, they are more than just one high-profile player.

“Our best attribute is teamwork,” said Fallbrook Head Coach Mike Majewski, who has a very senior-heavy team. “Most of [the players] have been playing sports, including rugby, together since they were in grade school. They also respond well to our player-centered approach and accept all the training challenges and strategies thrown at them.Their intensity while training translates to match day very well.”

This has helped Fallbrook hit their stride quickly, which is crucial in the six-game Varsity Red league. Majewski said he won’t add in any new wrinkles for this game, and has spent the week concentrating on the basics.

“Rugby is a simple game,” he said. “There’s no need to screw things up.”

This rivalry will continue on. Torrey Pines players form part of the San Diego Mustangs club team, while Fallbrook remains on the field as a club team, as well. Fallbrook faces the Mustangs in club play exactly one month after tomorrow’s game.