Saturday night, Falcons Rugby extended their undefeated season with a 41-12 victory over Loyola High School, securing the SoCal Championship title — their sixth in program history.
“This is the most resilient group I have ever had in my 15 years of coaching Torrey Pines rugby,” Falcons Rugby head coach Matty Sandoval said. “… we are undefeated for a reason. This group refuses to lose.”
Ranked No. 3 in the nation by Goff Rugby Report, the Falcons were in good shape to face No. 34 Loyola. As a physically gifted team, Loyola came out “hard and physical,” but the Falcons were able to absorb their physical pressure, staying patient until the right time to execute their attack.
“They are much bigger than us and they are very physical,” Sandoval said. “… it’s kind of like boxing. You have to absorb their big blows and then recognize where their weaknesses are and then systematically explode them and that is kind of what they get.”
In the first half, the Falcons were able to score within the first few minutes of the game after a carry from flanker Shay Farkash (11). Fly-half Rees Curtis (9) executed a 50/22 kick, adding three more points on the board. By halftime, the Falcons led 10-0.
“We have a very, very high IQ team that knows how to sort out the other team and what their weaknesses are and take advantage of those and that is probably our biggest advantage as a team,” Sandoval said. “Torrey Pines kids are super smart … and know exactly how to beat another team on their own without much input from their coaches during the game.”
As the whistle blew kicking off the second half, the Falcons returned with intensity. With what Sandoval called the “arguably most critical play of the game,” James Curtis (12) secured a loose ball and led a 80-yard attack, extending the lead to 17-0 early in the second half. Throughout the rest of the game, the Falcons continued to capitalize on Loyola’s mistakes and increased accuracy on the attack, as they, “made four trips to what we call the ‘Green Zone’ (similar to the Red Zone in football), and came away with a score each time.”
“Our biggest adjustment in the game came on attack, where we started putting them under pressure with kicks in response to their strong defense in the opening minutes,” Curtis said. “That was one of our biggest talking points at halftime.”
While Loyola managed 14 points, the Falcons pulled away with a major win, securing the 2025 SoCal Championship.
“I think this performance was entirely a team effort,” Will Schreckengaust (12) said. “As a team we effectively ran our set plays as well as out of shape rugby very effectively with everyone getting involved in scoring, tackling, poaching and we even had both Reese and James kick for points.”
As the Falcons technical ability allowed them to take control of the game, a major condition to the team’s success this season has been their senior leadership panel, composed of James, Schreckengaust, Samuel Violett (12) and Will Barrett (12).
“We have the best leadership that we have ever had at Torrey Pines,” Sandoval said. “Our seniors are absolutely special … and they are not only special leaders, but they are our best players and they have led the way.”
According to Sandoval, the team is unique as they don’t have a “superstar” player that carries the entire team, but rather, “a group of very, very talented, very ambitious and very focused players that I think collectively might be the best team we have ever had.”
Looking towards the California State High School Rugby Championship match on March 8 against St. Francis High School, the Falcons are well prepared to compete against the same team they faced just two years ago when they were named the first Southern California team to claim the state title.
“Every week it is the opponent in front of us that is the focus, with the intention of going to the state championship and bringing home hardware for our work that we have put in this year,” Schreckengaust said. “With a team like St, Francis who is big and athletic we will continue our preparation in practice by perfecting our defensive launch and our precise attack”
