Canett, Durbin, Navarro on tournament-winning Griffins team - Pinnells serve as assistant coaches, four Fallbrook players on JV squad

The Southern California Rugby Football Union’s Griffins all-star team which won the Great Northwest Challenge Regional All-Star Tournament in Portland on June 21 and June 22 included Fallbrook Rugby Club players Kayla Canett, Lilly Durbin, and Michel Navarro on the varsity squad whose assistant coaches included Fallbrook Rugby Club co-coaches Craig and Marin Pinnell.

In addition to the three Fallbrook players on the under-18 varsity team, the junior varsity squad included Fallbrook players Destiny Arena, Breil Bonaguro, Alyssa Lee, and Kim Mendoza.

The varsity Griffins swept Washington and a combined Oregon/Northern California team in a pair of June 21 games featuring 22 1/2-minute halves. The June 22 championship against Washington was a 27-10 Griffins victory and utilized 35-minute halves.

“It was good. They all knew how to play; they’re all-stars,” Marin Pinnell said.

“They had a really good tournament,” Craig Pinnell said. “They did really well. They came together very well as a team. They all seem to like playing with each other.”

Durbin played fullback for the Griffins. “I think that Lilly did very well,” Craig Pinnell said.

Navarro played the flank position. “Michel was great at forward,” Craig Pinnell said, adding that Navarro was still recovering from a shoulder injury.

Canett was a center. “Kayla, she did great,” Craig Pinnell said. “She’s a very good playmaker.”

Ravi Perera was the Griffins’ head coach. Craig Pinnell was the forwards coach for both the varsity and the junior varsity. Marin Pinnell was the backs coach.

The coaching staff didn’t give the players specific instructions, telling them to choose specific plays for specific situations. “It really worked well,” Marin Pinnell said. “It was nice to see.”

“For some of them it allowed them to bond as teammates,” Craig Pinnell said.

“They want to be in charge, so it just made their game so much stronger,” Marin Pinnell said.

“They made the game plan up for themselves, obviously with guidance and direction,” Marin Pinnell said. “They just put that together out in the field, so it was nice to see.”

The junior varsity Griffins defeated Oregon but lost to Northern California.

“They’ll have to learn to play together,” Craig Pinnell said.

Pinnell explained that the individual players have different teammates on an all-star squad. “They learn to play with other people,” he said.

“I think the main focus is how to get them to play together,” Marin Pinnell said.

Craig Pinnell noted that the participation in the all-star tournament will benefit the Fallbrook girls for the 2015 high school season. “It gives them a lot of confidence, I think,” he said.

“It was a well-run tournament,” Craig Pinnell said. “It was done well.”