VC Avengers looking for more rugby players

The recent frosts may be cooling down our groves, but Valley Center’s rugby pitch is just warming up.
Over the Thanksgiving weekend, our local boys once again proved to the Southern California rugby community that the Valley Center Avengers Rugby Club is a force to be reckoned with.
On Saturday, Serra High School was the site of the Serra Rugby Feast, a pre-season scrimmage offered to prepare local high schools for the upcoming high school rugby season.
The Avengers, who are still actively recruiting new players, will be playing in the SoCal High School Central Division with games scheduled from the beginning of December until the end of January. Valley Center will be competing with Cathedral Catholic, Chaparral, Fallbrook, La Quinta, San Pasqual and Torrey Pines high schools.
At the Serra Feast, the Avengers had to combine with the San Pasqual team due to a lack of numbers on both squads. The newly formed Avenging Eagles showed off their strong fundamentals, speed, and grit to best three out of their four opponents.
Between bites at the all-you-can-eat sideline buffet, Avenger coach George Turori commented that, “The mini-scrimmages were very beneficial for our new players and our boys were able to express their passion for the sport. This is a great day for fifteens rugby, camaraderie, and lots of good food.”
Although the Valley Center team has the skills for a strong showing in their inaugural season, they do lack the numbers to field a consistent squad of 15.
“Recruiting is our number one priority,” according to Teresa Everett, the team’s manager.
The Avengers would like to welcome any high school aged boy (either a VCHS or home-schooled student) to come on out and play. Athletes who graduated in 2010 and who turned 19 after Sept. 1 are also welcome to come give rugby a try.
“Rugby should be of particular interest to our high school football players. All positions in rugby get to carry the ball, from forwards to backs. Open field running and tackling, gutting it out in the scrum or ruck– the rugby player gets to do it all,” says Everett. “We would love to see our Jaguar football players who are not wrestling or playing basketball come onto the pitch after their run for the CIF Championship.”
The rugby team practices on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3–5 p.m. on the Valley Center Elementary School football field. Any interested students can contact Coach George Turori at 760-522-6194 or visit their Facebook page “Valley Center Rugby Club.”