Rugby has a way of weaving itself into your life, shaping your community, and creating stories worth sharing. Life Love Rugby is where I get to celebrate those stories — the passion, the growth, the culture, and the people who make this sport what it is.
In this edition, I’m sharing a Q&A that highlights the journey of the Hawks program from the perspective of someone who has been there since the early days. It’s a look at how the club grew from a small youth effort into a respected high‑school contender, thanks to dedicated coaches, committed families, and a core group of players who have been grinding since their U‑10 days.
Whether you’re a parent, a player, a fan, or someone who simply loves the spirit of rugby, I hope this gives you a deeper look into what makes our rugby community special. Rugby isn’t just a sport — it’s connection, resilience, and a whole lot of heart. And around here, we honor all of it.
I'd Like to thank the VP and Assistant HC from Carmichael Hawks Rugby, Casey Curry for taking the time to answer some questions and help shine the light on such a wonderful growing program in one of the Rugby hot beds of the USA .
LLR- How did I get involved with the Hawks?
CC- I started playing rugby in High School in the late '80's, then went on to play for Sac State and a little bit for the Sacramento Men's Club. At that time, I was involved in coaching both boys and girls High School rugby with the now defunct Cougar Rugby Club under Joe Cavallero. I eventually found a career, got married and had kids. When my oldest son turned 6, I learned about the Hawks, which was formed the year before. I did not coach the first year my son played, but our current President and Head Coach, Sam Enochian started coaching the U-10's. I started coaching the following year at the U-10 level. For the first 3-4 years, we only fielded a U-10 & U-12 team. We eventually "grew" to include a middle school team. We struggled for players for the first 10 years or so of our existence, and saw some families bail on us to some larger programs. We believed we could grow something, so we stuck with it. Both Sam and my sons had to play their HS rugby up at Mother Lode. We did not field a team during the covid year, but as Sam and my younger sons were getting older and we finally had a core group of kids who have been with us since the U-10 days. We decided to field a HS team in 2022. We wanted to start from the bottom up, and only field a JV squad. That worked for a year, and in 2023, we competed in the NorCal Silver Division. We made it to the final, but sadly lost in the final to the Sac Islanders program. We knew we were on to something, and had a core group of players who have been playing since U-10's. In 2024, we again made it to the final, but lost to the Chico program. We were then moved up to the NorCal Gold division. Our core group of players were Juniors and Sophomores, but we competed well. 2025 was the first year we went "on tour". We took a team down to San Diego to take on Carlsbad Thunder, and we were able to win that game. later in the season, we tied the defending Tier II National Champion Wolverines. 2026 was our breakout year. Due to good numbers, we decided to field a single school team, and in 2026, we re-formed the Rio Americano High School team. We started strong, and made it to the NorCal final, but lost to St. Francis by a penalty kick as time expired. The following week, St. Francis won the California State title by a wide margin. The club season started, and we came out hot. We ran the table in our league, and again went to San Diego to play the Mustangs. We played them tight, and got to a 10 point deficit late in the game. The mustangs are all class, and scored 2 quick tries to put the game out of reach. Soon after, we were fortunate to have our bid to Nationals accepted, and the rest is history.
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LLR- One thing we try to implement with players?
CC- This a tough question, because the level of play in NorCal is so high now. In our younger age groups, we want the kids to have fun. We don't place much of an emphasis on wins and losses in the U-10 & U-12 age groups. We are all about fundamental rugby: passing, support play, FUN. Our director of youth teams, Ben Strange does a fantastic job in balancing the fun, with the learning. As the kids move up in age groups, we try to put a bit more emphasis on competition, but in reality, when dealing with kids transitioning from grade school to middle school, we want them to enjoy coming to practice and playing in games. Even our JV HS team, we focus on learning our "system", and aren't to worried about wins and losses. Once we get to the Varsity level, we believe we have earned the right to compete, and expect our players to have the same mindset. Every time we step on the field, we want our players to believe that if they give maximum effort, the results will follow. It still boils down to the fundamentals though. If we cant pass, catch and tackle: we can't compete. Just get better at the simple stuff, and you get better at the complicated stuff.
LLR- Where do I see this program in 5 years?
CC- Ideally, we continue to grow, and get better. We have accomplished a ton in a short amount of time (as a HS program), but I would like to see us grow and expand our reach. In the transition from Middle School to HS, we lose at least half our our players to the Jesuit program (Jesuit HS is about 200 yards from our home field). If we could retain some of those players, I think we could be a mainstay in the National conversation.
LLR- What age groups can join the youth rugby programs?
CC- We field U-10, U-12, Middle School, JV and Varsity High School. We always have families asking about a 6 year old joining, but current NorCal policy has it that for tackle, you have to by 8 years old. I'm sure if there is enough interest, we would field a U-8 flag side.
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LLR- Do kids need prior experience to start playing rugby?
CC- NO! All we ask is the kids come with a good attitude, and are willing to learn. As I mentioned above, we emphasize fun and learning over wins and losses in the younger age groups. In the HS teams, we have been getting football players with no prior experience. They are always welcome, but the learning curve is a bit steeper.
LLR- Where do practices usually take place?
CC- We practice in Carmichael, which is a suburb of Sacramento.
LLR- What is the practice schedule during the season?
CC- Our youth teams practice 2x/week in the evening during the season. Our HS teams practice 3-4x/week during the season. We have a strength and conditioning coach, so we try to work in weight room sessions as part of our practice regimen.
LLR- How long is the youth season in Northern California?
CC- We start practice the week after Thanksgiving. Games begin for our youth teams in January, and goes to early March. I think most youth clubs still have a hard time competing with Little League. Once Little League starts, our number drop significantly.
LLR- What age do players start contact rugby?
CC- In Northern California, contact rugby starts at the U-10 level. U-10's have 10 players on a smaller field. U-12's have 12 players on a smaller field, and MS rugby is full 15's on a full side field. Scrums of 3 players are formed, but uncontested at the U-10 level. Scrums of 5 , but still uncontested at the U-12 level, and full scrums, but uncontested for half the season at the MS level. Once the MS players have a few games under their belt, they go to contested scrums.
LLR- What is the biggest highlights of the program thus far?
CC- In the last 2 years, it seems like there is a lot of highlights. I would say going to San Diego, and coming away with a win vs. Thunder gave the boys a ton of confidence. We then rolled right into getting a tie vs. Wolverines. Winning the Gold division in NorCal this year was a huge feather in our cap, but there is nothing quite like competing at Nationals. We came in as the 8 seed, and made it to the finals. To say we are proud of the boys is the understatement of the century.
As far as the program as a whole: I would have to say the solid reputation we have built in the community. I can still remember the days we had 10 players on U-10's, and our Middle School team had to merge with Chico to field a team. Our youth numbers are real strong right now. We are a success story, 16 years in the making.
LLR- How can parents volunteer to support the team?
CC- Admittedly, this is one aspect Sam and I have struggled with. Ben Strange has developed a strong coaching cadre in the youth, and we have bolstered our ranks at the HS level by adding National Champion collegiate players Kellen Fisch and Miles Brown. We are always in need of fundraising, game day operations: field set-up/tear-down, and post game meals. We are a 501(c)(3) organization, so fundraising is always important.
LLR- Are there team events, fundraisers, community events scheduled?
CC- As the season just ended, we have nothing planned. Ben has been fantastic in getting players out for flag rugby, and to games in the Sacramento Area. Sacramento just hosted the Women's matches between USA and New Zealand, and Canada vs. Australia. Sacramento also hosted a MLR game, were some of the younger Hawks participated in a halftime flag match.
We have participated in the American River Clean Up, which is run by the local Kiwanis Clubs. We are always looking for fundraising opportunities.
LLR- How does the program promote teamwork, respect and sportsmanship?
CC- I think that the sport itself promotes teamwork, respect and sportsmanship. I've been involved in rugby for nearly 40 years, and I've yet to see a successful team that doesn't have those qualities. We are not the largest team physically, so we need to score team tries. That requires teamwork. If you don't respect your opponent, or give them a pat on the back and say good game after the match, we have failed. It's easy to have these qualities when things are going your way, but sport is cruel, and inevitably, the tide will turn. At those moments, it is crucial to remember how you treated your opponent when things were going good. That is what makes our sport the best sport in the world. You beat on one another for 70 minutes, the get in a circle an congratulate on another and break bread.
LLR- Are there opportunities for girls only teams or clinics?
CC- We field co-ed teams up until HS. We don't have the numbers to field a girls only team, but we have a fantastic relationship with the Harlequins, which is a highly successful girls program in our area. Our girls that have stuck with rugby, have found tremendous success with coach Wes Hilger at Harlequins.
LLR- Words of advice for those wanting to help out with their local club?
CC- Find a way to get involved. Clubs, whether they know it or not, need help with some aspect of running a successful club. We have coaches who have never played before, but they have value to our club. Helping with post game meals is huge. Field set-up and tea-down is huge. Any of the off field stuff a volunteer can help with, is something the coaching staff doesn't have to deal with, which means they can concentrate on coaching skills to the kids in the program. Although rugby is growing, it is still something of a niche sport. We could use all the help we can get. If a coach or administrator doesn't have anything off hand to do, let them know you're available. Something will come up.
* please give the Hawks a Follow on their social media accounts and check out there website for registration, news and other resources.
Facebook: facebook.com/Carmichaelhawks
Instagram: instagram.com/carmichaelhawks/
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