Forward Sam Enochian, Jr., No. 3, crashes the ball into the SacAIR defenders, while teammate, Isaac Gomez, No. 8 waits for the offloading pass. Photo by Mike Powers

CARMICHAEL, CA (MPG) - The Carmichael Hawks Varsity High School Rugby team has been on quite a roll in 2026. Having compiled an undefeated regular season record in the Rugby NorCal D1 Gold league season, the team has been invited to participate in the 2026 Boys High School Rugby National Championship to be held in Elkhart, Indiana May 21-23.

Supported by his teammates Sam Enochian Jr. No. 3, and Micah Eves No. 5, Hawks Ryan Reed, No. 17, wins a lineout after both teams attempt to gain possession after the ball left the field of play. Photo by Mike Powers

The Carmichael Rugby Football Club was established in 2010 with about 30 kids and has since grown to 185 youth athletes. The club, which practices and plays home games at Rio Americano High School, manages several Hawks teams at the U10, U12, middle school, high school junior varsity and high school varsity levels.

Club President and Head Coach of the Varsity team, Sam Enochian, attributes a lot of the team’s success to their special relationship to the community of Carmichael. “So, I think the biggest thing is we have an absolute grit to us,” said Coach Enochian. “We like to say it's that Carmichael grit.”

A former football player at Cal, Enochian transitioned to rugby while still in college and called the change “a breath of fresh air.” He added, “I loved playing football, but the business of football was no fun.” He described rugby as the epitome of a team sport. “There’s no division in the team…because we all rely on each other.

The Carmichael Hawks players feel that trust and camaraderie too. Levi Bright, right-winger on the varsity team said, “It really is a brotherhood. You know, they say that with other sports, but the way we connect out here and come together as a group, it's like something I've never felt before… that's why I love this game.

The Carmichael Hawks Varsity team will travel to the 2026 Boys High School Rugby National Championship to be held in Elkhart, Indiana May 21-23. Photo by Pia Boling


Coach Enochian also stressed the values-driven aspect of the game that he and the other coaches bring to all levels of Carmichael Hawks Rugby. “(Rugby) teaches resilience…hard work. The effort you put in is the results you’re going to get out. Our big motto is ‘nothing given, everything earned,’ so that’s how we run it.”

That hard work and effort was on display on Saturday, May 2, as the Varsity Hawks earned a playoff win over local rival SacAir 50-28 in the semifinal matchup of the NorCal D1 Gold Playoffs at Rio Americano High School. The Hawks will play the East Palo Alto Razorhawks in the championship match on May 9 at Stanford’s Stueber Rugby Field. 

Regardless of the outcome of the NorCal Playoffs, the Hawks will still be flying to Indiana for the National Championship two weeks later. The journey to Nationals really began last fall when Hawks coaches cobbled together a team of varsity players to compete in the West Coast Sevens Invitational for the first time. Their surprising win in the Stanford leg and strong showing in the San Diego tournament captured the attention of the USA Rugby National Committee. The team continued strong growth throughout the winter representing Rio Americano High School. Finally, the Varsity Hawks undefeated club season earned them a wild card invitation to the National Championship.

Hawks head coach Sam Enochian praises the players of both teams during his post-game address. Photo by Mike Powers

Reflecting on the varsity team’s success this year, Coach Enochian said, “The most exciting part is that we've accomplished our longest-term goal, which was to establish our club…we took something from nothing in Carmichael. We've drawn from this small neighborhood, and we've put together a program that's being recognized nationally.”

The Carmichael Hawks Club and community thrives on its grassroots nature and is currently fundraising to help offset costs of flying 25 varsity players and four coaches to the National Championships. The club is accepting GoFundMe donations: https://tinyurl.com/78usbr98 

Registration for Carmichael Hawks Rugby is open to boys and girls. For more information visit https://carmichaelrugby.com/