Flag football continues to gain momentum in Metro Conference, new rules added

Girls flag football is entering its third season in the San Diego Section and continues to gain momentum with two more section champions from the Metro Conference.

Mater Dei Catholic won last year’s Division III championship trophy while Olympian snatched way the Division IV award from Metro Conference rival San Ysidro in an all-Metro Conference final.

It continued a championship tradition established by Bonita Vista’s ground-breaking Division I championship in 2023.

However, a few tweaks are coming this season that have the potential to change the way the sport is currently played.

“First, the game is completely changing with the new rules,” San Ysidro High School head coach Giantoni Canale said. “The biggest rule change this year is moving the defensive rusher from seven yards to one yard from the line of scrimmage. To counter that, the offense is allowed to have some blockers to slow down the rush. The blocking has to be screen blocking where the players move side to side but they or the defensive players cannot initiate contact.

“Many, if not all the coaches are concerned about these new rules because it may lead to a more physical play with the blocking, but we are adjusting to the new rules.”

A kicking game has also been added and teams will now punt the football on fourth down.

“Teams will now have special teams to work on as well,” Canale said.

The section will retain its four-divisional playoff format and may add a fifth division if participation numbers warrant.

The section seeding meeting is set for Oct. 25. Tentative playoff dates are Oct. 28-29 (first round), Oct. 30 and Nov. 1 (quarterfinals), Nov. 4-5 (semifinals) and Nov. 7-8 (championship games).

Roll call
The Metro Conference’s league alignment remains the same from last season. All 13 member schools will field teams in 2025-26.

The Metro-Mesa League includes Otay Ranch, Bonita Vista, Mater Dei Catholic, Olympian and Eastlake. Otay Ranch is the defending champion.

The Metro-South Bay League includes Hilltop, Castle Park, Chula Vista and Sweetwater. Hilltop and Castle Park are defending co-champions.

The Metro-Pacific League includes San Ysidro, Southwest, Mar Vista and Montgomery. San Ysidro is the defending champion.

Of note, three Metro teams advanced to last year’s section championship games. Mater Dei Catholic won the Division III tier while Olympian edged San Ysidro for the Division IV title.

Other local teams making the playoffs included Otay Ranch (No. 3 seed in Division I), Bonita Vista (No. 10 seed in Division I), Hilltop (No. 7 seed in Division III), Castle Park (No. 4 seed in Division IV), Southwest (No. 8 seed in Division IV) and Eastlake (No. 12 seed in Division IV).

Chula Vista Learning Community Charter received the No. 1 seed among Division III schools.

New horizons
San Ysidro High School is once again hosting a kick-off showcase involving seven teams from the Imperial Valley pitted against teams from the Metro Conference (three teams), City Conference (three teams) and Grossmont Conference (one team).

The event grows from five games last season to seven games this season. Kickoff is 9 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 9, with San Ysidro hosting Holtville. Games follow at 10:30 a.m. (Kearny vs. Southwest-El Centro), noon (Scripps Ranch vs. Brawley), 1:30 p.m. (Hilltop vs. Central Union), 3 p.m. (Mira Mesa vs. Calexico), 4:30 p.m. (Bonita Vista vs. Imperial) and 6 p.m. (Grossmont vs. Vincent Memorial).

Scripps Ranch finished runner-up to Mater Dei Catholic in last year’s Division III championship game.

Quick hits

• Southwest San Diego sophomore quarterback Darlene Diaz looks to be a player to watch with her solid play as the new season readies to kick off.

• Mar Vista, Sweetwater, Mater Dei Catholic, Olympian and Montgomery will have new head coaches this season.
• Castle Park’s Leilani Roche, the Player of the Year last season in the Metro-South Bay League, will be a player to watch against this season while exceling on both sides of the ball.

• Bonita Vista, the Division I section champion in 2023, returns all but player who graduated. The Lady Barons should be a very talented team.

• Olympian has an All-CIF player named Aubrey Tibayan who carried her team to a CIF title last season.

• Otay Ranch went undefeated in regular season play last season. The Lady Mustangs are due for another big year.

Cougar country
San Ysidro graduated 13 seniors last season off its CIF runner-up team but Canale isn’t panicking. “When we lost 13 seniors after)the first year, we initially thought it may have been a rebuild, but we had a spectacular year, made a run to the CIF finals and exceeded expectations,” he said.

“We are not looking at this year as a rebuild, we are looking at it more like a re-load now despite all the seniors we lost. Our JV went 15-4 last year and we have many young up and coming girls ready to contribute at the varsity level.”

Up-and-coming girls include Valentina Melendrez, Desirae Wilso, and Xiomara Estrada who are making the jump up to varsity this year as sophomores and “ready to contribute,” Canale said.

From the varsity team, returners include all-league players Isabella Guzman, Mia Gonzalez (coming back after a year off due to injury), Rhiane Fadriquela and Mia Maldonado. All-CIF honoree Kristine Fadriquela has had back-to-back 1,000 yard receiving seasons on offense and double-digit interceptions on defense.

“Our offense will be led by newcomer Vida Sanchez, who will introduce herself to the county this year when she makes her high school flag football debut. Our team goal this year is to hopefully win our third consecutive league banner and make another deep run in the CIF playoffs.”

Back for more
Mater Dei Catholic didn’t finish at the top of last year’s Metro-Mesa League standings — that was reserved for the Otay Ranch Lady Mustangs — but the Lady Crusaders did manage to string together three consecutive victories victories to move up from their No. 2 seeding position to capture the Division III section championship.

The Lady Crusdaders received a bye in the first round to meet seventh-seeded Hilltop, fresh off a 6-0 win over No. 10 Morse, in the quarterfinals. MDC prevailed, 18-12, in overtime despite experiencing a talent drain to begin their championship march.

The Lady Crusaders appeared to get stronger in their next two games — 33-12 over sixth-seeded Steele Canyon in the semifinals and 25-13 over eighth-seeded Scripps Ranch in the championship game.

Top returners include juniors Maya Matthies and Anabelle Gallagher and seniors Brooklyn Ringgold and Juju Soto.

Matthies earned first-team all-league honors while Ringgold was a second-team all-league pick.

Sophomore Vida Byers rates as the team’s impact newcomer ths season.

The outlook for the upcoming season is looking “incredibly promising,” according to assistant coach and Mater Dei Catholic athletics administrative assistant Divyne Camberos.

“With most of our starting lineup returning and the addition of head program coach Harry Ringgold, our team is ecstatic after a tough 2024 season,” Camberos said. “Through adversity, winning the Division III CIF Championship came unexpectedly, but through faith and hard work our team won. Coming off a championship, expectations are high especially within the South Bay. Our conference is extremely competitive, so the goal for this season is to have fun, work hard, be positive and good things will come.”

Olympian won its history-making CIF flag football championship under Ryan Van Nostrand last season. The Lady Eagles will be under the tutelage of new head coach Michael Christensen this season.

It’s onward and upward.

“After winning CIF Division IV last year, we are looking forward to winning CIF again, but our goal is to move up and win in Division III or higher,” Christensen said. “We have a very talented group of players that have been working hard in the offseason to try and repeat as champions again this upcoming season.”

Among the team’s top returners are seniors Aubrey Tibayan, Jasmine Bartells, Alyssa Lewis and Elianna Martin.

Tibayan, a receiver, quarterback and defensive back, was highly decorated in 2024 with first-team all-league offense and first-team All-CIF honors while Bartels, a linebacker/receiver, earned first-team, all-league defense accolades. Lewis, a defensive back/receiver, was a second team all-league defensive selection.

Martin, a defensive back/receiver, is a third-year starter.

Impact newcomers include junior receiver/defensive back Nikayla Flowers,
Junior receiver/defensive back Sophia Ramirez and sophomore running back/defensive back Andrea Villareal Enciso.

Christensen admitted it will not be easy to obtain the team’s ultimate goals this season.
“We have high expectations this year as a returning CIF champion and know it is a tough road ahead,” the new Olympian gridiron boss explained. “Our league has three CIF flag football champions in it with Bonita winning in Year One and Mater Dei winning Division III CIF last year and us (in Division IV). We may have the hardest league in the county with Otay Ranch (undefeated in the regular season in 2024) also in the league.

“We graduated a couple of key players from the championship team, including our starting quarterback and receivers, but we have some good depth on the team and will be able to fill those holes. We are lucky to have one of the top players in the county on our team in Aubrey Tibayan, who is a returning first-team All CIF player from last year and who also ranked in the top receiving records in the nation last year. She will have a huge impact on our team.

“We have two returning all-league defensive players returning in Alyssa Lewis and Jasmine Bartels — Jasmine being a top 10 tackler in the county. We are looking strong and eager to return to the field this season. As always, our goal is to win league and go as far as possible in CIF.”

The Bonita Vista Lady Barons won the inaugural Division I section championship in 2023 and came back last year with a first-round playoff exit to the nemesis Grossmont Lady Foothillers.

The Lady Barons appear to have reloaded nicely this season.

“We have high hopes and are expecting to compete for a CIF championship and Metro-Mesa League championship,” BVHS head coach Larry Schoen said. “Last season we entered the season as the youngest Division I team, with only four returners from the previous 2023 CIF championship team. After making the playoffs, the team finished the season in the Top 10 of Division I.

“The Lady Barons enter the 2025 season with only graduating one senior from the previous season, returning 17 out of 18 players on the roster.”

Key players leading the team are junior middle linebacker/receiver Layla Schoen, junior outside linebacker, receiver//running back/cornerback Sofia Garay, sophomore receiver/cornerback Dariyan Wilson and junior dual-threat quarterback Mia Ramirez.

Schoen totaled 715 total yards on offense, 72 tackles, three interceptions on defense and nine total touchdowns last season. Wilson recorded 937 total yards in offense, 12 interceptions, 27 passes broken up and 33 tackles on defense to go with six total touchdowns. Ramirez completed 47 touchdowns in her sophomore campaign.

Schoen, 892 total yards on offense, 70 tackles and 7 interceptions on defense, 13 total TD’s. OLB/ATH Sofia Garay, 715 total yards on offense, 72 tackles and 3 interceptions on defense, 9 total TD’s. WR/CB Dariyan Wilson, 937 total yards on offense, 12 interceptions 27 passes broken up and 33 tackles on defense, 6 total TD’s. Dual-Threat Quarterback Mia Ramirez returns for her Junior year after tossing 47 touchdowns in her sophomore campaign.

There’s more for opponents to contend with, including senior outside linebacker Kai Magno (first-team All-Metro-Mesa League), senior receiver Leiani Wilson (secondc team All-Metro-Mesa League), senior rusher Ella Gomez (second team All-Metro-Mesa League) and junior cornerback Kayla Yaomoto (second-team All-Metro Mesa League).

Gomez ranked top 10 in sacks in the county.

The team’s impact newcomer is sophomore safety Savannah Bartolome.

DESERT VS. DIEGO SHOWCASE
Aug. 9 at San Ysidro High School

San Ysidro vs Holtville 9 A.M.

Kearny vs Southwest El Centro 10:30 P.M.

Scripps Ranch vs Brawley 12 P.M.

Hilltop vs Central 1:30 P.M.

Mira Mesa vs Calexico 3:00 P.M.

Bonita Vista vs Imperial 4:30 P.M.

Grossmont vs Vincent Memorial 6:00 P.M.