Flag football rankings taking shape with BVHS at the top

The Bonita Vista Lady Barons helped set the standard for the fledgling sport of girls flag football by winning the San Diego Section’s first Division I championship title.

The Lady Barona didn’t make it past last year’s opening round, but this year is a different story. The past could repeat in a most vicious way.

Guess who is back on top of the section rankings board?

Yes, Bonita Vista!

“We are off to a good start but staying unsatisfied as we continue to take it game by game,” BVHS coach Larry Schoen said. “We are currently 6-0, ranked No. 1 in the county. We’re coming off victories over two North County blue bloods. — 19-0 at Poway (Aug. 25) and 20-14 versus San Marcos (Aug. 28).

“In three seasons, were off to our best start. Two years ago, the CIF D1 championship year, we were 5-1 in our first six games. Player-wise, the difference between that team and this team? That team was senior loaded, this team’s core are majority juniors and sophomores.
“Player-wise, Mia Ramirez continues to be a top 10 quarterback in the county (passing). This year, the difference with her is that she’s evolved as a true dual threat, with also being in the top five in rushing.

“Returning All-CiF player Layla Schoen (middle linebacker/wide receiver) is having a stellar season so far. She was recently top 10 in rushing, top 10 in receiving, top five in scoring and touchdowns, top five in tackles, and top 10 in interceptions. She also has a few sacks to her name.

“Rusher Ella Gomez brings constant heat and leads the county in sacks with 17 in six games.

“Dariyan Wilson (cornerback/wide receiver) leads the county in interceptions with 10 in six games. She’s also top 10 in scoring.

“Overall, our success has been due to our balanced offense, which is much more run heavy compared to most offenses,” the BVHs coach said. “We take pride in our blocking and like to play hardnose football. Ground-and-pound mixed with clock control. But the main reason for the success, is our stout defense. In six games we have 19 total interceptions.

“We work hard in practices and put a huge emphasis on scouting our opponents. We look for tendencies and areas where we think we can find some attack points, all while continuing to run our system and let the talent and experience show out.

“I feel that this is one of my deepest teams. Just deciding on starters game by game is a challenge as the depth continues to shine in games and practices.

“I schedule hard on purpose. I like to get us battle-tested for league play and the playoffs. We know that every game is the other team’s Super Bowl when they play us. Having a target on our back is normal. As long as we stay to the standard that we set, all is good. We don’t worry about anyone else, it’s always about us. Us versus Us … Together.”

Spoken like a champion? We’’ll see.

Looking ahead
The Lady Barons kick off Metro-Mesa League play kicks off Monday, Sept. 9, at defending Division IV section champion Olympian, which is off to a 1-5 start this season.

Defending Division III champion Mater Dei Catholic is off to a 4-0 start while San Ysidro, last year’s Division IV runner-up, had a 4-2 early season record while also appearing on solid footing.

Castle Park is off to a 6-0 start following Monday’s 7-6 victory against O’Farrell Charter.
In statistics compiled through three games, senior Leilani Roche had passed for five touchdowns and rushed for five touchdowns with a 108.3 quarterback efficiency rating.

Senior Aolani Morales had caught three touchdown passes for the Lady Trojans.

Roche also topped Castle Park with 45 tackles and six interceptions while junior Karla Meza had nine sacks.

Playoff seeding is determined by final regular season finish across four or even possibly five divisions this year.

Border view
San Ysidro junior quarterback Vida Sanchez has thrown for 1,348 yards and 17 touchdowns against four interceptions to start the new season. She’s also rushed for 328 yards and nine additional scores to make her a supreme dual-threat signal-caller.

Top receivers for the Lady Cougars include seniors Kristen Fadriquela (21 catches, 345 yards) and Giana Salce (18 catches, 204 yards) with five scores each.

Junior Rhiane Fadriquela (16 catches, 236 yards) has four touchdown receptions.
Defensive leaders for San Ysidro include sophomore Valentina Melendrez (28 tackles), senior Sophia Ruiz (six sacks) and Rhiane Fadriquela (four interceptions).

San Diego Section Rankings
(Through Aug. 28)
1. Bonita Vista (5-0), 2. Carlsbad (5-1), 3. Torrey Pines (5-2), 4. Classical Academy (6-4), Calexico (5-0), 6. Grossmont (5-1), 7. Cathedral Catholic (5-1), 8. Imperial (8-1-2), 9. Mission Bay (7-1-1), 10. San Ysidro (4-1), 11. Vincent Memorial (5-3), 12. El Capitan (4-1), 13. Morse (3-2-1), 14. San Dieguito Academy (3-2), 15. La Costa Canyon (2-3), 16. Southwest El Centro (3-3), 17. Brawley (2-6-1), 18. Lincoln (2-3-1), 19. Holtville (4-7), 20. Central Union (1-5)

Bonita Vista Lady Barons
Bonita Vista 33, Imperial 27
Bonita 48, Hilltop 6
Bonita Vista 18, Downey 12
Bonita Vista 32, Santana 0
Bonita Vista 19, Poway 0
Bonita Vista 20, San Marcos 14

Tuesday, Aug. 26
Mater Dei Catholic 50, Mar Vista 0

Wednesday, Aug. 27
Canyon Crest Academy 19, Eastlake 6

Thursday, Aug. 28
Otay Ranch 21, San Ysidro 18

Monday, Sept. 2
Mater Dei Catholic 27, CVLCC 6
Olympian 32, Central Union 19