SGV/Whittier Prep Sports Zone: End Zone-to-End Zone; Week 7 Edition
We take a deep dive into the growth of girls flag football, the opening week of Hacienda League action, 5 Things I Think I Think, Playoff Divisional Projections, Stat Leaders and more.
Bonita and Ayala in recent action. (Photo: Taegan Maysami)
Coaching football is not easy these days at the high school level. With all the pressure from school administrators, parents, and fans, it is easy to see why coaches look like they have been running a 25-mile marathon at the end of the year. This can lead to contentious conversations with members of the media.
And then there is girls' flag football.
The two sports look the same in name only but are on totally different ends of the spectrum. This is the first year the CIF Southern Section fully sanctioned the sport, and its growth has been stunning.
Teams are averaging 25 players per roster, and if you are trying to find one thing wrong with the sport, good luck! While football coaches can be caught with heavy bags under their eyes with the amount of film that they are watching, constructing game plans, and all the other assortment of issues that come with being a football coach, that’s not the case when it comes to those coaches that are coaching girls flag football.
“I’ve never had so much fun coaching in my life; it’s been a blast,” Bonita coach Michael Mann said.
“I’m having the time of my life,” Ayala coach Amy Campbell said.
“It’s been a great experience,” La Serna coach Dylan Long said.
Many coaches are having fun with the sport, and the consensus is that they love teaching its inner workings.
“During our training camp, we had a girl – who had never watched a football game before, playing wide receiver. Our quarterback threw a 15-yard pass that she caught; she then proceeded to throw the ball to another player on the field,” Mann said. “That’s when I looked at my assistant and said, well, it’s time to teach football.”
Photo: Teagan Maysami
They have done a successful job. The Bearcats are widely considered the top team in the San Gabriel Valley, with an 11-0 season record and a 4-0 record in the Palomares League. They did this on the strength of talented players, including Tressa Beatty, Victoria Johnson, Breanna Sandmark, and Simone Washington. All four players have at least one offer to play collegiately at an NAIA school.
“Football, in general, is fun to play,” Mann said. “The growth of the sport has been awesome. Several Midwest colleges at the NAIA level are fielding teams, and La Sierra College will implement a flag football team fully. I get many calls from collegiate coaches daily.”
Ayala’s Amy Campbell has been around the block regarding high school athletics. A star softball player at Oklahoma State University, she once oversaw one of the area's premier girls' basketball programs at Ayala. She has since stepped down and is now an assistant coach at the boys' varsity level and an assistant for the highly talented softball program. If there is one person who can speak about the growth of girls' athletics in general, it’s Campbell.
“I wish they had this sport when I was in school,” Campbell said, who loves watching college football more than the NFL. “From a coaching perspective, this is completely different from the other sports I have coached. But there are similarities. I have a girl who played for me in basketball and is playing professionally in San Diego, and she told me, ‘This is just like basketball.’ I took a huge sigh of relief when she told me that.”
La Serna girls flag football in recent action. (Photo: Nate Nim/La Serna Girls Flag Football)
Dylan Long was a star football player at La Serna under respected coach Andy George. When he decided to take the job as a coach, he didn’t know what to expect. That’s no longer the case.
“These are some of the smartest girls I have ever been around,” Long said. “They understand concepts and coverages, and they listen very well. They have a passion for the game of football, and it shows every time that we take the field for a practice or a game.”
The players have shown their appreciation for Long as they nominated him as a finalist for an LA Chargers “Coach of the Week” award several weeks ago. He easily won and will be honored in December at a Chargers game.
“I think this award reflects what the girls have done,” Long said. “It’s more for them than me, but I am honored to win the award.”
The biggest challenge for these three coaches was putting together a team—for all the right reasons. When Ayala held tryouts last spring, 70 girls tried out, with 23 making the varsity squad and another 20 playing JV football.
Bonita had 81 girls try out for 26 spots. La Serna had 115 girls try out for the 20-player roster. To say that the sport has taken off like a rocket to the Moon is an understatement.
“One of the main reasons for its growth is that it is a fast-paced sport,” Long said. “It's very intense, which works for me because I’m intense.”
Intense is the perfect word to describe Campbell. She has also been a pillar of strength since the tragic passing of her husband, Barry Absec, in a multi-vehicle accident two years ago. There is no grey area when it comes to Campbell. She fights for her players with the same passion as respected girl's volleyball coach Laura Browder at La Canada High School.
It has come with a bit of controversy.
She stepped down as the girl's basketball coach in 2018 after she was accused of profanity, intimidation, and demoralizing of her players as a coach to district officials. Some players spoke on her behalf at a board meeting, saying she was “tough but encouraging, didn’t allow complacency but wasn’t abusive,” according to a Champion Newspaper article.
It seems that Campbell has successfully turned the page on that point in her life and loves being the school's girls' flag football coach. And most importantly, the school loves Campbell, which was never more evident than when she tragically lost her husband.
However, coaching flag football does have its challenges.
“Being the coach in the sport has its own set of responsibilities,” Campbell said. “We had to find field time to practice. There was a slot open from 5 to 8 am, and that’s when we practice. We also practice six days a week. Some parents complained that we practiced too much, so we trimmed it down a little bit, and then lost to Claremont. After that, I decided it was time to do it my way, and the girls love it.”
Another reason for the sport's popularity is that it gives girls a much-needed break from the competitive club sports world, which includes club softball, soccer, etc. Girls can perform freely without the pressure of competing for college scholarships.
“I have one player who is a tremendous female soccer player who wants to play flag football at the collegiate level,” Long said. “I think the main reason is that many are burned out. You only play one sport, and players quit loving the sport after a while.”
The rosters are filled with players playing other sports, such as basketball, softball, track, and … choir.
“I have four players in our choir program,” Mann said. “I just went to a concert to see these four perform, and they were so excited that I was there. We have a diverse roster of players playing other sports.”
This sport also has a social media presence. Many of the programs in the area have a strong presence on X and Instagram. When he first became a coach, Long wanted to ensure his program would be active on Instagram.
Welcome to high school athletics in this new era of sports.
“When I got the job, I wanted this done the right way,” Long said. “The biggest thing for me was to get content on Instagram. It is everything. We have paid for a photographer to be at all of our games, and the content has been outstanding.”
Girls flag football growth follows the growth in girls' wrestling. The similarities are strong, with both sports being viewed as the fastest-growing sports in the United States. In a short time, girls wrestling has seen it grow so fast that colleges are starting to implement programs at a rate the sport has not seen in decades.
One can easily envision that happening with girl's flag football within the next five years. The National Football League has gone “All-In” with its support of the sport and will be part of the Olympics in Los Angeles in four years.
“We saw the writing on the wall years ago,” Mann said, who was also a youth girls flag football coach. “It’s here!”
And the CIF is more than happy to welcome it with open arms.
South Hills players celebrate their win last Friday over Diamond Bar. (Photo: JohnLuke Nazzal)
HACIENDA LEAGUE OPENER PROVIDES MUCH-NEEDED EXCITEMENT
When the Mt. SAC Releaguing Committee adopted the new leagues for the 2024 and 2025 seasons, everyone looked at the Hacienda League. This differed from past years when “parity” was used humorously.
Those days are past, and we have a league that football stakeholders are watching closely. And if the first week of action in the league is any indication, fans should probably be reminded of two words to use for the next four weeks—BUCKLE UP.
Many consider Covina the “favorite” to win the league title. However, the Colts had a tough time putting away a scrappy Los Altos squad, 23-18, to earn its first league win of the year. It didn’t help that the Colts had four opportunities to score and failed to convert all four times.
“This is a very resilient team,” Covina coach Joe Brown said. “You have to remember that for the seniors on this team, this is their fourth coach in four years. When you think about it from that perspective, being 5-1 is quite an accomplishment.”
So is a relentless running game, and that was the case on Friday as senior Kwame Parrish rushed for 102 yards and quarterback Jacob Duronslet added another 113 yards. It all added up to 232 rushing yards for Covina, with an average of 6.6 yards per carry.
“It was clear that (Los Altos) wanted to stop the run,” Brown said. “We didn’t take advantage of several situations to score, and we must improve on that.”
Another game that had fans on both teams on the edge of their season was the South Hills vs. Diamond Bar game. The Huskies rallied from a 21-0 lead and won a thrilling 30-29 affair at Diamond Bar HS. The Huskies rushed for 384 yards, with Danny Resendiz leading the way with 197 yards and Tyler Arguinzoni contributing another 149.
The win came at a heavy price, as Resendiz broke his collarbone and might be out for the year. According to those inside the program, the player who will be replacing Resendiz is senior Anthony Gonzales. He played for the program in his sophomore year and quit last year before returning. Those inside the program have had expectations for Gonzales because he “runs hard and has a motor.”
We’ll see if Gonzales takes advantage of his second chance.
The one team that announced their arrival to the scene as a possible league champion is Chino. Despite losing their nonleague games, the Cowboys crushed Walnut 54-24. They did it with a relentless offensive attack that amassed 572 total yards. Quarterback Maximus Barroso was 17-22 for 266 yards and three touchdowns. Sophomore Raymond Chia carried the ball ten times for 123 yards and a score.
This week’s schedule includes Covina at Diamond Bar, Los Altos at Chino, and South Hills at Walnut. The way things are going, don’t be surprised if Walnut and Diamond Bar win this week. Expect the unexpected in the “new” Hacienda League.
5 THINGS I THINK I THINK
1. I think Bishop Amat will still make the playoffs even if they don’t finish in the top three in the Mission League. We’ve seen two-win teams make playoffs, but it would be nice if the Lancers could win over their longtime rival in Loyola on Friday night. Special teams again turned out to be different in their loss to Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, as they allowed the Knights to score on the game's opening kickoff. Please make no mistake that the fight was there throughout the game, but when you allow a touchdown on the game's opening kickoff, it’s not a remedy for success. This was on top of missed scoring opportunities from their field goal team in their last couple of games. Special teams in the hidden part of the game that doesn’t get talked about enough, and it might keep Bishop Amat from participating in the football playoffs.
2. I think La Serna will be fine after their 42-18 win over El Rancho. The Lancers tested themselves with a demanding nonleague schedule, and coach Andy George once again decided to play the long game, and it looks like he will be rewarded. Sophomore Grady Long (another Long?? Geez!!!) was 10-17 for 270 yards, and the Lancers rushed for 157 yards. However, the defense was the impressive part of the win as they held the Dons to 161 total yards. That’s impressive. Markdown Nov. 1st on your schedule; that’s when La Serna plays Santa Fe at Pioneer HS – it will probably be for the league title.
3. I think that this might be the most impressive job that Mike Moschetti has turned in as a coach with this year’s St. Paul team. The Swordsmen opened up Angelus League play with a 27-17 win over host St. Francis. They scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to seal the win. You can look back at their game two weeks ago against Servite and see that the seeds were in place for their win on Friday. They rushed the ball effectively against a Trinity League team that defeated JSerra on Friday night. Gabriel Casteneda threw for 114 yards and ran for another 108 yards. Sophomore Marley Luatua added another 102 yards. Here is another team that could play for a league title in week ten as they host a fast and physical Cathedral team.
4. I think that I can’t wait for Southern California to get a good look at Charter Oak quarterback Corin Berry. The Chargers will be in the national spotlight as they play on Bally Sports West in the “CIFSS Game of the Week” against host Los Osos HS. It’s not often that a team in the San Gabriel Valley gets the national spotlight to themselves, but the Chargers have it, and it would not surprise me if Charter Oak puts on an impressive show. Los Osos is coming off a loss to Colony, so they are playing “behind the eight-ball.” The game will also be available on the Bally Sports App and simulcasted on NFHS Network.
5. I think that I really like the win that Bonita earned over Glendora last week (27-14) at Citrus College. One Sierra League coach told me on Sunday after watching the game film, “That was a competitive game in every sense of the word. Both teams took it to each other, and it showed on film.” It has become clear that while Noah Mikhail and Dylan Robinson are the headline players on the team, the work that coach Steve Bogan has turned in with Travis Lippert has been nothing short of impressive. Lippert completed 19 of 27 passes for 239 yards with 2 TDs. He runs Bogan’s offensive like a maestro conducting an orchestra. Bonita vs. Charter Oak on October 25th will be A COLLISION!
DIVISIONAL PROJECTIONS
Division 1
1. Mater Dei (5-0, 1-0)
2. St. John Bosco (6-0, 1-0)
3. Mission Viejo (7-0, 0-0)
4. Corona Centennial (4-2, 1-0)
5. Orange Lutheran (4-2, 0-1)
6. Servite (6-0, 1-0)
7. JSerra (5-1, 0-1)
8. Santa Margarita (3-3, 0-1)
9. Sierra Canyon (3-3, 1-0)
10. Serra (4-2, 1-0)
11. Inglewood (6-0, 1-0)
12. Oaks Christian (4-2, 1-0)
Division 2
1. Chaparral (5-1, 1-0)
2. Murrieta Valley (5-1, 1-0)
3. Newbury Park (6-0, 1-0)
4. Los Alamitos (4-3, 0-0)
5. Oak Hills (6-0, 1-0)
6. Leuzinger (5-1, 0-1)
7. Yorba Linda (6-0, 1-0)
8. Damien (4-2, 1-0)
9. Beaumont (5-1, 1-0)
10. San Juan Hills (5-1, 1-0)
11. San Jacinto (4-3, 1-0)
12. Downey (5-1, 1-0)
13. Rancho Cucamonga (4-2, 1-0)
14. Long Beach Poly (2-4, 2-0
15. San Clemente (3-3, 0-0)
16. Villa Park (4-2, 0-1)
Division 3
1. Simi Valley (6-0, 1-0)
2. Mira Costa (4-2, 1-0)
3. Cathedral (5-1, 1-0)
4. SB Cajon (4-2, 0-1)
5. Redondo Union (5-1, 1-0)
6. Crean Lutheran (5-1, 1-0)
7. El Modena (6-0, 1-0)
8. Tustin (5-1, 1-0)
9. Sherman Oaks Notre Dame (4-2, 1-0)
10. Edison (5-2, 0-0)
11. Loyola (2-4, 0-1) or Vista Murrieta (4-2, 0-1)
12. Bonita (6-0, 1-0)
13. Culver City (6-0, 1-0)
14. LB Millikan (5-2, 3-0)
15. St. Paul (3-3, 1-0)
16. Aquinas (4-2, 1-0) or Chaminade (1-5, 0-1)
Division 4
1. Charter Oak (5-1, 1-0)
2. St. Bonaventure (3-3, 0-1)
3. La Habra (5-1, 1-0)
4. Northview (6-0, 1-0)
5. Upland (2-4, 0-1) or Santa Barbara (4-1, 0-1)
6. Oxnard Pacifica (3-3, 0-1) or Thousand Oaks (4-2, 1-0)
7. Capistrano Valley (5-1, 1-0)
8. Chino Hills (4-2, 1-0)
9. Moorpark (5-1, 1-0)
10. Bishop Amat (2-4, 0-1) or Apple Valley (3-2, 1-0)
11. Laguna Beach (6-0, 1-0)
12. Huntington Beach (4-2)
13. North Torrance (4-1, 1-0)
14. Corona del Mar (3-3, 0-1) or Norco (2-4, 0-1)
15. La Serna (4-3, 1-0)
16. Bishop Diego (4-1, 1-0)
Division 5
1. Orange Vista (2-4, 1-0)
2. Trabuco Hills (4-2, 0-1)
3. Summit (5-1, 0-0)
4. Mayfair (4-2, 1-0)
5. Etiwanda (2-3, 0-1) or Hart (6-1, 3-0)
6. Lakewood (4-3, 2-1)
7. Tesoro (3-3, 0-1)
8. Newport Harbor (2-4, 1-0)
9. Foothill (3-3, 0-1)
10. Torrance (5-1, 0-1)
11. Dana Hills (6-0, 1-0)
12. ML King (5-1, 1-0)
13. Agoura (5-1, 1-0)
14. Ontario Christian (3-3, 0-1)
15. Western (3-3, 0-1)
16. Rio Mesa (4-2, 1-0)
Division 6
1. San Dimas (5-1, 1-0)
2. Glendora (3-3, 0-1)
3. Muir (4-2, 3-0)
4. Eastvale Roosevelt (2-4, 0-1) or Valencia (2-4, 2-0)
5. Murrieta Mesa (2-4, 1-0)
6. Brea Olinda (6-0, 1-0)
7. Palos Verdes (2-4, 0-1) or Troy (5-1, 1-0)
8. West Torrance (4-2, 1-0)
9. Warren (1-5, 1-0)
10. Rancho Verde (3-3, 1-0)
11. Ayala (2-4, 0-1) or Aliso Niguel (4-2, 0-1)
12. Alemany (5-1, 0-1)
13. Marina (6-0, 1-0)
14. El Toro (3-3, 1-0)
15. Calabasas (4-2, 0-1)
16. Ramona (6-0, 1-0)
At-Large Out: Northwood 5-1, 0-1)
Division 7
1. Ventura (3-3, 1-0)
2. Vista del Lago (6-0, 1-0)
3. Norte Vista (6-0, 1-0)
4. Norwalk (5-1, 1-0)
5. Highland (3-3, 3-0)
6. Golden Valley (5-1, 1-1)
7. Schurr (5-1, 1-0)
8. Barstow (5-1, 1-0)
9. La Quinta/La Quinta (5-1, 1-0)
10. Citrus Valley (1-4, 1-0)
11. Yucaipa (4-2, 0-1)
12. Oak Park (4-2, 0-1)
13. St. Francis (0-6, 0-1) or Colony (2-4, 1-0)
14. Orange (1-5, 1-0)
15. West Ranch (3-3, 1-1)
16. Esperanza (4-2, 1-0)
At-Large Out: El Dorado (2-4, 0-1)
Division 8
1. Hemet (6-0, 1-0)
2. Covina (5-1, 1-0)
3. Cypress (2-4, 0-1) or Rio Hondo Prep (6-1, 0-0)
4. Camarillo (2-4, 0-1) or Salesian (3-3, 1-0)
5. Quartz Hill (3-3, 1-2)
6. Segerstrom (4-2, 1-0)
7. Lancaster (4-2, 3-0)
8. Valley Christian (6-0, 1-0)
9. Beckman (6-0, 1-0)
10. Peninsula (5-1, 1-0)
11. Palm Desert (3-3, 1-0)
12. Long Beach Wilson (4-2, 1-1)
13. Monrovia (5-1, 1-0)
14. St. Pius X-St. Matthias (0-6, 0-1) or Serrano (4-1, 1-0)
15. La Canada (6-0, 1-0)
16. Great Oak (2-4, 0-1) or Los Osos (5-1, 0-1)
At-Large Out: Laguna Hills (3-3, 0-1)
Division 9
1. Rancho Mirage (3-3, 1-0)
2. Granite Hills (4-2, 0-1)
3. Hillcrest (5-1, 1-0)
4. Irvine (4-2, 1-0)
5. West Covina (2-4, 0-1) or Westlake (0-6, 0-1), or Canyon/Canyon Country (3-4, 1-2)
6. Cerritos (4-2, 0-0)
7. St. Anthony (2-4, 1-0)
8. La Mirada (1-5, 0-1) or Temecula Valley (2-4, 0-1) or Brentwood (5-2, 0-0)
9. West Valley (4-1, 0-0)
10. Burroughs/Burbank (5-1, 3-0)
11. Fountain Valley (1-5, 0-1) or Kennedy/La Palma (4-2, 1-0)
12. Oxnard (2-4, 1-0)
13. Sliverado (3-3, 1-0)
14. Burbank (4-2, 2-1)
15. Jurupa Hills (1-5, 0-0) or Sonora (3-3, 0-1)
16. Valley View (3-3, 0-1) or Redlands (4-2, 0-1)
Division 10
1. Rancho Christian (4-1, 1-0)
2. Coachella Valley (5-2, 0-0)
3. Village Christian (2-4, 1-0)
4. El Segundo (4-2, 1-0)
5. St. Genevieve (4-1, 2-0)
6. South Hills (3-3, 1-0)
7. El Rancho (4-3, 0-1)
8. Crespi (3-3, 1-0)
9. Palm Springs (3-3, 0-1)
10. Shadow Hills (4-2, 0-1)
11. Castaic (2-5, 0-3), or Hesperia (2-4, 0-1), or Los Amigos (6-0, 1-0)
12. Paloma Valley (4-2, 0-1)
13. Liberty (2-4, 0-1) or Garden Grove Pacifica (3-3, 1-0)
14. Linfield Christian (2-3, 1-0)
15. Alta Loma (3-3, 0-1)
16. Saugus (25-2, 1-2)
San Dimas running back Julian Vigil. (Photo: JohnLuke Nassal)
AREA STAT LEADERS
Passing
1. Corin Berry, Charter Oak, 112-171, 1,720 yards, 22 TDs, 5 INT (5th in the CIFSS)
2. Isaiah Arriaza, Damien, 100-169, 1,689 yards, 16 TDs, 4 INT (6th in the CIFSS)
3. Roy Vasquez, Cantwell-Sacred Heart of Mary, 104-171, 1.435 yards, 13 TDs, 4 INTs
4. Avenn Ortiz, Duarte, 69-99, 1,425 yards, 12 TDs, 2 INTs.
5. Travis Lippert, Bonita, 73-102, 1,276 Yards, 18 TDs, 2 INTs
Rushing
1. Devin Clark, Santa Fe, 120 carries, 932 Yards, 15 TDs (9th in the CIFSS)
2. Kwame Parrish, Covina, 128 carries, 932 Yards, 8 TDs (10th in the CIFSS)
3. Keanu Tauvao, Northview, 86 carries, 836 Yards, 11 TDs
4. Julian Vigil, San Dimas, 54 carries, 812 Yards, 12 TDs.
5. Miles Omalley, Maranatha, 69 carries, 800 yards, 6 TDs
Receiving
1. Miles Galbraith, Cantwell-Sacred Heart of Mary, 43 rec. 720 yards, 7 TDs (7th in the CIFSS)
2. Isaiah Lucero, Northview, 30 rec, 660 yards, 9 TDs
3. Legend Lyons, Charter Oak, 39 rec, 635 yards, 7 TDs
4. Marquis Bradley, Charter Oak, 38 rec, 609 yards, 10 TDs
5. Travon Garrison, Damien, 29 rec, 561 yards, 8 TDs.
FINALLY
The CIF State Office has designated this week as “Officials Appreciation Week.”
As readers of this newsletter know, I have second-to-none respect for officials. It takes guts to wear black and white stripes, black pants and shoes, a whistle, and officiate a game. That’s not considering unwarranted criticism from local sports writers, fans, and coaches that are in your ear for an entire game.
All for a stipend that is anywhere from $85-$100.
The excellent thing about officials is that they do it for the love of the game, which is why they have chosen to be in the officiating world. It doesn’t matter if it's football, basketball, baseball, softball, or wrestling; when you ask them why they do it, the answer is consensus: they want to “give back to the sport that was great to them.”
Becoming an official is not easy. You must go through a process before you are given a varsity assignment. For instance, in the Foothill Citrus Football Officiating Association, you must train in the rules, mechanics, and positioning. You have to pass a test before becoming an official and get work in lower-level games before getting upgraded to varsity status.
That is why lower-level games are all about game development, whether you are a player or an officiating. It’s about getting those valuable reps you don’t get at practice. It’s about communicating with coaches correctly so they know what the penalty is or an interpretation of the rules. In my opinion, the communication tool is essential for officials. For them to thoroughly explain a call calmly is what separates the great officials from the good officials. In the FCFOA, we are lucky to have some of the best officials in Southern California.
Guys like Art Andrade, Brad Claude, and many others are some of the best in the game. When the CIFSS assigns officials for their quarterfinal, semifinal, or finals, they look to the FCFOA to assign them the premium games. Every time I speak with an official at a quarterfinal, semifinal, or final and congratulate them on the assignment, the look of pride is all over their face when they say thanks. It speaks for the work they have done for the season – and the trust the section has in them to do their job professionally.
Officials are humans. They have feelings, just like many of us. It’s why you are ruining the game when you go over the line and yell at an official unprofessionally. They are there to officiate the game and don’t care if your team is 9-0 or 0-9. They don’t care if the quarterback, shooting guard, or pitcher is a five-star performer.
The next time you see an official at your game, go over and thank them for the job they are doing. They’ll appreciate it. And if you want to earn a few extra bucks, get out of the stands and become an official. You might enjoy it – no matter what anyone says about you.
To all the San Gabriel and Whittier area officials – THANK YOU!