Bonita Vista High School (Division I) and Classical High School (Division II) emerged as the San Diego Section’s first girls flag football champions last year.
It was a pioneering effort that brought 46 high schools in the region to field teams to create the section’s newest sport.
There were enough teams to crown league champions and enough teams to flesh out two meaningful 12-team playoff brackets.
The sport returns for its sophomore year with only a few tweaks. Its creators appear to have got it right the first time.
They were definitely on to something.
Vying for playing time with girls volleyball and girls field hockey, girls flag football managed to carve out its own specific niche while drawing student-athletes from other seasonal sports such as basketball (winter) and track and field (spring).
It offered another platform for females to explore and make it their own.
Season II is right around the corner.
The first day of practice for girls flag football is Aug. 10, followed by the first possible scrimmage on Aug. 16 and first interscholastic contest on Aug. 17. The last possible pre-playoff contest is Nov. 5.
First-round playoff games are scheduled Nov. 11-12, followed by quarterfinals on Nov. 14-16. Semifinals are Nov. 18-19, capped by finals Nov. 21-23.
The 2024 playoff format features an expansion from two divisions last year to four divisions this season. A total of 48 teams will be included for post-season play and will be ranked from top to bottom.
Once the 48 teams are selected, they will be split into four divisions. League champions will get an automatic berth. In the playoffs, the top four seeded teams will get a first-round bye. Seeds Nos. 5-8 will host seeds Nos. 9-12 in the opening round.
Rule changes include games going to 24-minute halves, up from 20 minutes last year, and from three flags to two flags for tackling purposes.
Additionally, quarterbacks will have a seven-second timer to get rid of the ball.
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The 2024 season will kick off Aug. 17 with the Girls Flag Football Showcase at San Ysidro High School. The five scheduled games will pair San Diego County schools against Imperial Valley schools.
“Year II is exciting for girls flag football,” said San Ysidro head coach Giantoni Canale, who is serving as the Metro Conference representative. “Participation is growing talking to other coaches around my league with their squads. I have averaged more than 70 girls at my practices and have had 93 different girls show up. I can see down the line potentially them adding a third team to go with the junior varsity and varsity.”
All 13 Metro Conference schools will once again field teams for the upcoming season.
League alignments in the Metro Conference include Bonita Vista, Eastlake, Mater Dei Catholic, Olympian and Otay Ranch in the Mesa League; Hilltop, Castle Park, Chula Vista and Sweetwater in the South Bay League; and San Ysidro, Southwest, Mar Vista and Montgomery in the Pacific League.
Hilltop is the defending Metro-South Bay League champion while San Ysidro is the defending Metro-Pacific League champion.
Teams will play double-round in league.
The Grossmont Conference has its own schedule in 2024. Last season, Grossmont High School competed as a member of the Metro Conference.
Grossmont, Granite Hills, Steele Canyon and Santana High School have banded together this season in triple-round league play.
There were four upsets in the 2023 playoffs — two in the Division I opening round and two in the Division II quarterfinals.
Southern exposure
Bonita Vista finished 19-1 in its maiden season, 9-1 in league, with seven shutout wins, including 51-0 over Scripps Ranch and 34-0 over Eastlake.
The Lady Barons out-scored their opponents 533-137. Their lone loss was 19-13 to Grossmont in a midseason league game. But the Bonitans avenged that loss with a gritty 12-6 win over the Lady Foothillers in the last regular season game to clinch the league title.
The Lady Barons kick off their second season on Aug. 17 against Brawley for a 4 p.m. showcase game, followed by a non-league encounter against visiting Mission Bay on Aug. 22 at 7:30 p.m.
Bonita Vista kicks off league play Sept. 16 at Eastlake.
According to new coach Larry Schoen, last year’s BVHS junior varsity coach, the Lady Barons will be reloading by filling the spots of eight departing seniors.
BVHS looks to defend its CIF Division I title and Metro-Mesa title behind the arm of new dual-threat sophomore quarterback Mia Ramirez. The team returns a lot of speed with sophomores Layla Schoen and Sophia Garay, who play multiple positions on offense and man the inside and outside linebacker spots on defense.
The Metro-Mesa leader in sacks, sophomore Khamiya Rockett, looks to add to her 10 total sacks from last season. Returning first team All-CIF speedster Jamiya Valenciano, a senior, looks to be a player of the year candidate. Last season, she accounted for 10 offensive touchdowns and 11 interceptions on defense as a cornerback.
Freshman Dariyan Wilson is the team’s impact newcomer at receiver/cornerback.
2024 Metro Conference Flag Football Alignment
Metro-Mesa League
•Bonita Vista
•Eastlake
•Mater Dei Catholic
•Olympian
•Otay Ranch
Metro-South Bay League
•Castle Park
•Chula Vista
•Hilltop
•Sweetwater
Metro-Pacific League
•Mar Vista
•Montgomery
•San Ysidro
•Southwest
San Ysidro Lady Cougars return to defend Metro-Pacific League title
San Ysidro High School’s inaugural girls flag football team helped set the standard in South County, especially early in the season.
The Lady Cougars finished the 2023 season with an overall 12-9 record, 6-0 in Metro-Pacific League games as the league champion.
San Ysidro received the No. 7 seed in the Division II section playoffs but failed to advance past the first round following an 18-6 setback to 10th-seeded Brawley.
Head coach Giantoni Canale envisions a more prosperous finish for his team in its second season.
“We expect to compete and win our second league championship,” Canale said. “Our schedule to begin the season will be tough, as we kick off the season playing our first 10 games against teams that made the postseason the year prior or had a .500 or better record.”
The Lady Cougars will host 10 teams in the first San Diego Girls Flag Football Showcase on Aug. 17 with five games to kick off the season.
Top returners include junior Kristine Fadriquela, who was among seven girls in San Diego last season with 1,000 receiving yards.
As the calendar rolls to the 2024 season, there will be some changes alongside a lot of familiarity. The SYHS offense lost two starters to graduation and the defense only one starter to graduation.
“We have many returners and depth, however, all three starters lost were All-CIF selections, including our quarterback, who we have to replace,” Canale noted.
Evelyn Estrada (senior in 2024) had seven interceptions last year and returns to lead the defense, which recorded 10 shutouts in 21 games and allowed an average of one touchdown per game to opposing offenses.
“The team this year will rely heavily on the defense once again,” Canale said. “Our overall goal is to once again win a league title and get back into the postseason.”
San Diego Girls Flag Football Showcase
Saturday, Aug. 17
San Ysidro High School
•Calexico vs. Grossmont, 10 a.m.
•Southwest El Centro vs. Kearny, noon
•Central Union vs. Mira Mesa, 2 p.m.
•Brawley vs. Bonita Vista, 4 p.m.
•Imperial vs. San Ysdiro, 6 p.m.
