History — or herstory — depending on how one wants to spin it, was made this week as the Metro Conference crowned its first set of league champions in girls flag football.
Bonita Vista emerged as the Metro-Mesa League champion with a 9-1 league record while both Hilltop (Metro-South Bay League) and San Ysidro (Metro-Pacific league) posted 6-0 league marks.
All three teams are automatic qualifiers for the inaugural San Diego Section playoffs that kick off Tuesday, Nov. 7.
Two divisions of 12 teams each will qualify for the postseason.
Bonita Vista (16-1) is ranked No. 1 in the section, No. 5 in the state and No. 7 in the nation.
Grossmont, the runner-up team in the Metro-Mesa League standings, is ranked sixth among section teams while Olympian, Mater Dei Catholic and Otay Ranch, all from the Mesa League, are ranked seventh, 13th and 16th, respectively, out of 46 participating teams.
San Ysidro is ranked 21st while Hilltop and Castle Park, the top two Metro-South Bay League teams, are ranked 22nd and 23rd.
Bonita Vista, Grossmont, Olympian, Otay Ranch, San Ysidro, Hilltop, Eastlake, Chula Vista and Sweetwater will compete for selection to the Division I playoff field while Castle Park, Mater Dei Catholic, Southwest, Mar Vista, Montgomery and the Chula Vista Learning Community Charter will compete for berths in the Division II playoffs.
Quarterfinals are scheduled Nov. 9, followed by semifinals on Nov. 14. Championship games are Nov. 16 at Escondido High School — Division II at 6 p.m. and Division I at 7:30 p.m.
Bonita Vista secured the rights to this year’s Metro-Mesa League title with a dramatic 12-6 come-from-behind win over visiting Grossmont on Monday.
The Lady Barons entered the game with one league loss with two games to play while Grossmont had three league losses with two league games to play.
There was the possibility for a co-championship before seniors Mahliya Wilson and Shania White scored late second-half touchdowns, both on five-yard passes from senior quarterback Malyna Castillo.
Grossmont had led, 6-0, on a pass from sophomore quarterback Marissa Farace to senior Dahlia Blake early in the first half.
Both teams missed on all their extra-point tries.
Bonita Vista relied on its defense to remain in contention with three interceptions — one each by senior Alejandra Hernandez, freshman Mia Ramirez and White, who also was credited with one sack.
Grossmont junior Xairah Gromus had one pick.
Castillo has passed for 2,789 yards and 47 touchdowns this season; Wilson has caught 64 passes for 998 yards and 20 touchdowns.
“Being our first season, nobody would have told me we’d be 14-1 at this point of the season,” BVHS head coach Tristan Lamb said. “But when we got to be 5-0, I knew we had something special.
“The second half of the season, we’re better, we’re stronger, we’re faster. Our level of focus has increased. We can see the light at the end of the tunnel. We want to go there.”
The Lady Barons carry an 11-game winning streak into their first playoff game. But they have been challenged.
Bonita Vista had to secure an 18-12 double overtime win over Mater Dei Catholic on Oct. 16 to keep its winning streak intact.
Grossmont had handed the Lady Barons their only loss, 19-13, on Sept. 18. The Lady Foothillers’ defense had played stellar until late in Monday’s game.
Wilson’s game-tying touchdown came with 2:15 left while White scored the game-winning TD with just 45.5 seconds remaining.
“There were some question marks after the first game but we answered them in the second game,” Lamb said.
Bonita Vista received touchdowns from senior Tatiana Colon, freshman Sofia Garay and White in Tuesday’s 20-0 win over visiting Otay Ranch to wrap up regular season play.
Extra points
Hilltop sophomore Elyse Guerra passed for two touchdowns in Monday’s 13-0 league title-clinching win at Castle Park. Junior Olivia Grant caught a scoring pass while senior Neveah Matos (four catches, 27 yards) also had a TD catch.
The Lady Lancers (10-5 overall) closed out regular season play with a 33-6 neutral site win over Chula Vista. Hilltop’s defense has recorded eight shutout wins this season.
San Ysidro (12-7) has notched 10 shutout wins this season and is making a bid for a playoff berth after out-scoring its last two league opponents by a combined score of 54-0 — Montgomery 28-0 on Monday and Mar Vista 26-0 on Tuesday.
Senior Victoria Figueroa passed for 270 yards and three touchdowns in Monday’s game, including a pair to sophomore Kristine Fadriquela (six catches, 101 yards). Senior Savannah Duenas had three interceptions, including one for a touchdown.
Figueroa had passed for 3,167 yards with 39 touchdowns in 17 games. Senior Amaya Moreno had 71 catches for 916 yards and 19 touchdowns while Fadriquela had 50 catches for 886 yards and 11 TD.
Girls Flag Football Scoreboard
Metro Conference Standings
(Through Oct. 24)
Metro-Mesa League
League/Overall
Bonita Vista 9-1, 16-1
Grossmont 7-3, 11-4
Olympian 5-5, 8-5
Mater Dei Catholic 5-5, 8-7
Otay Ranch 3-7, 4-7
Eastlake 1-9, 4-12
Metro-South Bay League
League/Overall
Hilltop 6-0, 10-5
Castle Park 4-2, 8-4
Chula Vista 2-4, 3-7
Sweetwater 0-6, 2-9
Metro-Pacific League
League/Overall
San Ysidro 6-0, 12-7
Southwest 4-2, 7-6
Mar Vista 2-4, 3-8
Montgomery 0-6, 0-12
Metro-Mesa League
Sept. 12: Bonita Vista 25, Mater Dei Catholic 12; Olympian 25, Eastlake 0; Grossmont 14, Otay Ranch 7
Sept. 18: Grossmont 19, Bonita Vista 13; Otay Ranch 7, Eastlake 0; Olympian 31, Mater Dei Catholic 19
Sept. 19: Bonita Vista 27, Otay Ranch 13; Eastlake 12, Mater Dei Catholic 7; Olympian 6, Grossmont 0
Sept. 26: Bonita Vista 22, Eastlake 6; Grossmont 27, Mater Dei Catholic 14; Olympian 13, Otay Ranch 0
Oct. 10: Bonita Vista 25, Olympian 19; Grossmont 21, Eastlake 0; Mater Dei Catholic 18, Otay Ranch 7
Oct. 16: Bonita Vista 18, Mater Dei Catholic 12 (2OT); Olympian 26, Eastlake 0; Grossmont 18, Otay Ranch 14
Oct. 17: Bonita Vista 34, Eastlake 0; Mater Dei Catholic 19, Grossmont 12; Otay Ranch 14, Olympian 0
Oct. 23: Bonita Vista 12, Grossmont 6; Otay Ranch 31, Eastlake 7; Mater Dei Catholic 19, Olympian 12
Oct. 24: Bonita Vista 20, Otay Ranch 0; Mater Dei Catholic 40, Eastlake 6; Grossmont 13, Olympian 6
Metro-South Bay League
Sept. 26: Hilltop 25, Sweetwater 12; Castle Park 39, Chula Vista 0
Oct. 10: Hilltop 13, Castle Park 6; Chula Vista 13, Sweetwater 12
Oct. 16: Hilltop 14, Sweetwater 0; Castle Park 18, Chula Vista 0
Oct. 17: Hilltop 13, Chula Vista 0; Castle Park 13, Sweetwater 6
Oct. 23: Hilltop 13, Castle Park 0; Chula Vista 13, Sweetwater 12
Oct. 24: Hilltop 33, Chula Vista 6; Castle Park 12, Sweetwater 0
Metro-Pacific League
Sept. 26: San Ysidro 19, Southwest; Mar Vista 12, Montgomery 0
Oct. 10: San Ysidro 14, Montgomery 6; Southwest 13, Mar Vista 7
Oct. 16: San Ysidro 20, Southwest 0; Mar Vista 12, Montgomery 0
Oct. 17: San Ysidro 33, Mar Vista 12; Southwest 14, Montgomery 0
Oct. 23: San Ysidro 28, Montgomery 0; Southwest 20, Mar Vista 12
Oct. 24: San Ysidro 26, Mar Vista 0; Southwest 14, Montgomery 0
San Diego Section
MaxPreps Rankings
(Through Oct. 21)
1. Bonita Vista 14-1
2. Torrey Pines 13-0
3. Classical Academy 13-2
4. Cathedral Catholic 9-1
5. Our Lady of Peace 10-1
6. Grossmont 10-3
7. Olympian 8-3
8. San Dieguito Academy 5-2
9. La Costa Canyon 5-2
10. Calexico 14-2
11. Brawley 14-3
12. Morse 8-3
13. Mater Dei Catholic 6-7
14. Mission Bay 6-2
15. Mira Mesa 10-8
16. Otay Ranch 3-6
17. Scripps Ranch 8-8
18. Vincent Memorial 8-7
19. Central Union 9-8
20. Santa Fe Christian 3-5
21. San Ysidro (10-7)
22. Hilltop (8-5)
23. Castle Park (7-3)
24. Eastlake (4-10)
25. San Diego (6-6)
26. CVLCC (5-6)
27. Imperial (7-8)
28. Kearny (7-6)
29. University City (4-5)
30. Pt. Loma (4-9)
31. Canyon Crest Academy (1-7)
32. Vista (0-5)
33. Southwest El Centro (5-14)
34. Hoover (3-9)
35. Canyon Hills (4-6)
36. Patrick Henry (2-8)
37. Crawford (2-6)
38. Clairemont (4-9)
39. Southwest (3-7)
40. Mar Vista (3-6)
41. Sweetwater (2-7)
42. Madison (1-9)
43. Chula Vista (2-6)
44. Holtville (0-15)
45. Montgomery (0-10)
46. Lincoln (0-6)
