In the third year of CIF girls flag football, the rules have been tweaked for some improvements and the spectacle, the fun and the competition continue to get better and better. And bigger.
Flag football in California saw the largest participation jump of any sport in the CIF, a 25.4% increase from last season. There are now 24,979 participants in the sport statewide.
Hollister has fielded teams all three years. The Balers had a spectacular first campaign with a league title, took a step back last year after graduations, and are on the rebound this fall.
“We got off to a great start with the Hartnell Tournament,” coach Jose Perez said. “We went 3-0-1. We’ve got a talented bunch of girls. Mostly juniors and sophomores, only five seniors.”
The Balers are in the competitive Pacific Coast Athletic League, Gabilan Division. The eight-team loop also includes Alisal, Carmel, Monterey, North Monterey County, Palma, Salinas and St. Francis.
Hollister kicked off the league slate Sept. 1 with a 20-14 overtime loss to Monterey. On a sunny Labor Day Monday, they traveled over to Carmel to battle the Padres.
A few key plays made the difference for the hosts as they dispatched the Balers 26-12, though the game was much closer than the score. Each team had three drives of more than 40 yards and Hollister outyarded Carmel 231-199.
The Balers had four drives reach the red zone while the Padres had just three. The deciding factor was three Hollister turnovers.
Even in defeat, the positive signs were many. Hollister quarterback Isabelle Rodriguez completed 12-of-23 passes for 187 yards, with Aleah Ruiz catching two for 71 yards and a touchdown and Grace Garman pulling in three for 25 yards and a score.
Elliote Sparling had two receptions for 37 yards and Ixiim DeLuna nabbed two for 23.
On defense, Baler Lianni Preciado used her speed for numerous flag pulls in the Carmel backfield and quarterback pressures. Linebackers Mia Martinez and Leah Garcia were ever-present forces in the middle of the defense.
The game started superbly for Hollister. On the third play, Rodriguez found Ruiz on a short pass and the Baler junior exploded through the Carmel defense, running across the field from left to right.
“It felt great to start the game that way,” Ruiz said. “I had a 2-yard tunnel. I just kept on running.”
She ran by numerous would-be tacklers and did not stop until she found the end zone on a 61-yard score. Just 1:46 into the game and it was 6-0 Hollister.
Carmel’s first possession was a 3-and-out. A short punt set the Balers up in plus territory. A pass to Garman gained nine but an end zone interception by Stella Becker short-circuited the drive.
The teams traded stalled possessions and then the Padres tied the game late in the first half. Kealani Sagin found Delilah Herro on a short pass and the receiver turned on the jets for a 71-yard touchdown.
On the opening drive of the second half, that same Padre pair combined on a fourth-down touchdown pass to put Carmel ahead 12-6. Hollister moved back downfield but a pass back against the grain was picked by Carmel’s Anabella Schroeder and she ran it back for a touchdown. The lead became 19-6.
The Balers scored late in the fourth quarter as Rodriguez passed to Garman. The final was 26-12.
“We started off good,” Preciado said. “We have good communication and we all work together as a team and we have a lot more in us. We are all working for the same goal. We want to improve and we want to make it to CCS.”
Other big contributors on the Baler offense included Zoey Galvez at quarterback and receivers DeLuna, Isabel Gonzalez, Martinez, Natalie Torres, Callie Persijn, Sidney Esparza and Aniya Villalba.
The defensive platoon beyond Preciado, Martinez and Leah Garcia was fortified with Villalba, Sparling, DeLuna, Persijn and Alessandra Garcia, with Marylin Rubio and Ruiz at safety.
“We started great but it was a tough loss,” coach Perez said. “We made some mistakes and Carmel’s a good, clean team. Lianni (Preciado) is a first-time flag footballer. She has the speed of a track and field star. She got a lot of flag pulls. Mia Martinez is an amazing linebacker. She reads offenses well.”
Two key rule changes are the defensive line of scrimmage being reduced from a 7-yard neutral zone to a 1-yard space and the initiation of punting. Teams can now take uncontested punts when facing fourth downs and opponents have the opportunity of returns, as in football.
Hollister’s upcoming slate includes tough matchups with league powers Salinas and Palma, before closing the first half of the Gabilan double round-robin with Alisal, NMC and St. Francis. With the top five in the Gabilan receiving CCS playoff bids, the door is still open for Hollister to get back on its feet, gain places in the league standings and reach the playoffs.
Football on a roll
The Hollister football train is rolling downhill and gathering speed. After a solid 17-6 opening win over Soledad, the Balers traveled to Salinas and blew out the Everett Alvarez Eagles 52-0. And it wasn’t even that close. Hollister outyarded Alvarez 505 to 26 and gained 23 first downs to three. The Balers scored seven touchdowns and one field goal on their eight possessions.
After Nathan Candelaria intercepted an Eagles’ pass on the night’s opening possession, Braiden Hernandez ran over right tackle for a 16-yard touchdown.
Damian Aragon scored on a 22-yard double reverse later in the first quarter.
Quarterback Eli Lovejoy found tight end Cuauhtemoc Villagomez for a 25-yard scoring completion down the middle of the defense for another touchdown.
A 40-yard Demetrius Frink run set the table for a Lovejoy carry into the end zone and a 28-0 halftime lead. At that point, the defense had allowed a total of just four yards.
On the night, Lovejoy completed 6-of-8 passes for 99 yards and two touchdowns—one to EJ Jimenez and one to Villagomez. Max Cunningham had four catches for 65 yards.
The offensive line was dominant in blowing Alvarez off the line and opening holes. Hernandez carried eight times for 108 yards and two touchdowns, Frink had five rushes for 81 yards and Lovejoy and Aragon each had rushing touchdowns.
The game marked the second largest Baler victory since 2015. Most notable was the fact that just two seasons ago, Hollister traveled to Alvarez and lost 24-10. It sure is different now.
“Our weekly mantra came from a Nick Saban quote, ‘You can’t win together if you don’t work together’,” coach Thomas Sullivan said. “Our team bought into that fully. Through purposeful preparation we pushed each other to compete in every rep.
“The entire team worked tremendously hard and executed the game plan. Our second and third teams really made our first team work very hard all week. Our players were ready to go by Friday night. Special recognition to our coaching and support staff for their effort.”
