Flag Football playoff notes: Meet the area’s top-ranked team ahead of the first round
Pitman High flag football players and coaches were surprised when the MaxPreps national rankings came out and they saw their school’s name.
A team in its first season, made of basketball players, wrestlers, cross country runners and softball and soccer players and coached by the wrestling staff, was off to a 5-0 start. The Pride outscored opponents 165-50.
It starts with a coach who knows the game.
Matt Vasconcellos, one of the wrestling coaches, said his experience coaching flag football at Venture Academy directly helped build this year’s team. He had all the right offensive plays, formations and defensive alignments to build a powerhouse.
“We’re getting athletes from fall and spring sports, so it’s not like they’re new athletes. They’re just new to flag football,” Vasconcellos said after Pitman’s league win over Modesto High in September. “Some of that athleticism translates directly to what we’re doing in flag football.”
But a coach can’t have success without the right players. Elexi Pulido and Sofia Martinez are multi-sport athletes. Pulido also competes in basketball and track, while Martinez does soccer and track.
Inspired by the fun they had playing in the school’s annual powder puff game, both wanted to be part of the sport’s rapid growth this year.
“I’ve always wanted to play football, just without the contact,” Pulido said.
They admitted there was a learning curve, but once they were adjusted, it was off to the races.
“I think once we got the footwork down, we just started clicking,” Martinez said. “Then the ball just kept rolling and it became like a snowball effect.”
The Pride have been the top-ranked team from the Stanislaus District all season, after finishing 18-2 overall and 13-2 in Central California Athletic League play. Around midseason, Pulido and Martinez set their goals high: Win a playoff game. Tuesday, Oct. 29, they have a chance to make good on their goal. They enter the 2024 postseason as the No. 8 overall team in the section and will have at least one home game in the Division I playoffs, which kick off Tuesday.
Pitman earned the No. 5 seed in the bracket and hosts No. 12 Granite Bay at 7 p.m.
Continuing to grow
If you want a look into the sport’s rapidly growing popularity, look no further than this year’s expanded playoff format. Overall, flag football participation has nearly doubled. Last season, just 69 schools across the section fielded teams. This season, it is up to 130. Last season, the first year girls flag football was named an official sport by the California Interscholastic Federation, the playoffs featured just two 16-team divisions. This year’s postseason has three 16-team divisions and one 17-team bracket with a play-in game.
The lone play-in game of the 2024 postseason was Monday at 7 p.m. and first-round contests begin Tuesday.
Gregori, Downey make MCS history
Gregori and Downey made history this year. By advancing to the 2024 flag football postseason, they become the first ever flag football teams from Modesto City Schools. After not fielding teams last year, the entire Central California Athletic League as well as Modesto schools in the WAC joined in growing the sport across the section and the state. Gregori started the season red hot and spent about a week ranked as one of the 25 top teams across the nation, according to MaxPreps.
The Jaguars, a No. 11-seed in the Division I section playoffs, finished 15-7 overall and third in the CCAL (9-6). They travel to St. Mary’s Tuesday. The Knights started 6-0 and finished 13-7 overall and 8-7 in CCAL play. They are the No. 13 team in D-I and travel to Vacaville Tuesday.
First-round home games
The first round of the Sac-Joaquin Section flag football playoff kicks off Tuesday evening with games starting at 7. The postseason’s only play-in game was Monday at 7 p.m. as No. 17 Edison traveled to No. 16 Cosumnes Oaks. Stanislaus District teams will host games Tuesday across all four playoff divisions. Here are the local teams starting their hunt for a blue banner at home:
Division I
No. 12 Granite Bay at No. 5 Pitman
Division IV
No. 12 Foresthill at No. 5 Escalon
No. 14 Millennium at No. 3 Orestimba
No. 10 Mariposa County at No. 7 Hughson
TVL’s tie for first place
Things got competitive atop the Trans-Valley League standings as Orestimba, Hughson and Escalon each finished with 8-2 league records. What made things even more interesting is that their losses came to each other. Hughson lost to Orestimba and Escalon, Escalon lost to Hughson and Orestimba and Orestimba lost to Hughson and Escalon. When the section’s seeding committee met, they established that Orestimba was the league’s top team based off MaxPreps rankings. The Warriors were ranked No. 3 team in Division IV and host Millennium. Escalon was ranked fifth and hosts No. 12 Foresthill while Hughson was No. 7 and hosts Mariposa. No. 13 Sonora and No. 15 Hilmar also made the D-IV postseason but play their openers on the road.
This story was originally published October 29, 2024 at 12:45 PM.
