Gregori High flag football competitive against St. Mary’s in first ever postseason appearance
The Gregori High girls flag football team started practice on Aug. 13 and didn’t know what to expect.
It was the school’s first year fielding a team. Many didn’t know how to line up, and they did not know who would play quarterback.
Fast-forward two and a half months and the Jaguars have seen nearly all. They were nationally ranked, finished near the top of their league and became one of the first Modesto City Schools to qualify for the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs.
“Expectations weren’t that high,” said head coach Leonard Weaver. “But once you start the season and see what you’ve got, it was unexpected but then expected.
“Each week, they loved it and loved it even more. It was cool to see and fun to coach.”
Their reward? A No. 11 seed and a road matchup with defending D-II section runner-up, No. 6 St. Mary’s (21-5), in the opening round of the Division I section playoffs.
The Jaguars started slow but came on in the second half. Though they never led in the contest, they cut the Rams lead to 10 by the final buzzer, falling 46-36.
“That’s what you want,” Weaver said. “You want to play the best teams to see where you’re at and see what you need to improve on.”
The Jaguars were in a 26-0 first-half hole before Audrey Pacheco connected with Mia Garcia for their first touchdown of the game. After a successful two-point conversion, they cut it to 26-8. Each team added scores before halftime, Pacheco tossed another touchdown pass and two-point conversion while the Rams added two touchdowns to take a 39-16 advantage.
“It was definitely nerves,” Weaver said of the team’s slow start. “We know the St. Mary’s program is always at the top of everything. But I think you saw in the second half, we settled down and played our game.”
The Jaguars started the second half with momentum when Pacheco and Garcia connected for their second touchdown and Garcia intercepted a pass on the ensuing Rams possession. But St. Mary’s came away with interceptions on the Jaguars next two possessions, keeping them out of the end zone. The Rams extended their lead to 46-24. Gregori answered with two late touchdowns to make it a 10-point game but ultimately ran out of time to complete the comeback.
“I think we can play with anybody,” Weaver said.
Gregori finishes the season 15-8 overall and 9-6 in CCAL play.
While they started the season not knowing what to expect, the standard now is a postseason appearance. And the Jaguars could likely be back next year.
They have just three seniors with eight juniors, four sophomores and two freshmen.
“Now, the expectation is we’re going to be back here, or be a higher seed and maybe host a playoff game,” Weaver said.
Flag Football Playoffs
Division I
No. 4 Vacaville 32, No. 13 Downey 0: The Knights could not take home the program’s first ever win Tuesday, falling to the Bulldogs on the road. Downey finished their inaugural season 13-8 overall and 8-7 in CCAL play.
No. 12 Granite Bay 14, No. 5 Pitman 12: Pitman was upset at home in its Division I playoff opener. The Pride’s defense was stellar once again, allowing just 14 points, but they could score only 12 points in the low-scoring affair. Pitman finished the season 18-3 and 13-2 in league play.
No. 7 Atwater 13, No. 10 Turlock 12: The No. 10 Bulldogs nearly pulled off the upset in the D-I bracket against No. 7 Atwater. Turlock finishes the season 16-8 overall and 10-5 in CCAL play.
Division II
No. 4 Christian Brothers 37, No. 13 Ceres 20: After making it to the Division I semifinals last season, the Bulldogs fell in the opening round of the Division II postseason Tuesday. They entered the postseason riding a four-game winning streak but could not win their fifth straight game. They finish 13-9 overall and 10-4 in WAC play.
Division IV
No. 5 Escalon 24, No. 12 Foresthill 14: The Cougars hosted a game and advanced to at least the second round of the flag football section playoffs for the second straight season with Tuesday’s win. Escalon plays No. 4 Sacramento Adventist on Thursday at 7 p.m.
No.3 Orestimba 39, No. 14 Millennium 0: Orestimba won its third straight game and its 20th overall this season in a shutout playoff victory over the Falcons. They scored over 35 points in a win for the 11th time this season. Orestimba hosts No. 11 Destiny Christian Academy on Thursday.
No. 7 Hughson 45, No. 10 Mariposa County 20: Hughson, one of three teams to finish the regular season tied for the TVL title along with Orestimba and Escalon, picked up a blowout victory in the first round of the Division IV playoffs. The Huskies host TVL opponent Hilmar on Thursday.
No. 15 Hilmar 32, No. 2 Dixon 16: The Yellowjackets upset second-seeded Dixon to advance to the Division IV section quarterfinals. Hilmar travels to Hughson for Thursday’s matchup. Hughson swept the regular season series, earning 26-0 and 31-6 victories.
Volleyball Playoffs
Division I
No. 9 Davis 3, No. 8 Turlock 0: The Bulldogs fell at home in the opening round of the Division I section playoffs to visiting Davis of Davis. Turlock, the CCAL’s third-place team, finishes the season 14-9 overall and 6-4 in league play
No. 3 St. Mary’s 3, No. 14 Enochs 0: The Eagles could not earn the first-round victory, falling to the Rams 25-11, 25-15, 25-10 in straight sets. Enochs, the CCAL’s No. 4 team, finished the season 10-8 overall and 5-5 in league play.
No. 6 Pitman 3, No. 11 Cosumnes Oaks 0: Junior Maryn Hall and senior Mia Ngo led the way with 13 and 11 kills, respectively, for the Pride, who once again advanced past the first round of the Division I playoffs. Aila Reich had a team-high 17 digs and Danica Zamora had 30 assists. The Pride travel to No. 3 St. Mary’s on Thursday.
No. 7 St. Francis 3, No. 10 Downey 0: Downey could not pull off the upset in its first playoff game since 2021. The Knights were swept, 25-9, 25-14, 25-7 by the Troubadours. Downey finishes 26-13 overall and 7-3 in CCAL play.
Division III
No. 5 Central Catholic 3, No. 12 Nevada Union 0: The defending D-III section finalists, the Raiders earned their 18th win of the season Tuesday, sweeping the Miners 25-20, 25-19, 25-10. They advance to play the defending D-IV section champions, Ripon Christian on the road Thursday.
No. 4 Ripon Christian 3, No. 13 Lathrop 0: After winning the D-IV section title to claim their fourth straight section championship last season, the Knights were moved up from Division IV to Division III for the 2024 postseason. They handled Lathrop at home 25-17, 25-15, 25-17 and host Central Catholic in a No. 4 vs No. 5 matchup Thursday.
No. 8 Escalon 3, No. 11 Placer 0: Escalon once again advanced to the second round of the Division III postseason, beating visiting Placer 25-16, 25-16, 28-26. The Cougars travel to No. 3 Roseville on Thursday for quarterfinals.
Division IV
No. 1 Ripon 3, No. 16 Woodland 0: The top Division IV seed and undefeated TVL champions, Ripon easily swept Woodland, 25-8, 25-12, 25-8. Adriana Dorn had a team-high 12 kills and added four aces. Katelyn Bogetti led the team with 30 assists. It is Ripon’s seventh straight win. Ripon hosts No. 8 Union Mine on Thursday at 6 p.m.
No. 3 Hilmar 3, No. 14 Ben Holt College Prep Academy 0: Finley Rosa’s 11 kills were enough to lead Hilmar to a first-round playoff win. Teygan Horstmeier finished with a team-high 19 digs and Stella Pires had 28 assists. Hilmar hosts No. 6 El Dorado in the D-IV quarterfinals.
No. 10 Hughson 3, No. 7 West Campus 1: The Huskies pulled out a 25-17, 25-21, 23-25, 25-23 four-set win on the road to kick off their 2024 postseason campaign. They hit the road again Thursday, traveling to No. 2 Liberty Ranch.
No. 2 Liberty Ranch 3, No. 15 Orestimba 0: The Warriors earned a win over Venture Academy in Monday’s play-in but could not get past the No. 2-ranked Hawks. Orestimba finishes 16-16 overall and 1-11 in TVL play.
Division V
No. 1 Big Valley Christian 3, No. 16 River Islands 0: The top-seeded Lions easily took care of visiting River Islands on Tuesday, sweeping the Riptide 25-12, 25-14, 25-13 to earn their 26th win this season. They host Denair on Thursday.
No. 9 Denair 3, No. 8 Western Sierra 0: The Coyotes got a big road upset win in the opening round of the Division V playoffs, 25-17, 25-19, 25-17. They advance to the section quarterfinals, where they take on top seed Big Valley Christian.
