Scotts Valley orchestrated a late-scoring drive to help defeat Aptos 12-7 in the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League Girls Flag Football Tournament championship game Nov. 9.
“This win feels amazing, we worked really hard all season and it paid off,” Scott Valley’s Claire Skinner said.
Participants for the second annual tourney included Aptos, Harbor, Santa Cruz, San Lorenzo Valley, Scotts Valley and Soquel, which competed on a nice warm day at Harbor High.
Scotts Valley head coach Louie Walters said he loves the direction the sport is going.
“It’s continuing to grow each year and has become popular, especially around our school,” he said.
The Falcons finished with a 10-2 overall record and captured the SCCAL title outright by winning eight consecutive games to cap off the 2024 season. Runner-up Aptos, which won the inaugural league tournament in 2023, finished with a 14-7 overall record.
Going into the tournament, there was a three-way tie for first place between Scotts Valley, Aptos and Soquel. All three teams finished with an 8-2 record in the SCCAL final standings.
League officials decided the tie breaker by drawing a name out of a hat. Soquel got the luck of the draw and was named the top seed, giving them a bye in the first round.
In the first semifinals game, No. 3 Aptos defeated Soquel, 14-6, in a defensive battle, while No. 2 Scotts Valley took care of business in a 27-0 shutout win over No. 4 Santa Cruz.
The championship game was also a defensive battle from the beginning, and Walters knew it was going to be a tough matchup.
“We are two evenly matched teams, [Aptos coach] Denise Russo has been a key part of getting this league going and is taking Aptos in the right direction to be a power to be reckoned with,” Walters said.
Scotts Valley broke into the end zone when Jazzy Phillips found Skinner for a touchdown that gave them a 6-0 lead going into halftime.
Aptos took a 7-6 lead in the early part of the second half with a touchdown catch by Mia Parello.
“It was a great game, I’m excited for this sport to continue to grow and see it in the Olympics soon,” Walters said.
Down to the last minutes of the season, Scotts Valley retook the lead for good with a great pass and catch from Phillips to receiver Sammy Rebbert. Despite the failed two-point conversion attempt, the Falcons held on for a 12-7 win over the Mariners.
“Jazzy has been slinging it all season, I don’t think we ever ran the ball, all passing this season. She did amazing,” Walters said.
With no Central Coast Section playoffs set in place this season, the Falcons’ amazing season comes to end. Walters believes they could have made a deep run with the amount of confidence flowing through the locker room.
“We got better every week and we are peaking at the right time,” he said.
