Marcos Aribas didn’t know what to expect going into his first season as head coach of the Scotts Valley High girls flag football team.
He was aware the sport was growing rapidly, but it wasn’t until tryouts came around when he realized how big it actually was.
Aribas had 22 girls show up on the first day. Then he received an email from school principal Joe Allen asking if another group could show up because they weren’t aware of when tryouts were.
All of a sudden, Aribas had a total of 32 players — enough for both a varsity and junior varsity team on campus.
“We have some pretty good athletes,” Aribas said. “Some of the athletes surprised me, and guess you could say they blew my mind. They’re like sponges, they absorb what is being taught and they’re coachable.”
Aribas stepped in after current athletic director and tackle football head coach Louie Walters stepped down from the girls flag football program at the end of the 2025 season.
The Falcons have a pair of quarterbacks in senior Natalie Murray-Skalland and freshman Mikki Aribas tossing the ball to a group of talented skill players who are fast and have great ball-catching abilities.
Some of those players include Lucy Dunton, Sofia Fortunanto, Brooke Lesniak, Lyla Rebbert, Carmella Iles and Lucy Gramkowski.
“It’s nice to kind of build off of what the past teams and coaches have left for us,” Rebbert said.
Some of those past Falcon teams include the 2024 squad that shared a Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League crown with Aptos.
Scotts Valley had a decent year in 2025, finishing with a 6-5 overall record and tying for second in the league standings alongside Soquel. They also qualified for the inaugural Central Coast Section playoffs, falling to Presentation in the Division III quarterfinals.
“We definitely don’t expect to do as well as we did last year, but I’m hoping to at least be able to make it into the playoffs,” Rebbert said.
The Falcons fell to Aptos in the team’ Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League regular season-opener, but they were able to bounce back with a 33-6 victory over San Lorenzo Valley in league play Sept. 2.
Murray-Skalland tossed for 48 yards and one touchdown. Rebbert hauled in eight receptions for 86 yards and one touchdown, while Dunton had five receptions, including one for a successful 2-point conversion.
Teammate Mikki Aribas completed 14 of 22 pass attempts for 98 yards and one interception. She also had one rushing touchdown, while teammate Carmella Iles had 38 yards rushing on five carries and one TD.
Iles also had a big game on defense with a pick-six, while Graysen Flores had five flag pulls and one interception. Rebbert, Gramkowski and Dunton each recorded one interception.
Prior to last week’s game, Rebbert emphasized that they had to improve on both sides of the ball, especially on offense. She said they needed to work on giving the quarterbacks more time to throw the ball instead of sprinting out of the pocket.
“If we have more options, like RPO action going on, maybe we can get more opportunities,” Rebbert said.
Lesniak added that she’d like to see a bit more dedication to the team, which includes showing up to practices and games on time. She said asking questions is also a huge part of trying to improve not just themselves, but the team as a whole.
“Asking questions is a huge thing that will help because we did well [against Aptos], but I think people should start asking more questions,” Lesniak said.
The rest of the Falcon veterans mentioned that starting the season with a 52-0 defeat to Aptos was rough, yet it does mean there’s room for growth, improvement and a lot more opportunities open up.
Others on Scotts Valley’s roster are Naomi Eyre, Nalia Iverson, Sawyer McCormick, Olivia Waelty, Lorelei Warner and Jalina Watkins.
“A lot of people are energetic and ready, and it’s a fun sport,” Dunton said. “Everyone here is super excited about playing, so I think that’s also very important because we’re all so excited that we’re just going to be motivated to keep going and working harder.”
There’s even more motivation for these girls with the ongoing growing popularity of flag football around the United States.
Rebbert’s older sister, Sammy, was a freshman when she joined the inaugural Scotts Valley team in 2023. She continued playing for three more years and was selected to participate in the Second Annual RSF/GPF Central Coast Girls Flag Football All-Star Game in January.
Sammy Rebbert received a couple of college offers and her younger sister, who in addition happened to be her teammate in 2025, saw how the sport could benefit the current players, as well.
“Seeing that made me realize this could actually be an opportunity for all of us to keep playing,” Lyla Rebbert said. “Definitely the goal for me, at least.”
Scotts Valley returns to the SCCAL to compete against familiar foes in Harbor, Santa Cruz, San Lorenzo Valley, Soquel and defending champion Aptos — the heavy favorite to win the league title.
“I think it’s cool because it makes you realize how big the league actually is and how many people care about flag football,” said Fortunanto about competing in the SCCAL. “It’s a fast-growing sport, and so the fact that these many girls want to play is kind of inspiring.”
Marcos Aribas said his main goal at the moment is just to bring happiness to the program while making sure the girls are also having fun.
“If they’re disgruntled and they’re grumpy, and they’re not enjoying what they’re doing, then I feel like you’re not going to have cohesion,” he said. “If they’re happy, and I can keep them happy, then I’ve built that relationship to where I can begin to push them beyond their comfort zone so that they can perform in a much better capacity.”
