Flag football continues to grow at a rapid pace as it enters year 4 as a sanctioned sport in the California Interscholastic Federation.
Sierra and Lathrop are among the original flag football programs in the state, while Manteca, Ripon and East Union started the following year. River Islands established its program last season, when participation statewide increased by 25.4% to 24,979 new players, according to CIF.
Flag football has opened up new opportunities to female athletes, as local alumnae have earned scholarship offers in recent years. In June, the 50th Lions All-Star Football Game was coupled with the inaugural Lions All-Star Flag Football Game that featured three standouts from the area.
The 2026 season kicks off tonight with Manteca taking on Western Athletic Conference champion Lathrop, and Sierra hosting Central California Conference power Atwater.
Here are some of the main story lines heading into the new year:
At the top
East Union (18-6) didn’t take long to announce itself as a perennial contender, going 36-11 in its first two seasons under coach Steve Jackson while earning the program’s first Valley Oak League title in 2025.
The Lancers reached the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III semifinals where they lost to eventual champion Christian Brothers, 28-18. They’ll have to defend the VOL crown with a new coach and lost two key players — both Lions All-Stars — to graduation. Beto Lopez has been promoted after leading the JV the past two seasons. His daughter Caliyah, now at San Francisco State for softball, was named VOL Utility Player of the Year, and center/linebacker Larissa Harries is reigning MVP.
East Union lost two all-league first-team selections to graduation, and another transferred to a rival school.
Coach Lopez is still optimistic with the return of Offensive Player of the Year Julianna Gaspar, although the senior quarterback is still recovering from offseason knee surgery. She’s anticipated to be ready for league. Gaspar finished as the ninth-leading passer in the SJS last year with 3,598 yards, and 15th-leading rusher with 1,113 yards.
Also returning is one of the section’s top pass rushers in All-VOL first-team member Makayla Burlingame, who compiled 42 sacks.
Lathrop (12-2 WAC, 18-4 overall) is also coming off an historic season, which ended in heartbreak — a 7-6 upset loss to Placer in the quarterfinals.
Coach Randy Baltazar is replenishing the graduated talent with up-and-comers from a 16-3-1 JV squad.
Sophomore Aviahna Calderon takes over at quarterback for WAC MVP Luz De Luna. There are also big cleats to fill left by defensive stars Angelique Gonzalez and Dayanna Martinez.
Three fourth-year varsity players lead the Spartans, including the prolific Ja’Leiyah Ray. She finished second among the SJS’s top scorer with 211 points, and she had 18 interceptions on defense. Center/linebacker Tianna Gonzalez and Aaliyah Thompson are the other four-year veterans. All-league senior receiver Faith Allen also returns.
Prime for breakthrough
Manteca (7-5 VOL, 11-9 overall) narrowly missed out on a second postseason berth, but much of its top players return. The Buffaloes only lost four seniors, though one of them, Keira McCulley, was their best all-around player.
Co-Defensive Player of the Year Sari Lawson and fellow junior Myah Hayter are the two-way anchors, along with senior center/linebacker Raniya Nelson and multi-position threat Graciela Torres.
The Buffaloes are also reinforced by some key newcomers, including East Union transfer Avina Harrington — she made the all-league first team as a freshman.
Senior Lily Dundas returns for a third year at quarterback.
On the rise
Ripon (3-7 Trans Valley League, 11-14 overall) made an eight-win improvement from its debut season and qualified for its first playoff appearance.
The good news for the Indians is that their top offensive weapons were all underclassmen. Sophomore quarterback Ana Shriver will have her two top targets in juniors Ava Aguirre and Mia Hendryx, who each caught for more than 1,000 yards.
They also have two defensive standouts in defensive back Teagan Osborn and sophomore Aubree Fleming, who suffered a season-ending injury early in her freshman year.
River Islands (5-5, 8-10 overall) had a solid first season and was competitive in all but one Southern Athletic League game, a 25-0 loss to outright champ Mariposa. The Riptide return most of its players, including All-SAL first-team receiver/defensive back Lila Smee and quarterbacks Octavia Orndoff and Analeyah Trigos.
Bouncing back
Sierra didn’t necessarily have a bad 2025 season, it just didn’t go as originally expected coming off a VOL championship run.
The Timberwolves had many of their top players back, but the outlook changed when MVP Janessa Barnes had her senior season end with by early knee injury. That left Sierra without its most dynamic offensive player who was also an absolute ball hawk in the defensive backfield.
It also forced others to step up. First-year player Felisa Cruz-Olenhouse emerged as a two-way producer. The attack is led by third-year quarterback/defensive back Tessa Zalunardo, the VOL Outstanding Offensive Player as a freshman. She split snaps behind center with graduated Maitland Kohoutek, one of Sierra’s three-time first-team selections. The other big loss was electric pass rusher Margeil Garcia.
Sierra’s young team, which includes players from a 12-5 JV squad, will be well tested by the time the VOL schedule starts. Including on the non-league slate are five reigning league champions in Atwater, Liberty Ranch, Lathrop, Kimball and McClatchy.
