High school flag football: Who are Sacramento’s turnaround teams and stat leaders?

It’s been quite the turnaround season for St. Francis High School on the flag football fields.

St. Francis, the only all-girls high school in the Sacramento region, marched out to a 10-0 start with five shutouts. While the Troubadours have gone 3-3 since Sept. 4, the shift in culture has been critical to their improvement. The team’s 13 wins entering this week have already more than doubled the program’s output from last year (6-14).

“We engage with challenges, adapt to changes, and strive to win every play,” St. Francis head coach Quincy Cooper said. “To achieve our goals, we’re focusing on mental toughness in every game leading up to October 24th.”

Oct. 24 is the end of the regular season with the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs to start Oct. 27.

St. Francis junior Natalia Zitelli leads the section in rushing with 1,015 yards to go with 18 touchdowns. Junior Tayli Paeu-Lindgren, who can also mix it up in the post on the basketball court, has been a force on both sides of the ball, and sophomore Monet Zauner is second in the section with 15 interceptions made.

Tough Sierra Foothill League challenges with Del Oro, Oak Ridge and Granite Bay still loom for the Troubadours.

McClatchy leads the way at No. 1

The Bee’s No. 1 team entering the week are the McClatchy Lions, who are 11-1 with their only loss against the top nationally ranked team in Orange Lutheran of Southern California.

Last year’s Bee Offensive Player of the Year Daisy Throckmorton is back at quarterback. According to stats inputted by coaches on MaxPreps, Throckmorton is averaging nearly 225 passing yards per game and leading the Lions in rushing. Her top targets receiving targets are junior Savanna Hill and freshman London Lee.

Throckmorton, also a Bee All-Metro basketball player, was the national leader in 2024 with 9,444 total yards and 118 touchdowns for a 27-2 team. She is the backup quarterback on McClatchy’s varsity boys tackle team.

At 10-0, No. 2 West Park of Roseville is one of four local teams without a loss entering this week.

The Panthers have pitched seven defensive shutouts, led by sophomore Althea Mamacang.

No. 4 Antelope has started 15-0, led by senior quarterback Izzi Siegler, who has thrown for 1,113 yards and 21 touchdowns. Her favorite target is junior Semiyah Brown with 509 yards and 10 touchdowns.

No. 5 Sheldon entered the week at 12-0 and 4-0 in Delta League play. The Huskies went 7-7 last season. Sophomore QB Saniah Wiley has thrown for 2,057 yards and 30 touchdowns and has run for 739 yards and eight scores. She also has 14 interceptions on defense.

Also among the unbeatens is 9-0 Dixon, ranked at No. 17. Led by dual-sport athlete Emily Morris, the Rams are looking for a Golden Empire League three-peat.

Early local statistical standouts

Christian Brothers sophomore Taylor Jernigan has compiled 2,512 passing yards (third in the section) and 33 touchdowns for the 8-6 Falcons. Her top pass-catcher is Gabriella Devlin, who has hauled in 983 of those yards for 15 scores.

Isabella Barrientos of Monterey Trail (8-2) has 1,709 passing yards and 25 touchdowns along with 642 rushing yards and seven scores. She also has five interceptions on defense.

Vista del Lago’s Becca Lemos has thrown for 1,756 yards and 30 TDs and has run for 325 yards and three scores on the ground for the 11-2 Eagles.

Senior Paris Jones of Florin ranks in the section’s Top 10 in rushing with 716 yards for the Panthers of the Elk Grove Unified School District, with visions of making a run at the Greater Sacramento League title.

Rocklin’s Skyler Linehan has already surpassed her receiving totals from last year with 897 yards and eight TDs for the 7-6 Thunder.

The Bee’s Top 20

Records entering Tuesday.

1. McClatchy (11-1)

2. West Park (10-0)

3. Antelope (15-0)

4. Sheldon (12-0)

5. Oak Ridge (8-1)

6. St. Francis (13-3)

7. Colfax (8-2)

8. Del Oro (4-3)

9. Monterey Trail (8-2)

10. Granite Bay (4-1)

11. Ponderosa (7-5)

12. Del Campo (5-3)

13. Pleasant Grove (8-3)

14. Vista del Lago (11-2)

15. Woodcreek (5-4)

16. Christian Brothers (8-6)

17. Dixon (9-0)

18. Whitney (6-4)

19. Vacaville (6-2)

20. Elk Grove (7-3)

On the bubble: Destiny Christian (8-3); Grant (8-4); Johnson (7-2); Liberty Ranch (11-2); Pioneer (6-3); Placer (5-3); Rio Linda (6-4); Rocklin (7-6); Roseville (6-2); Twelve Bridges (5-4).

Nick Pecoraro is a staff writer at MaxPreps and a longtime Sacramento-area sports journalist.