West Park, Christian Brothers claim top seeds for CIF flag football playoffs
The CIF Sac-Joaquin Section flag football playoff brackets, unveiled last Friday, include 16 teams in each bracket scattered across four divisions with first-round games set for Wednesday.
Those will be followed by quarterfinal games on next Monday, semifinals on Nov. 5 and section championship games on Nov. 8 at Cosumnes River College.
Flag football has by far been the fastest-growing sport in California with an 84% increase in participation from a year ago, according to the California Interscholastic Federation’s 2025 high school sports participation census.
Last year, Del Oro of Placer County claimed its second consecutive section crown with a thrilling 25-24 win over Oak Ridge in Division I. Ponderosa of Shingle Springs executed a perfect 25-0 season, beating Woodcreek of Roseville in the Division II final. Del Campo of Fair Oaks took the Division III crown over Livingston while Hughson defeated Colfax in the Division IV final.
Who are the section favorites?
Two of the four No. 1 seeds come from the Sacramento region, including the D-I top seed West Park of Roseville, which shared the Metro League crown with second-seeded McClatchy.
“Division I is loaded with talented teams,” West Park head coach Liz Danielson said. “It is going to be a battle regardless of what side of the bracket you are on. We are excited to compete at the highest level the section has to offer.”
The Panthers (18-4) split Metro League meetings with McClatchy (20-5), which didn’t shy away from the toughest competition in the state. Among the Lions’ five losses were Orange Lutheran, Camarillo and Huntington Beach, all of whom reside in California’s top five rankings and are powerhouse Southern California programs.
“Our players have been locked in, focused and playing Lion football,” McClatchy coach John Avery said. “That’s prepared us for moments like this. We will play one game at a time, keep improving each week and earn our way to the section finals.”
The southern part of the section dominates the top half of the D-II bracket with Merced (21-4) and Kimball of Tracy (24-2) holding down the top two seeds. Defending champion Ponderosa (15-6) under reigning Bee Coach of the Year Tyson Escobar have the No. 3 seed while two-time section finalist Woodcreek (13-4) is the No. 4 seed.
Division III features Christian Brothers (15-9) at the top of the bracket. The Falcons hoisted a section banner in 2023 and were semifinalists a year ago.
Lathrop (17-3) holds the second seed while defending champion Del Campo (13-5) has the third.
Despite an unblemished 19-0 slate, Dixon was given the No. 2 seed in favor of a 22-2 Orestimba squad.
Colfax (16-2) and Liberty Ranch of Galt (21-2) have the No. 3 and 4 seeds, respectively.
“Of course we would like to be number 1,” Dixon head coach Kirk Morris said. “Our student-athletes have worked so hard since summer and throughout the season to earn that right, but now seedings are out, let’s go play.”
Impact players to watch
Kyleann Baird, Elk Grove: 136 tackles, 77 sacks
Isabella Barrientos, Monterey Trail: 3,483 passing yards, 44 touchdowns, 1,072 rushing yards, 7 TDs; 97 tackles
Emily Cory, West Park: 1,576 passing yards, 34 TDs; 372 rushing yards, 4 TDs
Gabriella Devlin, Christian Brothers: 1,471 receiving yards, 24 TDs; 86 tackles, 13 interceptions
Kaylee Fore, Colfax: 2,711 passing yards, 53 TDs; 405 rushing yards, 5 TDs
McKayla Fulmer, Destiny Christian: 2,216 passing yards, 29 TDs; 1,008 rushing yards, 12 TDs; 17 interceptions
Taylor Jernigan, Christian Brothers: 4,501 passing yards, 53 TDs; 1,112 rushing yards, 12 TDs
Lulu Im, Whitney: 3,337 passing yards, 51 TDs; 894 rushing yards, 8 TDs
Paris Jones, Florin: 1,864 rushing yards, 23 TDs; 12 interceptions
Kate Myers, Pleasant Grove: 2,076 passing yards, 36 TDs; 1,355 rushing yards, 27 TDs
Yesenia Placencia, Twelve Bridges: 98 tackles, 52 sacks
Bella Salais, Vacaville: 2,907 passing yards, 58 TDs
Maya Scipio, Oak Ridge: 3,631 passing yards, 47 TDs
Laurel Smart, Oak Ridge: 1,078 receiving yards, 22 TDs; 7 interceptions
Paige Smith, Granite Bay: 1,594 passing yards, 21 TDs
Daisy Throckmorton, McClatchy: Full stats have not been reported, but she is the reigning Bee Offensive Player of the Year.
Saniah Wiley, Sheldon: 3,459 passing yards, 43 TDs; 1,091 rushing yards, 11 TDs; 18 interceptions
Hailey Yang, Monterey Trail: 1,508 receiving yards, 18 TDs; 11 interceptions
Monet Zauner, St. Francis: 121 tackles, 32 interceptions
Natalia Zitelli, St. Francis: 1,589 rushing yards, 23 TDs
The Bee’s Top 20
1. McClatchy (20-5)
2. West Park (18-4)
3. Oak Ridge (15-4)
4. Granite Bay (12-3)
5. Pleasant Grove (17-3)
6. Ponderosa (15-6)
7. Woodcreek (13-4)
8. Christian Brothers (15-9)
9. Dixon (19-0)
10. Colfax (16-2)
11. Del Campo (13-5)
12. Vacaville (18-3)
13. Liberty Ranch (21-2)
14. Antelope (20-6)
15. St. Francis (19-7)
16. Whitney (15-6)
17. Del Oro (9-8)
18. Sheldon (16-4)
19. Monterey Trail (14-8)
20. Elk Grove (14-5)
Bubble teams: Destiny Christian (14-9); Foresthill (15-2); Grant (13-10); Johnson (11-8); Placer (13-5); Rio Linda (15-6); Rocklin (10-12); Roseville (11-7); Twelve Bridges (14-5); Vista del Lago (14-6)