Meet The Bee’s All-Metro flag football teams: McClatchy star is Player of the Year
When Daisy Throckmorton began her high school career as a freshman at Capital Christian, her heart lay with the game of basketball.
Little did she know that by the time she reached her senior year, her athletic future might progress the most with a football in her hands.
“I didn’t even think flag football was going to be a thing when I started high school,” Throckmorton said. “Basketball is where my heart is, but football is where I’m giving all my effort.”
Nearly nine months after helping McClatchy win a CIF Sac-Joaquin Section championship in girls basketball, Throckmorton led the Lions of the Sacramento Unified School District to their first blue banner in flag football. As one of the most prolific quarterbacks in the country and standing as the region’s top talent, Throckmorton is The Sacramento Bee’s All-Metro Player of the Year.
Throckmorton was The Bee’s 2024 Offensive Player of the Year after leading the nation in total yards. This year, she tied for the state lead with 112 touchdown passes while throwing for 7,934 yards at a 78% completion rate. She also ran for a career-high 1,149 yards and 11 scores as McClatchy’s signal caller, in a dizzying display of offensive production in a sport geared to be high-scoring and fun.
Throckmorton also gained widespread media coverage this year after becoming the first female quarterback in the 88-year history of the McClatchy tackle football program. She stepped in and completed 56% of her passes over three games.
“She didn’t get caught up with all the rankings, the noise, the possibilities, the interviews; she just focused on getting better every day,” McClatchy flag coach John Avery said. “She was always stayed locked in, like ‘Let’s get the job done.’”
Throckmorton threw for 441 yards on 33-of-37 passing with five touchdown passes in the section Division I championship win over West Park of Roseville, completing a 24-5 season for the Lions.
“I hold myself to a really high standard,” Throckmorton said. “I feel like I can compete with the best in the nation. My goal is to play in the Olympics at the highest level for flag football.”
Myers is the Bee’s Offensive Player of the Year
Kate Myers turned Pleasant Grove of Elk Grove from back-to-back Delta League champs into a section title contender at quarterback.
A three-sport athlete and a 4.83 GPA student at Pleasant Grove, Myers took to the flag football field naturally. Some of her fondest memories growing up were from throwing and running routes at the park with her father and watching college and NFL football on the weekends.
“It’s rare to find a female athlete that has the tenacity and general field knowledge, awareness and ability to will herself into advantageous positions,” Pleasant Grove coach Jeremiah Taylor said. “She wasn’t the fastest player or the strongest player, but when she put it all together, she was unstoppable. Sometimes I would design a play to be a broken play just to get her in space.”
Myers will be on the early watch list during girls basketball season as well. She intends to continue her basketball career with the Air Force Academy upon graduation. She said her quarterback play stems from her skill set on the hardwood.
“You have to be able to make quick decisions on the fly,” Myers said. “It’s fun to be free in those designed runs and make people miss.”
Myers accounted for 2,793 passing yards, 1,692 rushing yards and 77 total offensive touchdowns. She also never came off the field. She had 12 interceptions and 19 passes defended on the other side of the ball and was also praised by several local coaches for consideration for overall Player of the Year.
Twelve Bridges’ Placencia is the top defensive player
Twelve Bridges of Placer County made a splash in its inaugural flag football season, largely in part due to Yesenia Placencia’s defensive presence. The Rhinos posted six shutouts and had 13 games of holding opponents to single digits, all anchored by the Foothill Valley League’s unanimous MVP.
“Yesi was a huge reason our defense was so dominant,” Twelve Bridges coach Matt Bombard said. “Our defense moved as she moved and she was an opposing offensive coordinator nightmare all season.”
With 109 tackles, 62 sacks and an interception for the 15-6 Rhinos, Placencia’s name was dropped by several area coaches as the area’s top defensive player.
“She completely changed how we schemed for the game,” said one fellow FVL head coach of Placencia. “Even trying to work around her, she was a beast and completely disrupted our momentum and success on offense.”
Placencia had zero prior experience coming into the season and helped Twelve Bridges win a playoff game in its first year on the flag football circuit.
“We still have a lot more to give,” said Placencia. “We hope to maybe go further next year. Our girls are so talented, and we can definitely come back stronger.”
McClatchy coach led section’s best team
John Avery never held a varsity head coaching position until flag football came around.
He coached on the youth levels and had a brief stint as an assistant at Lincoln High School in Placer County. But it wasn’t until the CIF made flag football a sanctioned sport that Avery got his chance to lead a varsity team.
Last season, McClatchy won its first 23 games as a program and went 27-2 with an abrupt postseason exit. This year, the Lions completed their mission of capturing a section crown under Avery, The Bee’s Coach of the Year.
“Our coaches put in the work at the beginning of the year,” said Avery of his staff that includes Jeremy Griggs and Aaron Chavez. “We knew it would be a tough road after that loss in the second round (in 2024) against a great Oak Ridge team that we weren’t prepared for. We knew it would be a lot of work and effort and accountability.”
McClatchy went 24-5 in a schedule that did not duck the toughest competition in California. Avery put several teams from within the state’s top five rankings, according to MaxPreps, including Orange Lutheran, Huntington Beach and Camarillo.
The Lions defeated three of the reigning CIF Sac-Joaquin Section champions in Del Campo, Del Oro and Ponderosa and claimed victories over eventual 2025 section champs in Christian Brothers and Merced.
“Our girls pushed each other,” Avery said. “They saw what it meant to trust the process and see what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”
Others considered in the Coach of the Year conversation: RJ Bradley, who guided Christian Brothers to its second section title in program history despite a fourth-place finish in league play; Liz Danielson, who helped West Park reach the Division I championship game; and Tony Martello, who was one point away from retiring as a section champion in flag football after winning four with the tackle football program at Colfax.
The Bee’s All-Metro flag football team
Overall Player of the Year
Daisy Throckmorton, McClatchy, Sr.
Offensive Player of the Year
Kate Myers, Pleasant Grove, Sr.
Defensive Player of the Year
Yesenia Placencia, Twelve Bridges, Jr.
Coach of the Year
John Avery, McClatchy
First team
Kyleann Baird, Elk Grove, Sr.
Emily Cory, West Park, Jr.
Gabriella Devlin, Christian Brothers, Jr.
Marisela Gaeta, Christian Brothers, Sr.
Teagan Gumacal, Del Campo, Jr.
Savanna Hill, McClatchy, Jr.
Taylor Jernigan, Christian Brothers, So.
Emily Morris, Dixon, Sr.
Laurel Smart, Oak Ridge, Jr.
Hallie Tapuosi, Granite Bay, Jr.
Second team
Kamrynn Blevins, Liberty Ranch, Jr.
Paige Denniston, Placer, Jr.
Kaylee Fore, Colfax, Sr.
Stephanie Freas, Ponderosa, Sr.
Skyler Linehan, Rocklin, Sr.
Althea Mamacong, West Park, So.
Bella Salais, Vacaville, Sr,
Rowan Thomas, Ponderosa, Sr.
Saniah Wiley, Sheldon, So.
Monet Zauner, St. Francis, So.
Third team
Torrie Bubak, Vacaville, Sr.
Annalyse Braden, West Park, Jr.
Kyla Friedrich, Sac Adventist, Jr.
Amaya Grant, Woodcreek, Sr.
London Lee, McClatchy, Fr.
Siena Maher, Oak Ridge, Sr.
Madeline Poe, Del Oro, Jr.
Mira Rommelfanger, Del Campo, So.
Sophia Smiley, Colfax, Sr.
Alex Topping, Del Campo, Jr.
Honorable mention
Antelope: Semiyah Brown, Jr., Deanna Richardson, Sr., Izzi Siegler, Sr..
Christian Brothers: Senyah Haynes, Sr.
Colfax: Gwyn Sinor, Sr.
Cosumnes Oaks: Abby Greene, Sr.
Del Campo: Blu Clark, Fr., Keira Rowan, Jr.
Del Oro: Heidi Hernberger, Jr.
Destiny Christian: McKayla Fulmer, Sr.
Dixon: Kaylani Aguila, Jr., Jordin Callen, Sr., Savanah Graef, So..
Florin: Paris Jones, Sr.
Foresthill: Maddy Marquez, Sr., Amy Saxelby, Sr.
Granite Bay: Maddie Benedyuk, Jr., Leann McElroy, So.
Grant: Jada Ardoin, Sr.; Darenee Jenkins, Sr.
Inderkum: Kianna Gannaway, Jr.
Liberty Ranch: Madisyn Robbins, Sr..
McClatchy: Laila Clark, Sr.; Mazie Kergan, Sr., Rihanna Sharma, So.
Mesa Verde: Jaiden Alexander, Jr.
Monterey Trail: Isabella Barrientos, Jr.; Hailey Yang, Jr.
Oak Ridge: Berkeley Lampe, So., Ilyana Lampe, So., Maya Scipio, Jr.
Oakmont: Kaitlyn Fayter, Sr.
Pioneer: Naomi Navarro, Sr.
Pleasant Grove: Makayla Teel, Jr.
Ponderosa: Bailey Borges, Sr., Aleyah Cruz, Jr., Bella Escobar, Sr., Isabella Humphrey, Jr., Madalyn Meier, Jr.
Rio Linda: Isabella Hernandez, Sr., Saniyah Johnson-Moody, Fr.
Rocklin: Bella Morrison, Sr.
St. Francis: Tayli Paeu-Lindgren, Jr., Natalia Zitelli, Jr.
Vacaville: Mikyah Dixon, Jr., Sam MacNiven, Jr., Marley Walpole, Jr.
Vanden: Cadie Holloway, Sr., Kenna Holloway, Sr., Adayah Holly, Sr., Tati Llopis, So.
Vista del Lago: Becca Lemos, So., Caden Nettleton, So., Maddie Ortenblad, So., Taylor Peyrucain, Sr.
West Park: Callie Gemmell, Sr., Kelly Lane, So., Keira Taylor, Jr.
Wheatland: Ashtynne Agarenzo, Sr., Jordan Hill, So.
Whitney: Sofia George, So., Lulu Im, So., Kayla Mougeotte, Sr., Elyse Sutton, Jr.
Woodcreek: Summer Hennessy, Jr., Chloe Preuss, Sr.
The Bee’s final flag football Top 20 rankings
1. McClatchy (24-5)
2. West Park (21-5)
3. Christian Brothers (19-9)
4. Ponderosa (18-7)
5. Oak Ridge (16-5)
6. Pleasant Grove (19-4)
7. Granite Bay (13-4)
8. Del Campo (16-6)
9. Colfax (19-3)
10. Vacaville (20-4)
11. Dixon (20-1)
12. Whitney (16-7)
13. Antelope (21-7)
14. Woodcreek (13-5)
15. Vista del Lago (17-7)
16. St. Francis (19-8)
17. Del Oro (10-9)
18. Rocklin (12-13)
19. Twelve Bridges (15-6)
20. Liberty Ranch (22-3)
This story was originally published December 16, 2025 at 5:00 AM.