Fullerton was represented at the CIF media luncheon by (from left) Coach Quinten Pounds, Brianna Gayton, Olivia Yturriaga, Marley Keller, Ava Flores and head coach Frank Ramirez. (PHOTO: Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone).
Fullerton High School’s girls flag football team is ready to make history, competing in the first CIF sanctioned finals Saturday at Fred Kelly Stadium.
The Indians, coached by Frank Ramirez, will meet Santa Monica in the Division 4 final Saturday at 11:15 a.m.
Both teams have winning streaks. Fullerton has won 10 in a row and Santa Monica 11 straight. Fullerton was the third place team from the Empire League.
It has been quite a first year for the program. School officials were looking for a coach last May and Ramirez, after careful consideration, decided he wanted to take the job.
“It’s absolutely amazing. I got a call about helping find a coach for Fullerton High School and next day I thought about it and said, ‘I’ll take it,'” Ramirez said.
Ramirez is glad he did.
“We were able to finally get on the field on July 8,” he said. “We just wanted to finish the season and get through it. We knew there was going to be a lot of work in just getting through a season.
“But we saw a possible talent level that we could possibly try and put together, so now we’re here for a purpose. We’re going to try hard every day to get where we want to get. The hardest part was just trying to get the girls to believe in the sport of flag football … and trying to get them to understand that flag football is a new sport.
“Finally, they started to put their team first and their teammates first and the results are just astounding. We’ve won 10 or 11 in a row and here we are playing for the CIF championship, something we never thought would happen or be possible back in July. It just goes to prove that anything is possible.”
Fullerton (18-6) has scored 547 points this season, led by quarterback Ava Flores, who has thrown for 4,235 yards and 41 touchdowns. Receiver Olivia Yturriaga has 1,044 receiving yards while wide receivers Marley Keller and Mahlia Jordan each have double digit TD receptions.
Running back and safety Brianna Gayton has also stood out.
The defense has also been strong. Keller and Yturriaga have a combined 18 interceptions on a defensive unit that has 35.
Keller was the defensive player of the year in the league.
“Marley Keller has great character and a lot of heart, we were able to extract every ounce of athletic ability from her through training and hard work,” Ramirez said. “Olivia Yturriaga, I wish she was a junior, but she’s a senior and I’m sad this was the only year she was able to play girls flag football in high school because she puts her heart into everything she does.
“Ava Flores has been exceptionally wonderful, she’s only a sophomore and she had to fight through four other quarterbacks to get the starting quarterback position. She had the strongest arm and the best footwork, so we went with Ava and she’s led us to the championship game. Brianna Gayton has great character, she’s the captain and someone I can count on.”
Santa Monica (13-6) is led by quarterback Anica Mindes, who has thrown for 2,506 yards. Wide receiver Jayla-Johnson Lake has eight touchdown catches.
—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com
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