NO. 1 BONITA VISTA LADY BARONS FINISH 2025 REGULAR SEASON UNDEFEATED AT 19-0
Brackets for the 2025 San Diego Section girls flag football playoffs have been set and it’s now a race to claim five divisional championship titles for the 56 teams that gained entry.
Ten of the 15 South County teams made the cut, including Bonita Vista as the No. 1 seed in the elite Division I tier, two teams in the Division III tier (No. 3 Mater Dei Catholic, No. 7 San Ysidro), three in Division IV (No. 2 Otay Ranch, No. 3 Hilltop, No. 8 Castle Park) and four in the Division V bracket (No. 2 Olympian, No. 4 CVLCC, No. 8 Eastlake, No. 11 Montgomery).
Mater Dei Catholic won last year’s Division III championship game while Olympian finished as the Division IV champion over San Ysidro.
Bonita Vista won the inaugural Division I championship in 2023 and carries a school record 19-0 record into this year’s playoff field.
The Lady Barons qualified as the Metro-Mesa League champions while Hilltop (12-4) qualified as the Metro-South Bay League champions and San Ysidro (15-5) qualified as the Metro-Pacific League champion.
It’s been a very competitive season and looks to be even more so in the playoffs with six top four-seeded local teams in the fray.
Bonita Vista, Mater Dei Catholic, Otay Ranch, Hilltop, CVLCC and Olympian will all host home games in their opening contests.
Southwest (6-12), Sweetwater (5-14)), High Tech High Chula Vista (1-8), Chula Vista (1-13), and Mar Vista (0-16) did not qualify for the playoffs.
All division championship games will be contested Saturday, Nov. 8, at Escondido High School.
Playoff games were scheduled to start Tuesday, Oct. 28 and Wednesday, Oct. 29. Division I kicks off Saturday, Nov. 1.
The eight-team Division I bracket will include three rounds, including a semifinal round on Wednesday, Nov. 5. Semifinals in Division II and Division IV are slated for Tuesday, Nov. 4. Semifinals in Division III and Division V will be played on Nov. 5.
Quarterfinals in all divisions are set for Saturday, Nov. 1.
Perfect ending
Bonita Vista concluded regular season play with a 38-7 win over visiting Mater Dei Catholic on Oct. 23. The Lady Barons led 31-0 at halftime.
Junior Mia Ramirez passed for 192 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 64 yards and another score.
Junior Gabriella Meza had four catches for 52 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore Dariyan Wilson had five catches for 50 yards and one touchdown.
Senior Kianna Balajadia had three punt returns for 68 yards and scored one touchdown.
Senior Ella Gomez had three sacks on defense. Junior Layla Schoen had eight tackles, four carries for 11 yards and two catches for 19 yards.
Additionally, senior Leiani Wilson had three catches for 41 yards while senior Sy’ana Trotter had three catches for 30 yards.
“Finishing 19-0 definitely wasn’t easy, but it’s a testament to all the hard work we’ve done in spring, summer and up to this point,” BVHS head coach Larry Schoen said.
“Aside from being acknowledged as the top dog in the county, the best part about being No. 1 is having home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Home field adds a little bit of comfort and also allows us to have more fan and student support.
“This season is going just as expected. With all the hard work that the team went though, along with the tough game schedule, these ladies have been battle tested and are primed for this moment. We were able to fight through some adversity with injuries and the demand for outside club sports by making sure our depth was fully ready for whenever their names were called. Typically teams go through up’s and down’s. Fortunately, we haven’t really had any downs.
“Our experience within our core players and captains gives us the ability to fight through any game situations, as we’ve seen it all. We feel and know that you have to keep the correct mindset throughout the game and continue to scrap and fight for the full 48 minutes. Having the obvious athleticism, work ethic and winning mentality is why we are where we are. The biggest part of the success? The players buy into my vision and more importantly, they believe in each other.
“The biggest challenge now? Playing the teams in the Division 1 bracket. They are all there for a reason … because they are good teams that deserved and earned it. We have to step things up a notch and play every down with purpose. That team across from us is going to give us their best punch and will continue to do so all game long. For us, we need to continue being us, and continue to execute the things that got us here. Being united as a team, together as a family. It’s important to not take this opportunity for granted and for us to make the most of it. Planning, preparation and execution will be the key to advance to our furthest point.”
This could be just the start of something really big.
“After this season, we’re only graduating three starters, so we plan on doing this again,” the BV coach said.
South County leaderboard
Bonita Vista: Mia Ramirez 2,884 passing yards, 53 touchdowns, 1,007 rushing yards, 17 touchdowns; Layla Schoen 685 receiving yards, 14 touchdowns, 109 tackles, 10 interceptions; Dariyan Wilson 713 receiving yards, 13 touchdowns, 18 interceptions; Gabrielle Meza 581 receiving yards, 10 touchdowns, 29 punts (25.2average); Ella Gomez 82 tackles, 57 sacks
Castle Park: Leilani Roche 1,702 passing yards, 25 touchdowns, 1,303 rushing yards, 21 touchdowns, 175 tackles, 21 interceptions; Aolani Morales 923 receiving yarsa, 14 touchdowns
Olympian: Alexa Castaneda 3,483 passing yards, 43 touchdowns; Aubrey Tibayan 1,020 rushing yards, 14 touchdowns, 1,770 receiving yards, 22 touchdowns; Jasmine Bartels 158 tackles, 60 punts (30.8 average); Hannah Cash 106 tackles; Madison Dyer nine sacks; Catherine Martin six interceptions; Camaya Rogers five interceptions
San Ysidro: Vida Sanchez 4,545 passing yards, 76 touchdowns, 1.326 rushing yards, 27 touchdowns; Krstine Fadriquela 1,280 receiving yards, 20 touchdowns; Rhiane Fadriquela 1,245 receiving yards, 19 touchdowns, 14 interceptions; Valentina Melendrez 706 receiving yards, 12 touchdowns, 100 tackles; Giana Salce 554 receiving yards, 11 touchdowns; Sophia Ruiz 10 sacks; Isabella Guzman 87 tackles,13 interceptions Photo/Phillip Brents
San Diego Section Girls Flag Football Playoffs
CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
Saturday, Nov. 8
Escondido High School
Division V: 10 a.m.
Division IV: noon
Division III: 2 p.m.
Division II: 4 p.m.
Division I: 6 p.m.
PLAYOFF BRACKETS
DIVISION I
Quarterfinals
Saturday, Nov. 1
All games 3 p.m.
(8) Steele Canyon (18-4) at (1) Bonita Vista (19-0)
(5) Westview (16-2) at (4) Grossmont (18-4)
(6) Mission Hills (17-4) at (3) Carlsbad (20-5)
(7) Classical Academy (18-8) at (2) Torrey Pines (16-10)
Semifinals
Wednesday, Nov. 5
All games 6 p.m.
Bonita Vista-Steele Canyon winner vs. Grossmont-Westview winner
Carlsbad-Mission Hills winner vs. Torrey Pines-Classical Academy winner
DIVISION II
First Round
Wednesday, Nov. 29
All games 6 p.m.
(8) La Costa Canyon 27, (9) O’Farrell Charter 6
(4) Granite Hills 31, (12) Scripps Ranch 25
(11) Del Norte at (6) Clairemont 34, (11) Del Norte 26
(10) San Marcos 12, (7) Escondido Charter 0
Byes: (1) Poway, (2) Cathedral Catholic, (3) Imperial, (4) Vincent Memorial
Quarterfinals
Saturday, Nov. 1
All games 5 p.m.
(1) Poway (13-6) vs. (8) La Costa Canyon
(4) Vincent Memorial (20-6) vs. (4) Granite Hills
(3) Imperial (21-3-2) vs. (6) Clairemont
(2) Cathedral Catholic (15-5) vs. (10) San Marcos
Semifinals
Tuesday, Nov. 4
All games 6 p.m.
Teams TBA
DIVISION III
First Round
Tuesday, Oct. 28
All games 6 p.m.
(9) Our Lady of Peace 20, (8) Santa Fe Christian 7
(5) Ramona 13, (12) San Dieguito Academy 6
(6) Mira Mesa 18, (11) Point Loma 2
(10) Mission Bay 18, (7) San Ysidro 7
Byes: (1) Calexico, (2) Helix, (3) Mater Dei Catholic, (4) Brawley
Quarterfinals
Saturday, Nov. 1
All games 1 p.m.
(1) Calexico (12-6) vs. (9) Our Lady of Peace
(4) Brawley (13-12-1) vs. (5) Ramona
(3) Mater Dei Catholic (12-5) vs. (6) Mira Mesa
(2) Helix (10-10) vs. (10) Mission Bay
Semifinals
Wednesday, Nov. 5
All games 6 p.m.
Teams TBA
DIVISION IV
First Round
Wednesday, Oct. 29
All games 6 p.m.
(9) Escondido 33,at (8) Castle Park 12
(12) Morse at (5) Patrick Henry 13, (12) Morse 7
(11) Kearny 19, (6) Santana 12
(7) Mt. Carmel 32, (10) Francis Parker 14
Byes: (1) El Capitan, (2) Otay Ranch, (3) Hilltop, (4) University City
Quarterfinals
Saturday, Nov. 1
All games 5 pm.
(1) El Capitan (13-6) vs.(9) Escondido
(4) University City (10-9) vs. (5) Patrick Henry
(3) Hilltop (12-4) vs. (11) Kearny
(2) Otay Ranch (7-10) vs. (7) Mt. Carmel
Semifinals
Tuesday, Nov. 4
All games at 6 p.m.
Teams TBA
DIVISION V
First Round
Tuesday, Oct. 28
All games 6 p.m.
(8) Eastlake 20, (9) Central Union 15
(12) Canyon Crest Academy 7, (5) Sage Creek 6
(6) West Hills 24, (11) Montgomery 0
(7) Valhalla 20, (10) Oceanside 19
Byes: (1) San Pasqual, (2) Olympian, (3) San Diego, (4) Chula Vista LCC
Quarterfinals
Saturday, Nov. 1
All games 1 pm.
(1) San Pasqual (11-5) vs. (8) Eastlake
(4) CVLCC (7-7) vs. (12) Canyon Crest Academy
(3) San Diego (10-9-1) vs. (6) West Hills
(2) Olympian (5-12) vs. (7) Valhalla
Semifinals
Wednesday, Nov. 5
All games 6 p.m.
Teams TBA
