The sport of girls flag football has been on the rise since it became a sanctioned high school sport in California two years ago.
In the CIF-Los Angeles City Section itself, only one school can say they’ve made it to the highest divisional championship game in each of its first two seasons, and that school is San Pedro High. The only problem is that they’ve ended up as the runner-up both times, losing each final by a single touchdown.
The 2025 version of the Lady Pirates aim to change the narrative and won’t accept anything less than a return trip—and a championship to go along with it.
Victor Tuberosi has guided San Pedro flag football to a robust record of 49-7-1 in those two seasons, which includes a 20-0 Marine League record and an unbeaten streak at Mike Walsh Pirate Stadium that he hopes continues with a plethora of returning talent, including both his quarterbacks, now seniors in Madison Adrid and Jenna Ortega.
San Pedro’s run and shoot style offensive assault hinges on the pin-point accuracy of Adrid (333-480 passing, 3,732 yards, 51 TDs, 9 INTs) and Ortega (188-333 passing, 2,567 yards, 40 TD, 16 INT) to spread the ball around to various threats who all make their seemingly annually scheduled house calls, including two returning All-City Open Division selections in senior WR/DB Jayda Sanford and sophomore WR/RB/DB Fatima Ramirez.
In just her first season, Ramirez was simply magnificent, catching 94 passes for 1,203 yards and 20 touchdowns, rushing for 103 yards in 14 carries and two more touchdowns, while also returning one of her two interceptions for another visit to the end zone.
Meanwhile, Sanford, whose tall, wiry frame and long arms attract plenty of attention from the opposition, caught 58 passes for 724 yards and seven touchdowns. Defensively in two seasons, Sanford intercepted 25 passes, 18 of them during her sophomore season. Out of those 25 picks, eight of them have been returned for touchdowns.
While Ramirez and Sanford will be the focal point for nearly all of San Pedro’s opponents in 2025, they’re not the only ones who can do massive damage.
Senior WR Naomi Eneliko is a short-yardage mistress, as she caught 74 passes for 718 yards and seven touchdowns last season. Another senior WR in Dahlia Davila (33 receptions, 334 yards, 7 TD) is a threat to catch the ball right after the snap. Junior RB Jazmin Watts will be utilized more often with her explosive speed, and the addition of junior girls soccer midfielder Rylie Ardaiz gives Adrid and Ortega another viable weapon.
And on defense, the sister tandem of sophomore Maya Solorio and junior Hailey Solorio packs more punch to a starting seven that also retains Sanford, Ramirez, Watts, and junior DB Makayla King, who’s the top returning pass rusher. Another talented freshman, Anabelle Galan, will be a viable contributor.
San Pedro must bring it every time they step on the field, especially with a rigorous nonleague slate, two challenging tournaments, and a Marine League that continues to get difficult with both defending Open Division champion Banning of Wilmington (who edged the Pirates 18-12 in OT for the title after losing all three regular season matchups), defending Division 1 champion Narbonne of Harbor City, the addition of D-1 runner-up King-Drew, and rapidly improving Carson.
The sixth school in the Marine League is in-city neighbor Port of Los Angeles, who struggled in their first season to create an identity after going 0-10 in 2024, but second-year coach G. Aaron Givens and the Polar Bears will continue to improve.
Senior Briana Aleman, who helped guide the softball team to the CIF-LACS Division 1 final this past May, paces the Polar Bears. spt
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