Good Luck to our very own Miyah Holmes who is participating in the All-American Exposure National Showcase this week in Los Angeles. Good luck and play like a Champion‼️

 

Knights Flag Football Family 

Congratulations to Reese Arnold for earning the George R. Schutte Memorial Award, which is the highest scholarship awarded by the San Diego Youth Football Fund and the San Diego County Football Officials Association.

The selection committee looked far beyond athletic performance. Key factors they specifically highlighted include:

• Academic achievement and college readiness.
• Leadership demonstrated throughout high school.
• Character and integrity on and off the field.
• Community involvement and service.
• Athletic participation, particularly football-related activities.
• Well-rounded accomplishments that "extended well beyond the football field."
• A strong scholarship application that distinguished her among applicants from across San Diego County.

Reese was rewarded for her excellence in academics, athletics, leadership, and service.

 

We are so proud of you, Reese!

Knights Flag Football Family 

High school girls flag football: Revealing the teams competing in the inaugural MaxPreps Flag Football Showdown
By Nick Pecoraro
May 28, 2026, 10:30am

 

Sixteen of the nation's top teams featuring elite talent will compete on a national stage in September.

 

The inaugural MaxPreps Flag Football Showdown will be held Sept. 11-12 in San Diego, Calif., featuring some of the nation's top high school girls teams from multiple states.

 

MaxPreps and iFlag are partnering to launch the two-part national invitational tournament designed to establish the first rankings-backed, media-scaled championship stage for high school flag football. The September tournament will take place at the Elite Athlete Training Center in Chula Vista with a second East Coast event planned for Spring 2027.

 

Sixteen elite teams, featuring some of the top talent in the nation, will compete in pool play Friday, Sept. 11, and then bracket play Saturday, Sept. 12. That includes the top two teams in the country at the end of the fall 2025 season, JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) and Central (Phenix City, Ala.). Other participating programs to finish inside the national top 10 last fall included Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.) and Huntington Beach (Calif.).

 

Several representatives of Team USA's 15U and 17U rosters are expected to be in action, including Ava Irwin, Kate Meier and Tessa Russell of JSerra Catholic. The Vincent Memorial (Calexico, Calif.) record-setting quarterback-receiver duo of Azul Trujillo and Jessica Manriquez, who shattered single-season passing and receiving records in 2025, are also expected to be on display. That pair will represent Team Mexico in international play in June.

 

MaxPreps plans to livestream the Flag Football Showdown via the NFHS Network. More details on how to watch will be released in advance of the event.

Read on for a full list of teams set to take the field in the inaugural MaxPreps Flag Football Showdown as well as a list of the players to watch.

 

MaxPreps Flag Football Showdown
Date: Sept. 11-12, 2026
Location: Chula Vista Elite Athletic Training Center

 

Participating teams

 

Bonita Vista (Chula Vista, Calif.)
2025–26 record: 20-1, San Diego Section Division 1 semifinalist
Final fall rankings: No. 17 state, No. 48 national

 

Camarillo (Calif.)
2025–26 record: 25-3, Southern Section Division 1 quarterfinalist
Final fall rankings: No. 5 state, No. 16 national

 

Carlsbad (Calif.)
2025–26 record: 20-6, San Diego Section Division 1 playoffs
Final fall rankings: No. 26 state, No. 67 national

 

Central (Phenix City, Ala.)
2025–26 record: 20-0, Class 6A-7A state champions
Final fall rankings: No. 1 state, No. 2 national

 

Glacier (Kalispell, Mont.)
2025–26 record: 11-2, MHSA state champions

 

Huntington Beach (Calif.)
2025–26 record: 25-2, Southern Section Division 1 semifinalist
Final fall rankings: No. 3 state, No. 9 national

 

JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.)
2025–26 record: 28-0, Southern Section Division 1 champions
Final fall rankings: No. 1 state, No. 1 national

 

McClatchy (Sacramento, Calif.)
2025–26 record: 24-5, Sac-Joaquin Section Division 1 champions
Final fall rankings: No. 7 state, No. 20 national

 

Merced (Calif.)
2025–26 record: 25-4, Sac-Joaquin Section Division 2 champions
Final fall rankings: No. 13 state, No. 34 national

Newport Harbor (Newport Beach, Calif.)
2025–26 record: 23-3, Southern Section playoffs
Final fall rankings: No. 6 state, No. 19 national

 

Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.)
2025–26 record: 24-3, Southern Section Division 1 runner-up
Final fall rankings: No. 2 state, No. 7 national

 

San Marcos (Calif.)
2025–26 record: 13-10, San Diego Section Division 2 semifinalist
Final fall rankings: No. 88 state, No. 192 national

 

San Ramon Valley (Danville, Calif.)
2025–26 record: 18-6, North Coast Section Division 1 champions
Final fall rankings: No. 12 state, No. 31 national

 

Torrey Pines (San Diego, Calif.)
2025–26 record: 19-10, San Diego Section Division 1 champions
Final fall rankings: No. 11 state, No. 30 national

 

Vincent Memorial (Calexico, Calif.)
2025–26 record: 23-6, San Diego Section Division 2 champions
Final fall rankings: No. 29 state, No. 75 national

 

West Park (Roseville, Calif.)
2025–26 record: 21-5, Sac-Joaquin Section Division 1 runner-up
Final fall rankings: No. 19 state, No. 55 national

 

Players to watch

 

Happy Dubois, Orange Lutheran
2025 stats: 1,747 receiving yards, 31 touchdowns, 23 flag pulls, 1 sack, 6 interceptions
Noteworthy: One of the top freshmen in the country in 2025, Dubois helped the Lancers reach the CIF Southern Section D1 final and finish in the national top 10.

 

Savanna Hill, McClatchy
2025 stats: 2,400 receiving and rushing yards, 39 touchdowns, 144 flag pulls, 74 sacks, 1 interception
Noteworthy: The only player in the country in 2025 with at least 2,000 receiving yards on offense and more than 70 sacks on defense.

 

Ava Irwin, JSerra Catholic
2025 stats: 1,903 receiving yards, 27 touchdowns, 94 flag pulls, 15 interceptions
Noteworthy: Irwin is a member of Team USA and was the 2025 MaxPreps California Freshman of the Year.

 

Antonia Lejarde, Merced
2025 stats: 8,131 total yards, 128 touchdowns
Noteworthy: Lejarde is the only returning player in the country who had more than 7,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in 2025.

 

Jessica Manriquez, Vincent Memorial
2025 stats: 3,702 receiving yards, 43 touchdowns, 114 flag pulls, 17 interceptions
Noteworthy: Broke records for receptions and receiving yards for the section champs in 2025 and is a member of Team Mexico.

 

Kate Meier, JSerra Catholic
2025 stats: 3,844 total yards, 63 touchdowns
Noteworthy: Member of Team USA's 17U squad after leading the top-ranked Lions to a 28-0 record.

 

Tessa Russell, JSerra Catholic
2025 stats: 1,536 receiving yards, 20 touchdowns, 104 flag pulls, 19 interceptions
Noteworthy: One of three players from JSerra Catholic set to represent Team USA next month.

 

Savannah Sevier, Central
2025 stats: 1,596 receiving yards, 43 touchdowns, 63 flag pulls
Noteworthy: Has gone 39-0 as a varsity starter and helped Central to the last two state titles during its recent championship three-peat.

 

Roxie Shaia, Huntington Beach
2025 stats: 6,882 total yards, 91 touchdowns
Noteworthy: Shaia is one of only three returning players in the country to have more than 6,500 passing yards with at least a 70 percent completion rate.

 

Azul Trujillo, Vincent Memorial 
2025 stats: 9,804 total yards, 120 touchdowns, 77.6 percent completion rate
Noteworthy: Trujillo broke the national record for passing yards in a season in 2025 and will be a member of Team Mexico in June. She was the 2025 California Sophomore of the Year.

Congratulations to our very own Reese Arnold on earning the first Division I scholarship in program history to play flag football for the Manhattan Jaspers.

 

Her hard work, determination, and outstanding character have truly paid off—well deserved!

 

Go Jaspers!
Coach K

Knights FFC will begin in January 2026. All offseason workouts require an AAU membership to participate in practices and games. Please click on the AAU tab to learn more about membership options.

1st Team All-Avocado Offense-Finlee Hovis 

1st Team All-Avocado Defense-Miyah Holmes 

2nd Team All-Avocado Defense-Brielle Johnson 

Honorable Mention All-Avocado League 

Sydney Bentle 

Danielle Ekereke 

Sam Shelton

2nd Team All-CIF Offense-Miyah Holmes 

Hello Future Knights,

 

Our Knights Flag Football Club is officially up and running! Please visit aausports.org to create your account. After signing in, select “Get a Membership” → “Athlete Membership.” Please select Flag Football 7v7 and enter our club code: U7SNQEVJN.

The annual athlete membership costs $22 and is valid through August 31, 2026. All coaches volunteer their time, so no monthly fee will be required to participate in the club. We will hold a fundraiser to help cover the cost of footballs, flags, cones, and other equipment needed over the next eight months.

Our first workout will be on January 17th, after winter break. I look forward to seeing everyone soon! For more information about our program, please visit our new website:

smhsflagfootball.com

Go Knights!
Coach Keeton

2024 CIF Div II Quarter-Finalist

2025 CIF Div II Semi-Finalist