EAST LOS ANGELES, CA – In traditional David versus Goliath standards, this CIF City Section DII flag football final fit the bill without question. One school has an enrollment of approximately 400 total students, while it would not be unheard of for the other to have a freshman class of around that many. One has a quarterback ranked in the top 5 in the City in passing yards, and the other does not. The only hitch in this scenario is that the small school went 12-2 overall and won their league with a perfect 8-0 record, while the other finished the regular season at 8-12 and 5-5 in league play. With the setup complete, Sun Valley came in against San Fernando in a highly anticipated matchup and controlled the game for most of it on their way to a 20-12 championship victory.

The Pioneers are no stranger to title games in recent years, they’ve finished as runner up four times over the last six years in different sports.

“It means the world,” said Sun Valley head coach Vanessa Caldera “We’ve been known as the second place goers because several of our sports have gotten to this point. They’ve never been able to get over the hump.”

They started this one off strong, scoring on their first possession. Quarterback Daisy Muniz connected with Griselda Roca for a 30-yard touchdown and Sun Valley was bouncing. 

San Fernando answered back, scoring on their opening possession as well. Sophomore quarterback Fatima Palafox showed why she was ranked #5 in the City in passing yards, hitting her two favorite targets on the drive. Junior Angella Hoyuela hauled in a 15-yard pass and senior Cami Bermudez caught one for 28 yards. Bermudez brought in a 5-yard catch to cap the opening drive off with a touchdown to tie the game at 6-6. The duo were targeted nine times each during the contest.

On the ensuing drive, Sun Valley worked their way towards the goal line, but the Tigers defense held tough on fourth and goal to regain possession of the ball. San Fernando pulled off a perfect hook and ladder play with Hoyuela taking the lateral for 36 yards to put the Tigers near midfield. The game moved into the second quarter during this San Fernando drive, but Camila Paz intercepted a deep pass, the first of three times Palafox was picked off in the game.

Sun Valley capitalized on the turnover as Muniz found sophomore Joeleen Lopez in the end zone for a 14-yard touchdown pass. Muniz connected with senior Ashley Carias for the point after attempt and the Pioneers held a 13-6.

“…to have somebody that can control the game and understand when to get rid of it, when not to, it was critical today.” Caldera said, when asked about the play of her quarterback. “She was throwing on point, leading receivers. That’s something we’ve been working on… and it’s proven itself today.”

The Sun Valley defense struck again, intercepting Palafox for the second time. Roca came up with the pick with 52 seconds left in the first half, stunting the Tigers’ attempt to regain momentum before the break. Just 15 seconds later, Roca scored her second touchdown of the game, bringing in an 8-yard pass from Muniz, who also ran in the extra point to give the Pioneers a 20-6 lead heading into halftime.

“I really like defense, because I feel like I have more control over everything that’s going to happen” commented Roca when asked about her two-way play. “(On) offense, I could catch the ball (or it might not come), but I know on defense, I’m gonna get that flag.”

“Griselda is amazing, (playing) both sides of the ball.” said Caldera. “She started with us her sophomore year, didn’t come back last year… (she ultimately decided) football is where I should be. As a senior she came through with just leadership on the field and with her athleticism as well.”

San Fernando was able to tighten up their defense in the second half, shutting out the Sun Valley offense. The Tigers, however, were unable to muster much offense for much of the half themselves, outside of one drive in the third quarter. Palafox and Bermudez connected again for a touchdown with 2:30 left in the quarter. The extra point was unsuccessful and the score was 20-12.

The Pioneers defense continued to give up very little and senior Ashley Carias picked off Palafox for the third time with four minutes left in the game. Sun Valley ran out the clock and celebrated a history-making championship.

“It means a lot to our seniors.” said Roca after the win, “We are all super appreciative of all the hard work, everybody showing up to practice every single day because we know how much this means. This team is so special. We felt like a family… at the end of the day we knew what we had to come for.”

“The support from our school administration has been amazing.” said Caldera. “We really wanted to bring it home for the little guys, and that’s us.”