Santa Clara Flag Football Looking to Make History Again in Year 3

The Santa Clara Bruins flag football team is hoping to take another step forward in year three of its program.

It would be difficult to ask for a much better start to a high school sports program than what the Santa Clara Bruins Flag Football team has delivered these past two seasons. Santa Clara’s varsity girls squad finished its inaugural season as co-champions of its league, ending the year with a sterling 8-1 record. That first-year team also finished the season with an incredibly impressive overall record of 19-5.

Now normally that would make for a high bar for an encore season. However, the Bruins followed that up in year two with the team’s first ever CCS playoff game against St. Francis. Santa Clara fell to the Lancers 32-18, but based on the Bruins’ progress, could the first ever playoff victory be in store in year three?

“Very good vibes out here,” beamed Bruins Head Coach Pedro Martinez on the first day of fall tryouts. “We started in June right after graduation; we had our summer workouts. We went pretty much all summer with, I think, a week or two off. We have had consistently over 25 girls all summer, they have really been putting in the work. I’ve seen a big difference from the first two years to this year; a lot more girls are coming to summer, taking it more seriously. A lot more girls are playing club as well.”

Martinez moves up this year to head coach after spending the previous two seasons as the team’s offensive coordinator. He will continue to call the plays and returning players are grateful to have him back.

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“I feel like our intensity needs to be leveled up,” noted Perez. “I feel like we were all nervous in the beginning because it was our first CCS game. We have to try not to get in our own heads.”

“We came in very nervous, especially with them being a private school,” echoed Abigail Hoang. “We knew we were a good team, but we were definitely nervous.”

Perhaps those nerves will be erased with added experience under their belts. Perez, Flora and Hoang, the three players whom Martinez selected to be interviewed for this story, not only have the extra experience, but as juniors, they still have two more years left. Two more seasons to grab that first playoff win.

If the team’s first two seasons are any indication, it seems like there is a very good chance the squad will check that milestone off this season, and who knows, maybe even more? Perhaps a CCS title?