The Santa Clara Unified School District was well represented at the inaugural Lucy Wedemeyer Flag Football All-Star game on Jan. 31. The first-ever all-star game honored the top senior flag football players from across Santa Clara County. It was an extension of the more than half-century-old Charlie Wedemeyer All-Star Football game, which has honored generations of local high school football players.
Invited to the inaugural game were Wilcox’s Nathalie Gonzalez, who played for the North, and Santa Clara’s Gigi Gonzalez and MacDonald’s Tiani Buten, who played for the South.
Nathalie Gonzalez, served as one of the captains for the North team, and sang the National Anthem before the game. It was just her second time singing the Anthem.
“I’ve always wanted to sing the National Anthem, but I’ve always been too scared to do it, because all I see are fails,” said Nathalie Gonzalez. “They were kind of just asking around for a girl to sing because I guess they didn’t have anyone for the All-Star game, and so I just volunteered to do it, and that’s just kind of how it went.”
Nathalie Gonzalez played both sides of the ball and had at least two tackles to prevent longer runs. Though her team ultimately lost 18-6, she was an integral part of the North’s defense.
“I’m really honored to have been given the chance to represent my school, especially because we had just started our program my junior year,” said Nathalie Gonzalez. “Just thinking back on how I started and how I am where I am, without my program and without my coaches and my school, I wouldn’t be here today. It’s such an awesome feeling to be able to put all that work out somewhere.”
Gigi Gonzalez played quarterback for the South for most of the game. She had a slow start, missing a 30-plus-yard pass in the first quarter that would have been a sure touchdown. When the coach called for the play again in the third quarter, she didn’t miss.
“We were talking about that during halftime with Maria, who caught the ball,” recalled Gigi Gonzalez. “I know I’ve practiced with her a lot of times … I know she’s very fast. We were talking about it with our coach, and he was just saying, ‘She’s gonna get it. You just need to throw it to her far. She’s gonna be able to get it.’ I was like, ‘Okay.’
“He finally called that play. I was like, ‘Okay, I need to finish this pass. I need to get it done.’ The adrenaline was getting to me,” she continued. “I was just like, ‘Okay. I gotta do it. I gotta do it.’ I was looking at my play before the ball was stacked. I was a little nervous, but I just had to trust it, and I know it was successful. So, I was very excited about that.”
Gigi Gonzalez led her team on all three of its scoring drives.
While Buten didn’t find her way onto the South’s scoresheet much, she was honored at halftime for her perseverance during the season. Buten dealt with several injuries this past season, including a broken nose and a foot in a boot. She, along with two other players, received the Charlie Wedemeyer award for “Never Giving Up” during halftime.
Related Posts:
Santa Clara Bruins Flag Football Makes Inaugural Trip to CCS
Wilcox Flag Football Cruises Past Mustangs
