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CARLMONT: SCOTS HAND MENLO SECOND LOSS IN PROGRAM HISTORY
Carlmont flag football made history last week, handing Menlo School its second loss in three years since flag football became an official high school sport in California. It is the first loss for Menlo since the Knights’ first-ever game against Sacred Heart Prep in 2023.
But the 12-6 win by the Scots didn’t just snap Menlo’s dominant streak, which stretched over 41 games. It also was a feather in the cap of a Carlmont program that has also been one of the best in the Bay Area since its inception.
“Menlo is the best team we’ve faced, and there’s no question as to how good of a team they are with their quarterback and their athletes all over the field,” said Carlmont coach Oscar Cortez. “They’ve got a good defense. They’re well coached.
“Big kudos to our kids who came out there and they were prepared. They played with intensity. They played together as a team. And they learned from the trials and tribulations of the season so far and kept improving, and they were able to pull out a victory.”
Samantha Tow, who had two interceptions, 31 return yards and four catches for 50 yards, including the game-winning touchdown, was the star of the game for Carlmont. Quarterback Lauren Green tossed two TD passes, and Sophia Lee had five sacks defensively.
Emerson Barajas was “lights-out” on defense, Cortez said. She snagged an interception and snatched ten flags off Menlo’s players.
“There were multiple times where she’s just beating three blockers to make the tackle,” Cortez said. “We’re really lucky (to have her). I could name the whole defense and so many players on offense, but we’re really lucky to have a lot of talent on our team.”
Cortez played football at Hillsdale High and later at Grossmont College before giving up the sport and enrolling at UC Santa Barbara. A slot receiver and running back/safety in his tackle career, he picked up flag at UCSB and quarterbacked his intramural team to an 18-0 record over two seasons.
A former assistant coach at College of San Mateo, Cortez began teaching at Carlmont in 2019 and was approached to take over the football team “multiple times,” he said. He didn’t think he could handle the time commitment, but when flag football was getting started and Carlmont’s athletic director was looking for a coach, he saw an opportunity and took it.
“When girls flag football came out, the more I looked into the details of it, the more it looked like, from a time-commitment standpoint, it’s something that I can do,” Cortez said. “And then it also didn’t hurt that I have three kids, and all three of them are daughters. So I was actually incentivized to try and build something for them and build something for girls in the area.”
The rest is history. Carlmont’s win over Menlo was sweet revenge for the Scots’ loss to the Knights in 2024, a 27-18 defeat that snapped Carlmont’s own lengthy 13-game win streak.
With the Central Coast Section instituting flag football championships for the first time this year, Cortez is excited for his teams and its section foes to have the opportunity to compete and see who is the best on the field. He wouldn’t be surprised if the Scots will have to go through Menlo one more time to get there.
“All athletes want is the opportunity to prove themselves,” Cortez said. “Let the play speak for itself. It’s an extra opportunity for them to get to prove to themselves against the best competition there is. The last two years, without the CCS playoffs available, we’ve essentially just scheduled as many good teams as we can.
“Now with the playoffs, you don’t need to worry about what people think. You can prove it.”
LIVE OAK: HOMECOMING FESTIVITIES START EARLY, END LATE
Homecoming was an all-day operation at Live Oak High School last Saturday.
The Morgan Hill institution started off its festivities with the traditional parade of class floats through downtown, then transitioned into a girls flag football game for the first time. That was just the beginning.
“We made it a whole thing,” said Live Oak athletic director Mike Gemo. “We had girls flag football at 2, and then JV (football). And we played Santa Teresa in all of them. “So it was kind of neat. Girls flag football in their first year, got their first win against them.”
It wasn’t just Live Oak flag’s first win over Santa Teresa. The Acorns’ 12-0 victory over the Saints was their first in program history.
Live Oak also put on its traditional halftime fireworks show, which is in the running for best show put on by a high school nationwide. The four-minute-plus extravaganza, which was supported by a fundraising effort headed by Live Oak’s Associated Student Body, nearly outshined the varsity football game, which was itself a 49-35 barnburner.
Even Santa Teresa coach Steve Papin is a big fan.
“Every year, we do them,” Gemo said. “I’ve been here 16 years. It was here before I got here. It’s pretty neat. The crowd loves it. And even Papin says, as much as he hates playing us on homecoming, he loves the fireworks.”
The long day of events wrapped up around 10 p.m. when the varsity game came to a close. It’s a large commitment for Live Oak both money- and time-wise.
“Worthwhile investment, though,” Gemo said. “It’s a fun time.”
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