VALENCIA – Valencia flag football entered Tuesday’s CIF Southern Section playoff game looking to make history.
The Vikings hosted Temescal Canyon of Lake Elsinore in the opening round of the Division 3 playoffs. It was Valencia’s first postseason game in the three-year history of the program.
Valencia’s tenacious defense and a standout showing on both sides of the ball from freshman Juliet Wojell Gonzalez helped the Vikings come out on top, 25-6.
“Number 33, she’s only a freshman and she plays like she’s a senior,” Valencia head coach Cedric McCalister said of Wojell Gonzalez.
“Just her ability to catch the ball, her ability just on defense, and she sees what’s happening on the field before it happens,” he continued. “So she’s a next-level player for us, and coach (assistant Jeff Albert) and I, we’re just so proud of her and she’s a next level player.”
The Vikings will play their second-round playoff game Saturday at Lawndale at 5 p.m.
Wojell Gonzalez had two touchdowns on offense, including a 66-yard rushing touchdown. That score extended Valencia’s lead to 25-6 with 5:34 remaining in the game.
She also had two interceptions on defense to help contain Temescal Canyon (15-4) as it tried to mount a second-half comeback.
McCalister noted the program’s first postseason win during his postgame huddle with the players. He also mentioned that there was more work to do as the Vikings look to go deeper into the playoffs.
Valencia (13-10-3) has a mix of seniors and younger players on the team. McCalister gave credit to two seniors in particular, Camilla Quintero and Bella Dumas, for their leadership role that helped the team grow throughout the season.
“Cam was our offensive captain and Bella was our defensive captain,” he said. “Both of those girls kept everybody in line. When I wasn’t there, or when I had to practice with the linebackers, or when I had to practice with the receivers, I would have one of those girls to take everybody else and they just came through for us all year long, and I’m so proud of both of them.”
While McCalister wants his team to remain focused on the playoff journey ahead, he took a moment to talk about the legacy that the six seniors on the team will leave behind.
“This is first time that we’re in (the) playoffs … and we were number two in the (Foothill) League,” he said. “So the seniors have left their mark on this. And this is something that when they graduate and they go on in the next five, 10 years, they can say they were the first to do it. So those six seniors, I am so proud of ’em, and they’re gonna leave a big legacy here at Valencia.”