In the first year of the program’s existence, the Castaic High School girls’ flag football team made history as the Coyotes faced the Anaheim Colonists in the Division 5 championship game in Orange on Saturday.
The Coyotes had all the momentum behind them going into the game, but were defeated by the Colonists 32-8 and finished as finalists in the Division 5 Southern Section playoffs.
“Saturday didn’t go as we had hoped, but I think more importantly our team gained valuable experience playing in a championship setting,” Castaic head coach Willaim Jones said. “Also watching a very good team like Anaheim raise the trophy has lit a fire in us to get back there in 2026 and finish the job.”
Despite the loss, Jones reflected on the achievements his team has accomplished throughout the year and, although the team didn’t achieve the title, being the first Coyotes team to have so much success is a reward in itself.
“I think I’m a bit harder on myself as I wanted to win and still thinking about what I could have done better to prepare our team,” he said. “But when I take a broader view of the season, and where we started to where we finished, I’m extremely proud of team No. 1. We only had four or five girls that had ever played flag football before, and for 22 amazing young ladies to come together under my leadership to accomplish what no one thought we could is a testament to the hard work of these girls, my assistants, our school administration and our boosters.”
In the loss, Castaic quarterback Larkin “LuLu” Smith had a touchdown pass to freshman receiver Charlotte Wheeler in what was the lone score of the game for the Coyotes.
The season may be over for Castaic, but that isn’t stopping Jones from getting ready for next season as he believes that what the team has created in the first year is now the standard.
“It’s funny, the next morning after the championship game I was already planning our offseason strength training and development program as well as developing additional offensive and defensive concepts for next season,” he said. “I’m extremely excited about the future of this program. Team No. 1 laid the foundation, raised expectations, and set the standard moving forward. I’m ready to go. I know our team is looking forward to finishing the job in 2026.”
