Viking girls reach final of Cottonwood Flag Football Tournament

The Vallecitos Elementary School girls reached the championship game of the Cottonwood Flag Football Tournament.

The Vikings won their two round-robin games to set up a championship match against Pauma Elementary School. The Bobcats won that game for the championship of the Jan. 23 tournament while Vallecitos settled for second place.

"I'm proud of the girls," Vallecitos coach Ray Hanbeck said.

Seven small elementary schools in northern San Diego County and southern Riverside County participate in sports tournaments throughout the school year with a different school hosting a tournament for a different sport each month.

Cottonwood Elementary School in Aguanga was the official host of the Cottonwood Flag Football Tournament, although the Cougars do not have their own field so the games were played at Hamilton High School in Anza.

The games had a seven-on-seven format. Vallecitos had 10 boys and seven girls.

"We were able to participate with both teams," Hanbeck said.

Last year Vallecitos did not have the student interest to participate in the flag football tournament. The Cottonwood Flag Football Tournament follows the Vallecitos Soccer Tournament played in Rainbow.

The 2019 Vallecitos Soccer Tournament took place Nov. 14, so even with the Thanksgiving and Christmas/New Year's break, the Vikings had six weeks to practice for the football tournament and to obtain students interested in playing.

"We had a little bit more time," Hanbeck said.

The flag football games had a running clock for the 20-minute contests. The field length was 40 yards, and a team could obtain a first down by gaining 20 yards on three plays. A touchdown was worth six points and teams had the option of a one-point conversion attempt from the five-yard-line which would be passing only or a two-point attempt from the two-yard-line which could be either a run or a pass. An interception was worth two points as well as the change of possession.

Borrego Springs Elementary School did not participate so Vallecitos, Cottonwood and Hamilton schools were in one pool for round-robin play while Pauma, Julian, and Warner Springs elementary schools were in the other pool.

Cheyenne Crowe was the only eighth-grade girl on the Vallecitos team, and the Vikings had no seventh-grade girls. Four of the girls are in sixth grade while the other two who played are fifth graders.

"They actually did very well," Hanbeck said.

The Vikings opened against Hamilton whose nickname is also the Bobcats. The Bobcats took a 2-0 lead on an interception, but Crowe subsequently intercepted a pass to create a 2-2 tie. The score remained tied through the end of regulation.

"It was a well-played game," Hanbeck said.

The overtime rules for the Cottonwood Flag Football Tournament give each team a chance to score. If neither team scores the tie breaking criteria of most yards gained determines the winner. Vallecitos received the win by an approximate five-yard margin.

"We had about 20 yards, and they had about 15 yards," Hanbeck said.

Although neither team scored a touchdown the Vikings obtained a first down when Cheyenne Crowe completed a pass to her sister, sixth grader Cailey Crowe.

Vallecitos' next game was against Cottonwood. The Cougars opened the scoring with a touchdown, and Cheyenne Crowe intercepted the extra point attempt to make the score 6-2.

In the final three minutes, Cheyenne Crowe obtained a first down with a pass to Cailey Crowe and, on the next play, Cheyenne Crowe ran the ball into the end zone for a touchdown. Although the conversion run was unsuccessful, the Vikings stopped Cottonwood on the Cougars' final two plays to preserve the 8-6 victory.

Pauma defeated Vallecitos in an 8-0 game.

"Pauma was a good team. They're a fast team," Hanbeck said.

The Bobcats scored two points on an interception and six on a touchdown run.

"We were able to be competitive with them," Hanbeck said. "We got close to getting the touchdown, but we weren't able to make it."

The Bobcats had a large enough roster that they were able to use substitutes during the game.

"The other teams have a much larger pool of kids to draw from," Hanbeck said.

The Vallecitos girls had no substitutes for the entire tournament.

"I was very proud of them," Hanbeck said.

Cottonwood defeated Warner Springs in the third-place game.

The Vallecitos boys lost all three games.

"They were playing against bigger kids," Hanbeck said. "They were bigger and faster for the most part."

Eight of the 10 Vallecitos boys who played are in fourth, fifth or sixth grade.

"There were no eighth graders playing and there were only two seventh graders," Hanbeck said.

Hamilton won a 14-0 contest at the Vikings' expense, Cottonwood defeated Vallecitos in a 21-0 match, and the game for fifth place against Pauma ended as an 8-0 Bobcats victory.

"They made a good effort," Hanbeck said.

Warner Springs defeated Cottonwood in the boys' championship game. Julian won the third-place game against Hamilton.

The schools will continue competition Feb. 13 with a basketball tournament at Borrego Springs Elementary School.

Joe Naiman can be reached by email at [email protected].