St. Francis was given a friendly reminder that it is not in the Pacific Coast Athletic League’s Mission Division anymore.
They found that out quickly after escaping with a narrow 21-18 win over Salinas in the teams’ Gabilan Division contest on Wednesday afternoon.
After building a 21-point lead going into halftime, the Sharks saw their winning margin slowly diminish down to three with just minutes to spare in the game.
“I believe it helps us to kind of humble ourselves a little bit,” St. Francis head coach Frank Galvan said. “Regroup, re-energize and know that we have to continue to work hard. Every team wants to beat us, and I don’t blame them. But in the end we’ll take the win.”
Maya Calfee, the Mission Division’s reigning Most Valuable Player, saved the day for St. Francis with a match-sealing interception late in the fourth quarter, keeping their unblemished record intact at 3-0.
“All the teams definitely worked hard this summer, and were prepared and ready to face whoever’s out there,” Calfee said. “It’s gonna be some good competition in the near future.”
On offense, the Sharks junior standout finished with 105 receiving yards and one touchdown on nine receptions. She also completed all four of her pass attempts, including a TD toss to sophomore Keira Grio, who had herself a birthday to remember.
Grio, a sophomore two-way player, finished with 50 receiving yards on four receptions while tallying a team-best 10 flag pulls, and a 70-yard pick six in the second quarter.
“Going into the game I really just wanted to stay focused, have fun out there,” Grio said. “Also really just work on working as a team and get that win.”
St. Francis sophomore quarterback Lilianna Whitmeyer completed 13-of-26 pass attempts for 170 yards with one touchdown and a pair of interceptions, including one on their opening possession.
However, she managed to bounce back against a solid Salinas team that is predicted to finish at the top of the Gabilan Division standings.
“One thing that stands out is the competition has gotten way better,” Whitmeyer said. “Not saying the last [year’s] competition wasn’t. Just saying that everybody’s really working to beat everyone. I feel like the main focus is really to win.”
Whitmeyer, the Mission Division’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year, redeemed herself by recording one interception of her own in the first quarter. Freshmen Cami Madrigal and Stella Zamora each had four and three sacks, respectively, while freshman Eden Findrick added one more.
St. Francis is coming off back-to-back successful seasons, including an undefeated Mission Division title run in 2024.
TThis season they were promoted to the Gabilan Division—the top tier of the two divisions within the PCAL—with the likes of defending league champion Hollister and league tournament champion King City, along with Alisal, Watsonville, Monterey, and newcomers Carmel and Palma.
Galvan said there’s no hiding the fact St. Francis has the smallest enrollment size compared to schools with quadruple the amount of players and coaches.
So, despite their most recent success on the field, Galvan feels they still need to show what they’re made of.
“I got to prove myself before I could even consider myself on the top,” Galvan said.
A majority of the players such as All-PCAL First Teamers Calfee, Whitmeyer, Grio, sophomore Evonna Jordan and junior Talia Moakler returned for another campaign.
The newcomers already making an impact are Madrigal, Zamora, Findrick, junior Sophia Madrigal and sophomore Abigail Bedolla.
Galvan has a much larger roster sheet—no seniors—with more subs who can come in at any given time and play at the high level.
Galvan said each player, along with the freshmen, are buying into the way they practice and build endurance to be able to play both ways.
“I’m grateful for several freshmen that have come in, played well in the starting lineup,” Galvan said. “They’re freshmen, so they’re learning and they’re gonna make mistakes. I keep telling them, ‘Don’t worry about making mistakes. We have to worry about continuing to grow and get better.’”
Galvan made some substitutions in Wednesday’s game that didn’t pan out his way, yet he recognized it’s part of the learning process for himself and the players on how to adjust, and manage the game better.
“A lot of it falls on us, too. Bad calls, bad play calling, some defensive formations were a little off,” Galvan said. “It’s a combination of everybody regrouping, looking at the film, making sure the next time we play them we’re not that off.”
Part of that is also assimilating with the new rules implemented by the California Interscholastic Federation.
Some of the more notable rule changes is that defensive linemen are allowed to immediately rush the quarterback and can line up one yard from the line of scrimmage.
In return, the quarterback can now run at will without being rushed by a defensive player. They can also run with the ball anywhere within the field unlike last year, where quarterbacks were allowed to run on certain down and distance situations.
“It’s really different, a lot of big changes since last year,” Calfee said. “We were used to last year and that’s how we did good in the games. But these new rules, it definitely changes how we play and how we work.”
Another big adaptation is that teams can now punt the ball away and return the kick rather than just give up the ball on downs.
Galvan will continue to focus on the special teams aspect of the game, as well, with hopes of getting six points off a return. The Sharks’ third-year skipper said it adds to the game, while dually noting it does take a lot longer to finish a contest.
“It’s adjustments that I think I’ve made well, and I’m going to continue to grow off that because it is different,” Galvan said. “It’s just a faster game now. If we don’t get rid of the ball in two to three seconds, you’re in trouble.”
On top of the rule changes, participation in girls flag football has increased from 20,875 participants in 2022-23 to 42,955 in 2024-25, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations.
More participation means more programs on the rise, allowing the Central Coast Section to launch its inaugural playoff tournament. The format will be 32 teams divided into four divisions based on enrollment with the exception of the Open Division.
“I think each game is practice for [the playoffs] and that’s a main focus this year,” Grio said. “We really want to get up to that level of being able to compete in CCS.”
Like several other teams in the PCAL, the goal is reaching the postseason. It’s early in the campaign, but Galvan likes what he sees.
“CCS is definitely what we’re shooting for, and I believe that we can get there,” Galvan said. “I believe that we can be one of those top five teams in the league to get us to CCS.”
Next up, the Sharks (3-0, 2-0) will host Redlands Adventist Academy out of Southern California on Friday at 3pm.
