Facing the same opponent for the second year in a row in the Central Coast Section Open Division championship game, the Los Gatos High School girls flag football team felt confident it would get the result it desired: a victory.
It didn’t happen.
For just the second time all season, the Wildcats met their match in a 19-13 home loss to Menlo School on Nov. 7. A year ago, the Knights beat Los Gatos in the title contest, 27-13. Wildcats coach Dave Claveran’s message to his team afterwards was simple: a loss in the championship game doesn’t validate who they are and the effort they put forth throughout the season.
“We stuck with how we finished the game,” Claveran said. “Most teams down 19-0 give up; they did not. That just shows what kind of players they are, the heart they have. Just had to tell them the kind of effort they put forth, and it was a reminder to themselves how resilient they are, how powerful they are.”
A slow start cost the Wildcats (17-2), who trailed 19-0 midway through the third quarter before rallying late. They actually had an opportunity to put together a game-winning drive starting at their own 25-yard line with 40 seconds remaining.
However, Menlo’s playmaking defense intercepted a Helena Younan pass with 26 seconds left, sealing the outcome. Claveran said Younan was one of the many Los Gatos players who displayed plenty of grit throughout. After lighting up St. Francis and Carlmont in the first two playoff contests, Younan and the offense found things increasingly more difficult against the Menlo defense.
“Menlo is a great team,” Claveran said. “They came up and played us really tight. We adjusted and I think that showed in the second half.”
Younan, who was on the run for most of the contest, had a 3-yard touchdown pass to Paige Purcell and a 4-yard TD pass to freshman Hailey Arata, both of which came on back-to-back drives in the fourth quarter. The latter score came with 3:51 to go, and the Los Gatos defense got the stop the team so desperately needed on Menlo’s ensuing drive. Freshman Quinn Peake delivered a flag pull on third down, forcing a Menlo punt.
On the ensuing punt return, Los Gatos was on the receiving end of misfortune as an inadvertent whistle prevented a potentially long gain past midfield. Instead, Los Gatos started on its own 25-yard line.
“I thought the execution was there,” Claveran said. “It’s just a championship game mentality. You’ve got to do it from start to finish to win these types of games, and I think our girls showed it—the clock just ran out.”
Younan completed 18-of-35 passes for 192 yards. Riese had six receptions for 100 yards, and Taylor Payne had a team-high seven flag pulls. Kendall Feichtmeir had four flag pulls and was a difference-maker all season. Claveran was proud of the team’s execution in the second half, and noted how special it was to see the players exiting the field, arms wrapped around each other.
“It hurts not because any coach cares to win, but you want it for your kids so much and to see how much they care right now to me is so much a win,” he said.
Ever since flag football became sanctioned by the CCS in 2024, the Wildcats have proven to be one of the elite programs. In three years of competition, Los Gatos has gone 63-10 with two league titles and two CCS Open Division championship game appearances. Although the team will graduate some top-notch seniors, they have plenty in the cupboard to keep things rolling.
“We’re set up for success,” Claveran said. “We have great talent; four starters that are freshmen. Obviously we’re going to lose some irreplaceable players—Sophie and Kendall—and there’s some other great seniors. But I think the program is set up (to make another title run). I think we can ride this wave for sure. First, we’re going to take a moment to celebrate and memorialize everything they put into it this year and we’ll start off in the spring and get going again.”
Football
The Wildcats (9-1) received the No. 5 seed in the Open/Division I bracket and play at No. 4 seed Sacred Heart Cathedral (5-5) on Nov. 14 at 1pm. Los Gatos is coming off a 41-14 win over Wilcox, clinching the outright PAL Bay Division championship. Meanwhile, the Fightin’ Irish finished in a tie for fourth place in the vaunted West Catholic Athletic League.
