Battle-tested Corona del Mar girls’ flag football captures first CIF ring
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ORANGE — Addi Stern had been playing quarterback for the Corona del Mar High girls’ flag football team for less than two months, yet the sophomore team captain showed the poise of a veteran in the Sea Kings’ biggest — and last — game of the season.
Stern ran for three touchdowns and threw for another as CdM beat Thousand Oaks Westlake 26-14 in the CIF Southern Section Division 2 title game Saturday night at Fred Kelly Stadium.
The young Sea Kings, with just one senior on their roster, stormed to a championship in just the second year of CIF playoffs for girls’ flag football.
Stern, who played receiver last year and is a club and high school soccer player, took over as starting quarterback prior to the team’s game at JSerra on Sept. 17. Freshman Mia Palaferri switched over to safety.
“I couldn’t be more proud of this group,” CdM coach Theo Rokos said. “We lost our quarterback, my daughter [Alexa Rokos who recently graduated from the high school], and that was hard to replace. I thought Addi Stern just did an amazing job tonight.
“We have a list of ‘B’ rules, and our No. 1 is ‘believe.’ This group worked so hard from August until now. People wrote us off and thought we were dead, we knew if we got that fourth spot [in league] we could win it. We knew if we could get in, we would be dangerous.”
Corona del Mar (18-14) indeed finished fourth in the Sunset League, which Rokos has called the toughest league in the country, to earn its automatic berth into the postseason.
Saturday’s win over Westlake (17-7) was the Sea Kings’ third of the playoffs against a Marmonte League opponent, also including a first round triumph at Agoura and a semifinal victory at Newbury Park.
This time, the Sea Kings got to stay in Orange County. They nearly took the lead on their opening possession of the Division 2 final, but Stern’s fourth-down pass to junior captain Brooke Morris was ruled just out of bounds near the back of the end zone.
Unfazed, CdM scored on Stern’s 3-yard scamper on its second drive. Westlake evened the score on a 27-yard touchdown pass by freshman quarterback Annabel O’Keefe to Kate Janowicz.
Still, the Sea Kings kept the Westlake big plays to a minimum. Stern had three quarterback sacks, and freshman Brynn Boyle also earned her fair share of flag pulls.
“We knew they were a deep threat,” Theo Rokos said. “We thought our rush, with Addi and [sophomore captain] AnnaSofia [Dickens], could neutralize everything they could do except the deep ball. We gave up a couple, but overall, I’m super-proud of how the defense played.
Rokos also gave credit to offensive coordinator Josh Calvin and defensive coordinator Joseph Webber.
CdM took a 20-7 halftime advantage after a 2-yard touchdown run by Stern, then a 1-yard touchdown pass from Stern to junior captain Morris, who also had a diving interception on defense and broke up another fourth-down pass to cause a turnover on downs.
“I think we were prepared,” said CdM sophomore Mia Balabanian, another team captain and a leader at safety on defense. “We knew our roles. Calling out communication, knowing the plays ahead of time and executing was perfect on our part. [Stern] did a great job holding the front line, me and Brooke did a great job holding the back. I think we did our job. A few mistakes, but it was amazing. We did our job, all of us.”
CdM added to its lead on its first possession of the second half, as Stern scored on a 6-yard run. A play before that, she found sophomore receiver Shannon Parrott on a 50-yard pass, as Parrott got behind the defense and then reversed field to nearly score.
“I’d say it was a better play by Shannon,”Stern said. “It wasn’t my best throw I’ve had, I was just kind of throwing it up there, but it was a super-good play for her. It was definitely a boost of confidence, because she ran it almost for a touchdown.”
Westlake added a 32-yard touchdown pass from O’Keefe to Olivia Elsokary in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t score again.
CdM celebrated wildly after the final whistle. Coach Cathy Nguyen passed out Ring Pops to the players.
“Being sophomore captains and leading a fresh new team to the championships is crazy,” Dickens said. “We put in so much work. All of our work just paid off.”
Morris, the only junior captain in the group, said the CIF title was the culmination of a season of hard work.
“We got here, and we did it,” she said. “Every person, even if they’re not playing, has helped us get here.”
