Quarterback Ariel Ochoa is ranked 12th in the nation in passing yards (1,656), and she’s thrown 25 touchdown passes with an overall 74 percent completion rating.
Her teammates — receivers Shantelle Magana, Abnoor Bains and Madysen Dietz — have a combined 22 touchdowns, with 115 receptions for 1,197 yards.
And they’ve only played nine games this preseason. League play starts later this month.
If these numbers spark your interest, and you’re wanting to know more, well you just have to check out what’s happening with the Girls Varsity Flag Football team at El Capitan High School.
Yes, we’re talkin’ good old flag football — with a jolt of enthusiasm.
The non-contact sport that started out with recreational leagues in the 1940s is today the fastest-growing team sport in the world. Flag football is even going to make its Olympic debut at the Los Angeles Games in 2028.
In this area, girls’ teams have formed at most local high schools, and last year, they started competing in a Central California Conference league.
The 17-year-old Ochoa was a standout quarterback in 2023 with her JV team that won the CCC title. Last year’s Varsity team didn’t fare so well, ending up in fourth place with Atwater and Merced High tying for first place; however, the El Capitan Gauchos did go undefeated in the second half of the season.
“Things are starting to click and now we’re playing as a complete team,” says Varsity Coach Tyler Dietz. “We also added some talented girls from last year’s JV team. They have been executing very well on both offense and defense. It’s been pretty fun so far. We’re 6-3 in the preseason so far, and all our losses were to highly-ranked teams.”
When Ochoa talks about her game, she sounds like a seasoned pro, saying she’s been studying film from past games, and building chemistry with her teammates.
“I know their speed, and they know my throwing distance,” she says. “Some people say my performance has been really good, but I know I can do better.”
Then she adds, “I want to be Top 5 in the nation. That’s my goal. And I want to be Top 3 in California. We will play a total of 25 games this season and I want to get to at least 100 touchdowns. I think it’s possible. I think the most touchdowns I’ve had in a single game is seven.”
The team’s touchdown leader, Shantelle Magana, 17, is also the team captain. She describes the sport as “pretty aggressive” and that many times ball carriers will get knocked down or end up “sandwiched” between players.
“It’s really fun,” she says, “I really like the atmosphere. The girls are amazing.”
Receiver / running back Abnoor Bains enjoyed flag football so much that she added the sport to her already busy high school schedule that also includes basketball, softball and track.
Madysen Dietz is also a multiple sport athlete, competing in golf, basketball and track. But she has a little added incentive to play on the flag football team. Her older brother, Tyler, is the team’s head coach, and he’s been coaching her through sports since she was in the fourth grade.
As for Ochoa’s play, Coach Dietz says she’s been living up to the pressure that’s been put on her.
“She is a perfectionist at times, which is a great thing,” Dietz says. “She has been having some crazy stat-line games. When she plays with confidence and swagger, she is delivering the ball really good. If she gets in that type of rhythm, she’s hard to stop. When she makes a bad throw, she just needs to be patient, take a deep breath and focus on the next play. She has made some throws late in the game that have been awesome for us.”
Ochoa was credited this season for making passes two late-in-the-game scoring drives.
Her father is Russ Ochoa, an assistant coach for the El Capitan Boys JV team. He hopes his daughter will remain humble about her talents.
“It’s very hard not to get super excited,” he admits. “I have been coaching for 18 years, and I’ve seen really good players when their heads get too big, and they lose their game because they are not a good teammate or they have bad karma, or whatever. That’s the last thing I want for her. I want her to be a good person all the way around.”
Meanwhile Ariel Ochoa can’t hide her enthusiasm.
“Maybe someday I will make the Olympics. But for now we want to win our league this year, and who knows, maybe a section title.”
The first league game for the El Capitan Varsity Flag Football team will be against Golden Valley High at their stadium on Sept. 19 at 7 p.m. They will also play Dos Palos on Saturday at El Capitan starting at 11 a.m.
The El Capitan team includes assistant coaches Dillon Greenwood and Juan Valdovino who serve as offensive and defensive coordinators.