After back-to-back runner-up finishes,
Torrey Pines (San Diego, Calif.) broke through for its first San Diego Section Division 1 championship and now brings a battle-tested roster to the inaugural MaxPreps Flag Football Showdown on Sept. 11-12.
Head coach Ryland Wickman, a USA 12U Select Bowl coach and Sacramento State Football Hall-of-Famer, guided the Falcons to a 19-10 record and section championship. The title capped a steady climb for the program after falling in the Division 1 final in both 2023 and 2024.
"The best thing about the (2025) season is we finished it off," Wickman
said. "We got our CIF Division 1 championship. We'd been there the two
years before, so it was nice to finally get there the third year and to
finish it off this time."
After finding the end zone 21 times as a junior, running back Alexa Avila is back to lead Torrey Pines into the Flag Football Showdown in September. (PHOTO: Anna Scipione)
Sophomore quarterback
Izzie Dieter headlines the offense after one of the state's most productive freshman campaigns, throwing for 4,820 yards and 55 touchdowns while adding two rushing scores.
Senior
Alexa Avila provides another dynamic weapon after compiling 1,773 yards from scrimmage and 21 total touchdowns. Juniors
Becca Clayton,
Claire McEvoy and
Sara Mortimer give Dieter an experienced receiving corps that accounted for nearly 2,000 receiving yards last season.
The Falcons also return a veteran defense led by seniors
Kyla Crist,
Kylie Clark and
Makaela Sykes. Crist recorded 106 flag pulls, Clark added 17 sacks and Sykes contributed 50 flag pulls and three interceptions.
Torrey Pines faced one of California's toughest schedules in 2025, playing seven games against fellow MaxPreps Flag Football Showdown participants. That experience, coupled with a championship pedigree and an explosive offense, should have the Falcons prepared for a challenging weekend in Chula Vista.
"I love being able to get out and see what's out there," Wickman said. "San Diego has great teams, but there's a lot of great talent elsewhere too that's always good to see and compete against."
