Flag Football Showdown: Sierra Canyon wastes no time building national contender

Head coach Michaeltore Smith takes the reins after guiding Camarillo (Calif.) to a 25-3 record, an undefeated league championship and a top 20 national finish last season. Now at a school that consistently fields nationally-ranked programs across multiple sports, Smith is tackling an opportunity to build a flag football powerhouse from the ground up.

"It's going to be a little bit of a mystery," Smith said. "I'm optimistic. If I have the kids that are engaged and dedicated to what we do, I feel like the sky's the limit." The roster is loaded with elite talent, beginning with Orange Lutheran transfer and reigning MaxPreps Junior of the Year Makena Cook, who instantly gives the Trailblazers an elite quarterback. Sophomore Ava Irwin, the reigning MaxPreps California Freshman of the Year, starred at unbeaten JSerra Catholic last season, hauling in 1,903 receiving yards and 27 touchdowns while adding 94 flag pulls and 15 interceptions on defense. She will be joined by fellow receiver Angelina Dubois, who also transferred from Orange Lutheran after piling up 1,747 yards and 31 touchdowns a year ago, and Ayden Klaiber, a Team USA representative who arrives from Florida.

All four newcomers earned MaxPreps All-America honors last season, giving Sierra Canyon one of the country's most talented collections of playmakers before ever playing a varsity game. Expectations will be sky-high as the Trailblazers make their highly-anticipated debut in Chula Vista.

"We're gonna try to be as competitive as we can right now with high expectations and high goals," Smith said. "I want the flag football program to live up to the standards of what Sierra Canyon is. A lot of people don't know what they're going to get from us because it's a lot of the unknown. I'm sure we'll have a conversation maybe closer to September 10th and say, 'Oh boy, here we come.'"