After a breakthrough 20-win season,
Bonita Vista (Chula Vista, Calif.) enters the inaugural MaxPreps Flag Football Showdown on Sept. 11-12 with one of California's most dynamic quarterbacks and aspirations of returning to the top of the San Diego Section.
Head coach Larry Schoen's Barons opened last season with 20 consecutive victories before suffering their lone loss against in the San Diego Section Division I semifinals. The program won a section title in 2023.
"Moving into this season, we plan on keeping our
foot on the pedal, the same way we did last year," Schoen said. "(We're)
trying to get over that hump."
Hope International commit Layla Schoen returns as one of the top two-way players for Bonita Vista, which will test itself amongst an elite field at the MaxPreps Flag Football Showdown Sept. 11-12. (PHOTO: LadyBaronsFlagFootball Instagram)
Senior quarterback
Mia Ramirez headlines the offense after accounting for 74 total touchdowns last season. Ramirez threw for 3,206 yards and 56 scores while adding 1,038 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground. The standout athlete is also a league champion sprinter during track season.
Junior
Dariyan Wilson returns after recording 868 receiving yards, 14 touchdowns and 18 interceptions despite missing the final five regular-season games with a fractured fibula before returning for the playoffs. Senior
Layla Schoen, a Hope International flag football commit, remains one of the state's top two-way players after totaling 19 touchdowns, 119 flag pulls, six sacks and 11 interceptions.
Bonita Vista also expects the eventual return of senior
Sofia Garay, who Schoen said tore her ACL in October but is progressing toward a return. Sophomore soccer standout
Milah King adds another rushing presence to the defense as the Barons look to build on last year's breakthrough campaign.
"You can't say you're the gonna be the best fighter in the world unless you fight the best, right? Unless you take the punch from the best," Schoen said. "That's what I'm looking forward to: being able to play the best competition, being able to feel what they have. They're gonna be up for a battle and they're gonna feel us too."
