Armed with one of the nation's most prolific quarterback-receiver duos,
Vincent Memorial (Calexico, Calif.) enters the inaugural MaxPreps Flag Football Showdown on Sept. 11-12 with the firepower to challenge any team in the field.
Head coach Eduardo Trujillo's Scots finished 23-6, captured the Imperial Valley League title and claimed the San Diego Section Division 2 championship. After losing only three seniors from last year's roster, Vincent Memorial returns nearly all of the production from a team that established itself among Southern California's best.
"We began really slow, but every game, we got better and better and
better," Trujillo said. "It was a dream for us to win a CIF
championship."
Record-setting receiver Jessica Manriquez returns to bolster a prolific aerial attack from Vincent Memorial, one of the 18 teams competing in the MaxPreps Flag Football Showdown Sept. 11-12. (PHOTO: Camilo Garcia Jr.)
Junior quarterback
Azul Trujillo is coming off a historic season, throwing for national records of 9,503 yards and 112 touchdowns while completing 77.6 percent of her passes and being named the MaxPreps National Sophomore of the Year. She will once again be paired with senior
Jessica Manriquez, a fellow MaxPreps All-American who totaled 3,702 receiving yards and 43 touchdowns while adding 114 flag pulls and 17 interceptions.
The duo broke state passing and receiving records last season and enters 2026 with an opportunity to challenge the national career marks.
"Jessica and Azul are best friends, they are really close," Eduardo Trujillo
said. "The chemistry that they have, they have it inside the field and
outside. They are really good friends."
The supporting cast is equally dangerous. Seniors
Gala Cervantes and
Valentina Lopez combined for more than 4,100 receiving yards and 59 touchdown receptions while
Lucia Adame anchors the pass rush after recording 35 sacks.
Trujillo and Manriquez also helped Mexico capture the International Cup 17U championship in June with a 33-27 victory over the United States, adding international success to a program that arrives in Chula Vista with championship aspirations.
"We will fight," Eduardo Trujillo said. "We have a really good team, too, and we want to demonstrate that we can play with the top-tier teams."
