Granada’s flag football team had a very successful season this year, almost taking home the NCS championship. The team gave it their all, making it to the finals and still finishing in second place. A great accomplishment for the team.
Team members Katie Vail (12) and Marin Lnenicka (12) who have been on the team since flag football was first introduced at Granada share their experience of their senior season.
Vail said, “It went really well. It was a really exciting season. I mean obviously it’s a little sad that it’s my last but it was with a really great team and really fun.”
Lnenicka said, “I really enjoyed it. It was a pretty fun season, I loved all the girls. I loved that we made it all the way to NCS…we got second. Overall it was a good season”
Granada’s first game of the season was against Amador Valley which they lost 18-13. Going forward they had a tied season winning just as many games as they lost.
The West Side Shootout tournament in September found Granada going against Amador Valley, Los Gatos, Deer Valley, and Castro Valley. Granada went four for four, winning all their games and bringing up the morale of the teams. This confidence boost led them to doing much better going forward in the season.
The next tournament Granada played was the EBALL tournament which consisted of the top four teams in the EBALL league. Granada played Cal while Amador Valley played San Ramon Valley. Cal beat Granada in overtime and they were then out of EBALL. Cal got first place with Granada placing fourth.
Though the team kept persevering. With a high strength of schedule, Granada applied to enter the NCS tournament. They were entered as a fifth seed.
The round one game was against Alameda and Granada won 26-20 in overtime. After round one they moved on to the quarterfinals. They played against Heritage and won again 33-0. They then moved on to the Semifinals, against Las Lomas where they won 13-7. And finally, the finals was against San Ramon Valley where they ultimately lost 14-7.
Vail and Lnenicka both expressed how the final few games in NCS felt.
“It was exciting to finish the season like that and we made it to the championship game and it was exciting. It was fun and competitive,” Vail said.
Lnenicka said, “I was really happy and really nervous at the same time. We worked so hard to get to where we were. It was a great experience overall even though we didn’t win.”
While it’s their final season playing, Vail and Lnenicka still express how they want the program to evolve after they leave.
Vail said, “Well, especially since we had a lot of seniors this year, I’m hoping the team can pick it up and get to another NCS championship game. That would be awesome.”
Lnenicka said, “I hope we continue to do well overall. I have a little sister who’s a sophomore now and I hope she continues on to do well too.”
Lnenicka shares what legacy she wants to leave behind for Granada’s flag football team.
“I want to leave a legacy of someone who’s always working hard and always trying and doing well. And I think I did, for football, leave behind a legacy because I was the leader of most of the stats on maxpreps. Flag football is a great sport and I think everyone should try to play. It’s tough but you can do it.”
