This fall marks the 4th season of girls flag football at Acalanes High School. Over the past four years, coaches Mike Ivankovich and Joe Escobar, have developed the program from a scrappy group of a dozen or so girls who captured the first ever Diablo Athletic League title, into a full fledged, varsity and junior varsity program, with almost 50 players, over half a dozen coaches and a team that is a perennial contender. The Dons finished the 2025 season with a 17-3 record and reached the NCS Division 2 Championship game. The 2026 Dons return key starters at almost every position and will look to continue their success in a stacked Diablo Athletic League that boasts numerous teams capable of making deep NCS runs.
On offense, returning at quarterback is dual-threat standout and SF Chronicle All-Metro team selection Ines Coyne. As a junior, Coyne passed for 1,544 yards and 23 touchdowns. Coyne added another 1,016 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground. Coyne is the first returning quarterback in the history of the program with 20 starts under her belt. This experience should serve Coyne well as she enters her second year at the helm of the Dons offense. Joining Coyne in the backfield is the team’s other All-Metro selection, junior tail-back Isabelle Agnost. Agnost torched the NCS last year, finishing 2nd in the section with 1,468 yards rushing and 19 touchdowns on the ground. Agnost added 2 touchdowns receiving, one on punt-return and threw two touchdown passes for good measure. The offense also returns a pair of outstanding receivers who look ready to compliment the Don’s vaunted running attack. These key returners include honorable mention all league selection Mira Clark and receiver Santana Tamayo, who had several dramatic touchdowns in huge games for the Dons last year.
Anyone who watched the Dons in 2025 knows that the defense was the backbone of the team. The 2026 Dons return one of the best linebacker duos in the D.A.L. Middle linebacker and former first team all-league selection Avery DeMent controls the middle of the field as the Dons defensive field general. DeMent has the ability to take the proper angle and cover the field from sideline to sideline. DeMent led the Dons in flag pulls with 115 in 2025. In addition to DeMent, the Dons defense will rely heavily on former first team all-league outside linebacker Stella Buechotte. Buechotte can do practically anything on the defensive side of the ball with an uncanny sense for where the play is going and some of the stickiest fingers around when it comes to pulling flags. DeMent and Buechotte were no strangers to the endzone providing the Dons with a potent scoring defense thanks to a slew of interception returns for touchdowns. On the defensive line, rusher Malory Decredico returns for her senior season. Decredico is a regular in the oppositions backfield and produced some of the biggest sacks of the season last year when the Dons needed them most. In the secondary, the Dons return junior defensive back Prime Time June Natal. Natal blanketed defenders all season and was near the league lead with 11 interceptions on the year including 2 in the NCS championship game.
Key additions to the 2026 Dons include Lauren Gallagher, who was a late call up from the JV squad last year along with standout JV quarterback Ashby Raher. Also joining the varsity squad, straight from middle school, is multiple time M.O.L. flag football league MVP Eloise Kemp. The freshman Kemp will look to make her mark as a running back on offense and rusher on defense.
The San Francisco Chronicle recently published their Top 10 flag football players to watch for the 2026 season and number 8 on the list was the Dons’ quarterback Ines Coyne! Also mentioned as other notable Bay Area players to watch were Isabelle Agnost and Stella Buechotte. The link to the article is here (You must subscribe to the Chronicle to read the article):
The 4th season of Acalanes Flag Football kicks off on Thursday night with an away game versus Piedmont high school. In a very deep and talented Diablo Athletic League, the 2026 Dons look poised and ready for another magical season.