It was 10 am on June 5th.  School had ended for summer break just the week before.  The sky was clear and bright.  It was hot already when a group of girls and a handful of coaches assembled on the Acalanes football field for the first day of summer practice.  The group looked like a summer school PE class, tossing a few footballs around and telling jokes.  A few did some stretching.  After a short while, Coach I blew his whistle and told the girls to get on the line.  The girls jogged over to the goal line and started their official team warm ups.  The season had begun.  Exactly 5 months and one day later, those same girls took the field at Clayton Valley high school, in front of their friends and families, to compete for the first ever North Coast Section Division 2 Championship after the most unforgettable season in Acalanes flag football history.  The Dons faced #1 seed Cardinal Newman of Santa Rosa and their unbeaten record.  The Dons played with heart and played through injury.  They played through exhaustion and with emotion.  They left it all on the field that day but a deserving Cardinal Newman team claimed the title.  

The game was full of highlights for the Dons.  Prime Time June Natal made prime time plays.  Natal intercepted the Cardinals first pass of the game and then saved a touchdown by intercepting another Cardinal pass at the goal line and returning it 30 yards the other way.  In addition to the two picks, Natal had numerous passes defensed and grabbed handfuls of flags.  Sophomore sensation Isabelle Agnost electrified the crowd one last time with a 49 yard touchdown, zig-zagging through the defense, before leaving the last two Newman defenders grabbing at nothing but air.  Superstar defenders Stella Beuchotte, Avery DeMent, Julia Munter and Malory DeCredico made big plays all game.  DeMent had a touchdown saving interception, Munter and DeCredico both recorded sacks and Beuchotte made numerous tackles for no gains or a loss.  Receivers Hazel Raaum and Maya Shoenhair both recorded multiple receptions.  Defensive back Leah Roth made an incredible interception, reaching out with both hands while running full tilt to end a Newman scoring threat.  And, Ines Coyne, the junior quarterback standout, played through injury to help keep the Dons in the game on both sides of the ball.

The 2025 season for the Dons was, put quite simply, superb.  After an 8-11 campaign the year before, expectations coming in were moderate but positive since the team was returning so many players from the year before.  Those players would not disappoint.  The team also added some incredible first time players who would make major contributions and huge plays all season.  The Dons finished their 2025 campaign with a 17-3 record.  That included an 11 game winning streak to start the season and at one point the Dons were the #1 ranked team in the entire North Coast section regardless of division.  The Dons stellar defense pitched 11 shutouts across their 17 wins and held the opposing team to only 1 touchdown in 5 more.  The Dons won three playoff games, including a come from behind victory against an undefeated St. Mary’s team that had a quarterback who passed for over 4000 yards and a receiver who scored 43 touchdowns.  The Dons held them to 12 points.  In addition to the three playoff wins, the Dons had victories over three more NCS playoff teams College Park, Alhambra and Benicia.  

On behalf of the parents, friends and families I would like to thank the entire coaching staff for the amazing job they did this year with our girls.  The thought, time, care and effort they put into helping our daughters be the best they can be as football players and young women is a gift we cannot possibly repay.  Finally, I would like to thank the players.  The memories you have created for your families are priceless and the stories of your glory days will be told for many years to come.  The future looks very bright for the Acalanes Dons flag football team.  With a slew of returning superstars, the Dons will look to run it back in 2026 and build on this amazing season.  Til next time…FEAR THE BLUE!