On a hot Wednesday evening, the Acalanes JV squad welcomed College Park for what promised to be a heavyweight league showdown. The Dons entered the matchup with a stingy defense that had allowed just seven points in their first five games. Acalanes wasted no time. On the Dons opening drive, Maria Sakaguti and Daphne Hwang got the offense started downfield…
The Dons traveled to Livermore on Thursday night to take on the Granada Matadors. Granada, like Acalanes, reached the NCS Championship game the year before only to come up short against San Ramon Valley in their quest for a section title. The first ever meeting between these two teams would prove to be a surprisingly entertaining, defensive stalemate, that would…
The Acalanes JV flag football team completed a strong 4-1 preseason by hosting Liberty Ranch (Lodi) and traveling to Granada (Livermore). On Tuesday night in front of the home crowd, the Dons again relied on a stout defensive effort to shutout the visitors. Cornerback Ximena Espinosa Angel made the play of the game… on the very series! Ximena stepped in front of the Hawks receiver to…
On Tuesday night, the Liberty Ranch Hawks made the long trip from Galt to play the Acalanes Dons. Liberty Ranch was coming off an outstanding 2025 campaign in which they finished with a record of 22 – 3 and reached the quarterfinals of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division 4 playoffs. The Hawks had a dangerous senior quarterback who would put the…
A beautiful, full moon showed up to the Acalanes flag football home opener Thursday night. So did the Dons pass-rush. By the end of the evening, the Dons would tally 9 sacks of the Monte Vista quarterback and post their third shutout in a row to start the season. The pressure started immediately. On the first play of the game,…
The JV Flag Football team continued their busy early season by visiting Freedom on Monday and hosting Monte Vista in their home opener on Wednesday. The Dons travelled to Oakley to face the Falcons on their home (and hot!) turf and came up on the short end of a 7-0 score. The Dons defense played another strong game but a…
A warm breeze blew across the sky over Freedom High School as the home team Falcons prepared to face the visiting Dons. With its grass covered hills and long vistas, Oakley provided almost a midwestern setting for this Monday night match up. In their crisp, away whites, the Dons were looking to continue their hot start to the season after…
Acalanes’ 2nd-ever JV flag football team was formed at the end of the first week of school and features 6 sophomores and 19 freshmen. The large roster reflects the continued strong growth in this sport nationwide. The team jumped right into a scrimmage against Castro Valley on their very first day of the following week followed by two practices to…
The 2026 flag football season kicked off Thursday night for the Dons with an away game against Piedmont High School. Piedmont, a small enclave nestled in the Oakland hills, provided a picturesque setting for the first game of the year. The Highlanders were coming off a 5-13 campaign in 2025 and the schedule makers did them no favors by scheduling…
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…