Alisal High School’s Mia Rivera, the South All-Stars wide receiver and safety, was the standout player of the night, leading her team to a 19-12 victory over the North-All Stars.
Advertisement
Rivera, who scored 106 points on offense and had 14 interceptions on defense for his Alisal team this season, had an interception that set up his first receiving touchdown to tie the game at 6, and added another touchdown later to put the South ahead, 19-6.
Rivera was named the game’s Most Valuable Player for the South team.
The game’s Most Valuable Player for the North team, Aptos High’s Ella Porter, scored both touchdowns for her team’s 12 points, showing the form that also earned her the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League MVP award. His second touchdown came on the first play of the fourth quarter, a 9-yard run that included a pair of dips and spins to avoid potential tacklers.
Advertisement
That set up an intense final 14 minutes, in which each team made big plays on both sides of the ball to keep the outcome in doubt.
The game was organized by the Reggie Stephens and Gino Panelli Foundations, two non-profit organizations involved in supporting local youth, high school and college athletes on the Central Coast.
“We all played a role in this, it wasn’t just a one-man show,” said one of the winning trainers, Marisol Rasul of Alisal. “We all played together and the girls were just amazing. It was an amazing experience coaching them.”
“I just want to develop our youth, that’s the most important thing,” Marina High School coach Alyssa Dixon said when asked what the game means to her. Dixon is also a professional quarterback in the National Women’s Soccer Conference and will begin playing for the Golden State Storm in March. “I just wanted to show these ladies that they are more than capable of getting the W.”
Advertisement
Flag football is one of the fastest growing school sports in the country and will debut as an Olympic sport in 2028.
Winner of the 40-yard dash during the pregame skills competition, Palma High School’s Elsie Sargenti maneuvers around her opponents in the RSF/GPF Central Coast Girls’ Flag Football All-Star Game at Aptos High School on Jan. 11, 2026.
Skills Contest Winners
A variety of pre-match competitions allowed athletes to demonstrate their skills. Elsie Sargenti of Palma High School won the 40-yard dash with a time of 5.15 seconds, besting her South teammate Jaslyne Coronado of Salinas, who clocked 5.19 seconds.
Maya Ibarra, from northern Monterey County, won the longest throw competition with a throw 31 yards in the air.
Meanwhile, Soquel High’s Haily Bettermann turned in the most impressive performance of the event with a high, booming kick that traveled 42 yards through the air to easily win the longest kick contest.
Advertisement
Bettermann is also a star soccer player for the Knights. The South finished the skills competition by winning a 1-on-1 contest with a score of 3-1.
This article originally appeared in Salinas Californian: Monterey County beats Santa Cruz County in All-Stars football game