Liberty Lions enter playoffs at 13-3

By Nick Pellegrino
Updated: October 24, 2026

Editor’s Note: After this article as posted, the conference declared that e3 Civic Charter was a member f the league despite forfeited seven games, Since Liberty was only scheduled to meet the Griffins, once, they collected another victory to finish the regular season with a 14-3 overall record.

2026 EAST COUNTY PREP FLAG FOOTBALL

East County Sports.com

Sofia Juarez

OTAY MESA — Liberty Charter held the ball for only seven full possessions and scored touchdowns on all seven, romping past the Chula Vista Learning Community Charter Cobras, 42-6, Tuesday (Oct. 20) at Silver Wing Park Recreation Center.

Sofia Juarez and Ashley Chavez caught two touchdown passes each, while Megan James made a circus catch for a second-half score that helped put away the victory.

“We were working on our flag pulls,” Juarez said. “And Ashley Travis, our quarterback, threw the ball really well.”

Juarez, a freshman, also intercepted a pass and returned it 32 yards to the Cobras’ red zone on the final play of the first quarter, setting up another score.

On the first play of the second period, Makenna Jackson caught a touchdown pass, increasing Liberty Charter’s advantage to 18-0.

The Lions added another touchdown when Jackson caught a fourth-down pass for her second score of the game.

CVLCC answered with its lone touchdown, but the ensuing two-point conversion attempt was intercepted and stopped, leaving Liberty Charter ahead, 24-6.

On the Lions’ next possession, a receiver caught a 21-yard touchdown pass in the front-left corner of the end zone, tapping both feet inbounds for a 30-6 advantage.

The Cobras’ next pass was also intercepted, this time by Ella Godby, who returned the ball to the CVLCC 22-yard line on the final snap of the quarter.

James then produced the game’s most spectacular play.

The Lions senior twisted her body for an unusual two-handed touchdown catch after a Cobras defender partially knocked the ball away while both players were airborne. James reached back with her free hand, regained control of the ball from behind her leg and stepped into the right corner of the end zone before the ball came loose.

The officials huddled before ruling that James had maintained possession long enough to complete the catch and score the touchdown — a possible play-of-the-year candidate — extending the lead to 36-6.

Finally, following the two-minute warning, Juarez broke open down the middle of the field and caught her second touchdown pass. The play caught the Cobras’ defense off guard after Liberty Charter had scored its previous five touchdowns near the corners of the field.

Travis finished with seven touchdown passes, stretching the Cobras’ defense from sideline to sideline throughout the contest.

PHOTO GALLERY BELOW

Flag football projections

Mabel O’Farrell Charter, located approximately a half-mile west of Morse High in the Skyline community, is expected to receive a Division II playoff berth this weekend.

Meanwhile, the computer power index entering the week projected Liberty Charter to finish near No. 30 overall. Should that position hold, the Lions would become approximately the No. 6 seed in Division III, earning a first-round home game unless the No. 11 seed is a league champion and receives priority.

The CIF San Diego Section will announce its playoff divisions and pairings Saturday.

MOUNTAIN EMPIRE 20, PREUSS UCSD 12

BUCKMAN SPRINGS — Mountain Empire quarterback Elysa Cisneros threw two touchdown passes, but it was her fourth-quarter rushing score that lifted the RedHawks to a 20-12 victory over visiting Preuss UCSD in Southern Conference action Tuesday (Oct. 20).

The contest matched two teams that entered with two victories apiece.

Cisneros kept the RedHawks close with touchdown passes to Abilene “Abi” Walker and Addison Reed. After the Mountain Empire defense regained possession by stopping the Tritons, Cisneros found an opening and raced for the game-winning score.

Cisneros completed 15 of 33 passes for 170 yards. Walker, Reed and Mia Quevedo shared the team lead with three receptions apiece, while Quevedo recorded the longest play of the afternoon with a 35-yard reception.

Quevedo also paced the defense with seven flag pulls, followed by Walker with five.

Mountain Empire (3-9 overall, 2-7 league) won despite failing to record an interception. Preuss UCSD fell to 2-11.

The RedHawks concluded their regular season Thursday by hosting Health Sciences Charter and Middle College, whose athletic teams are now known as the Serpents after the school changed its nickname from the Fighting Surgeons.

Historic rise

Liberty Charter could have followed the example of other small-school programs and attempted to claim a championship distinction following Tuesday’s 42-6 victory over CVLCC.

Instead, the Lions elected to look ahead to the postseason. The CIF San Diego Section will announce its playoff divisions and pairings Saturday.

East County experienced another program’s rapid rise through the divisions when the Foothills Christian boys basketball team emerged as a small-school power under head coach Brad Leaf.

Leaf assembled several top prospects around his sons, and the Knights dominated Division V competition.

Foothills Christian once attempted to compete as an independent, but section officials ruled that a school needed to participate in a league to remain eligible for postseason competition. The Knights therefore remained in the Sunset League, winning their league games by an average margin of exactly 60 points, despite regularly using underclassmen. One contest ended with a 70-8 score.

The Sunset League runner-up was Chula Vista Calvary Christian, whose Royal Knights referred to themselves as champions among the league’s “true Division V” programs. The school later closed following the 2023-24 academic year after never fully recovering from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Section officials eventually permitted Foothills Christian to move into stronger leagues — a practice that has become much more common during the ensuing decade.

Despite being promoted from Division V to Division III, then Division II and eventually the elite Division I level within three seasons, Foothills Christian captured the 2015-16 CIF San Diego Section championship.

The Knights defeated Torrey Pines, 71-42, in the quarterfinals, toppled Cathedral Catholic, 80-63, in the semifinals and outlasted Mater Dei Catholic, 50-46, in the championship game.

Foothills Christian finished the season ranked among the state’s Top 20 by all three major California ranking services, including Cal-Hi Sports.

— Nick Pellegrino