After Buena’s second flag football season ended, many student-athletes reflected and made plans to move forward, searching for a future where they can become the best player they can be. Their final game took place Oct. 14, taking another loss against Dos Pueblos and ending their season with a 4-15 record.
“There [were] many games I felt we didn’t play great, and the results showed that,” Head flag football coach Michael Gianelli said. “There were other games where we played really well but the score did not reflect that because we were playing against really talented teams.”
The beginning of the season started off strong with a win against Saint Bonaventure, but the bulldogs struggled to find their rhythm after that, falling short in most of their games throughout the season.
Through adversity, the girls motivated each other by keeping a positive team morale, complementing players when they succeeded and supporting each other during a loss.
Sophomore Sydney Pena reminisced about the bus ride home from a tough game against Simi Valley; even though they took a loss, the team sang songs, laughed and had fun the whole way home.
The Bulldogs felt driven to play better for not only themselves, but for their coach. Likewise, Gianelli’s main concern is his players. He made sure all of his players were going into games in the right head space. “Gianneli is a great coach who brings new strategies and plays to each opponent we face.” Freshman Zoe Quiroz commented.
Despite the rough outcome of most games this season, the Bulldogs still found some wins. The girls returned with high spirits Oct. 5 after a 39-8 win against the Pacifica Tritons, the first league win in the program’s history.
Overall, every game taught the players valuable lessons and brought light to areas of growth. Looking ahead the players have goals to improve teamwork and consistency on the field. Currently the team is working their hardest, already practicing and preparing for next season.
