In its first year of girls’ flag football, Carlsbad went 15-10-1, won three playoff games and reached the Division II San Diego Section championship, falling to Westview 39-24.
A year later, the Lancers look even stronger. Sitting at 18-4 heading into the final stretch of the regular season, Carlsbad head coach Lance Thomas described the team as having “no weak links.”
Thomas pointed to a 13-6 win over Avocado League rival Poway on Sept. 29 to make his point, noting that the Lancers grinded out the victory even with two starters missing the game to attend a concert.
“We had two girls step right in during a tough game against Poway, and we handled our business — no drop-off whatsoever,” Thomas told The Coast News. “We’re super talented. We don’t have a lot of depth — we had about 16 girls, while most teams carry around 20 — but we decided to keep it tight, knowing that if somebody went down, someone else could step in and get the job done.”
Coming off a 26-0 shutout win over Cathedral Catholic on Oct. 8, Carlsbad enters the final three games of the regular season with its eyes on a first-round playoff bye, awarded to the top four-ranked teams in the section.
“We lost a couple of close ones — tight games to Torrey Pines and Westview,” Thomas said. “We felt like we were the better team, we just weren’t that day, unfortunately. The coaches are pumped, and the girls are super excited about how things are going. We’re really trying to lock in.”
The offense has been powered by a dynamic sophomore-junior connection, with Courtney Clemons (sophomore) at quarterback and Georgia Hawk (junior) at wide receiver.
“Courtney came in last year and was a standout as a freshman,” Thomas said. “She’s got a great arm and showed a lot of positives, even though there were a lot of interceptions early on—some of which I probably contributed to. But that’s something she’s really improved on.”
On the year, Clemons has thrown for 3,888 yards, connecting on 59 touchdowns against 14 interceptions. The bulk of the damage has gone to Hawk, who also plays as a 5-foot-11 small forward on the basketball team and has brought over the same physicality that helped her average 15 points per game last season on the hardwood.
This season, she has caught 88 passes for 1,436 yards and 26 touchdowns.
“She was our MVP last year as a sophomore,” Thomas said. “She’s got phenomenal hands—she’s a hooper—with really good speed. She’s an awesome talent and will definitely go on to do something in college. She’s having a great year. She scores a lot and picks up huge yardage on first downs, catches the ball in traffic, just going up, boxing people out, and making the play.”
With Hawk dominating, the Lancers also rely on junior Reese Bowman—nicknamed “Bowie” by the team and also a basketball player—as their second option at receiver.
“We just have so many players on offense—that’s the cool thing,” Thomas said.
He also singled out offensive coordinator Jeremy Clemons.
“I don’t know if there are other flag football staffs with football junkies like us. Our offensive coordinator—we call him ‘the Professor’—he’s a poker player, and he just sees things before they happen. He loves strategizing and really understands how to read the game.”
The defense has been equally dominant, turning in 10 shutouts so far this season. Sophomore linebacker Teegan Thomas, who doubles as the head coach’s daughter, and sophomore defensive back Brooke Johnson lead the team in flag pulls, with sophomore linebacker Analeigha Cavaluzzi earning last season’s defensive MVP honors.
“The defense has been a staple for sure,” Thomas said. “We’ve had a lot of shutouts. I try to keep it simple and let them play. I don’t want them thinking about their assignments; I want them reacting. Our defense has always been aggressive, reading the ball and swarming the play.”
Carlsbad closes out the regular season with:
- Oct. 14: vs. La Costa Canyon (home)
- Oct. 20: @ Canyon Crest Academy (road)
- Oct. 23: vs. Del Norte (home)
