Before San Marcos High’s flag football quarterback Finlee Hovis had ever taken a snap, she was an eighth grader throwing a football in physical education class at San Elijo Middle School.
Her PE teacher, Joey Neptune, took notice and told Knights coach Gary Keeton about a “phenomenal, mature athlete” in his class.
“I watched her throw the football from afar and thought, ‘That’s the person I’m going to build my program around,’” Keeton told The Coast News. “I decided that when she was in eighth grade, and sure enough, it’s panned out.”
Hovis, a 5-foot-9 junior and three-time team captain, now leads San Marcos’ offense with 30 touchdown passes against four interceptions. She has added 10 rushing touchdowns and nearly 600 yards on the ground for the 12-1 Knights, who have outscored their opponents 421-80 and are ranked No. 39 in the state.
But the talent Keeton saw as an eighth grader was still raw when Hovis became the Knights’ starting quarterback as a freshman.
“Freshman year, there was nothing natural about it,” Keeton said. “She was very raw to the game, very raw to football technique and skills. She’s a quick learner, very coachable, and her maturity played into that as well. And she just picked it up. Her technique is great. Her arm strength has increased greatly. She’s taking her game to another level this year.”
For Hovis, it doesn’t hurt having junior track standout Miyah Holmes, who excels in the 100 meters, to throw to.
“She may be the fastest girl in San Diego County,” Keeton said.
Holmes has 49 receptions for 924 yards and 16 touchdowns this season, averaging 18.9 yards per catch. She has also rushed 20 times for 122 yards and four touchdowns.
“Just tremendous ball skills, hand-eye coordination,” Keeton said. “She makes some phenomenal catches. We see this every practice, every game. She’s traveled around the country to different camps — Alabama, Georgia — and she’s received MVP honors all over the place. L.A., she’s gone to all those camps up there and all those clinics. She’s kind of known nationwide.”
Keeton also pointed to junior Brielle Johnson, a middle linebacker who had a pick-six in San Marcos’ 60-0 win over Coastal Academy.
“Brielle Johnson, just an imposing figure on the field,” Keeton said. “She’s kind of my leader, leader on the defense, like Finlee is on the offense.”
The Knights have other two-way contributors in sophomores Sydney Bentle and Ella Chadwick. Bentle plays cornerback and wide receiver and is an “absolute playmaker” and “phenomenal athlete,” according to Keeton. Chadwick plays linebacker and wide receiver.
Freshman Taylor Grigg, a newcomer this season, has made an impact at linebacker and running back. Keeton said the Knights use her as a ball carrier and check-down option, where her quickness allows her to make plays in space.
San Marcos’ only loss came Sept. 11, a 14-0 defeat to Huntington Beach. The Knights have won five straight since, including a 7-6 overtime win over San Ramon Valley and shutouts of Coastal Academy (60-0) and Escondido Charter (33-0).
“Our focus now is, we love the success, but we want to take it day to day,” Keeton said. “We want to keep improving each practice and each game as we get into league play and the playoffs. We want to be entering pretty hot, like we did last season. We got hot our last five or six games and went on that nice little run in the playoffs. We’re kind of following the same blueprint this year.”
San Marcos went 13-10 last season and lost to Imperial in the San Diego Section Division I semifinals.
Upcoming games
- Sept. 21 — at Cathedral Catholic, 5:30 p.m.
• Sept. 23 — vs. Poway, 7 p.m.*
• Sept. 30 — at Torrey Pines, 6 p.m.*
• Oct. 1 — at Rancho Buena Vista, 5:45 p.m.
• Oct. 7 — vs. Mission Hills, 7 p.m.*
• Oct. 8 — at Oceanside, 5 p.m.
• Oct. 14 — at La Costa Canyon, 5:15 p.m.*
• Oct. 21 — vs. Carlsbad, 7 p.m.*
• Oct. 22 — vs. Scripps Ranch, 6 p.m.
*Avocado League game
