Flag team narrowly loses to River Islands

It was a game Mariposa had been salivating to play.

The Mariposa County High School varsity flag football team had been counting the hours until it got another shot at River Islands last week.

River Islands is undefeated and has emerged as a powerhouse in the region. The Grizzlies had fallen 12-6 to River Islands just a few days prior and the team felt it had a good shot to beat their new rivals when River Islands visited Mariposa on Oct. 1.

But Mariposa came up just short, falling 7-6.

Bailey Costa went 13-of–26 for 103 yards and a touchdown, while also carrying 10 times for 84 yards. Dakota Costa added one rush for six yards.

Alicia Garcia emerged as the top receiver for Mariposa, logging nine catches for 84 yards. She had the lone touchdown for Mariposa. Dakota Costa chipped in with two catches for seven yards while Cora Grasso had one catch for 12 yards.

Defensively, Dakota Costa led the way with eight flag pulls, while Grasso totaled six. Rio Pelote had four tackles and Garcia finished with three.

The River Islands Riptides improved to 14-0. Mariposa is still the only team to even get close to defeating River Islands.

Mariposa fell to 6-4 and 6-2 in league play.

Prior to the River Islands game, Mariposa beat the Millennium High School Falcons twice, winning 7-6 on Sept. 28 and then turning around to win handily 34-0 on Sept. 30.

In the 7-6 win, Bailey Costa threw 15 passes, completing 11 for 60 yards and a touchdown. Garcia carried the ball six times for 56 yards, while Bailey Costa took off three times for 18 yards.

Pelote was handed the ball two times for eight yards. Whitney Marcis contributed three catches for 32 yards while Garcia had three for 37.

The Mariposa defense was stout, forcing Millennium quarterback Brisabella Moran into 9-of-25 passing with five interceptions and a touchdown.

Pelote led the team in flag pulls with four while Dakota Costa had two sacks. Garcia had a jaw-dropping four interceptions while Brithaney Marquez had one.

In the 34-0 win, Bailey Costa was 15-of-21 throwing, totaling 133 yards and a touchdown. Several different players ran the ball, with Bailey Costa leading with seven rushes for 73 yards. Pelota had seven rushes for 12 yards, Dakota Costa took it two times for 15 yards, while Marcis had two carries for eight yards.

Maryn Fluharty had one rush for six yards, while Annalee Blagg contributed one carry for 4 yards. Grasso and Marquez both had one carry for three yards.

Mariposa was set to face Vanguard College Prep on Oct. 6. The Grizzlies will then play at Gustine on Oct. 7 at 6 p.m. and host Riverbank on Oct. 12 at 6 p.m.