After a rough start to 2026, the Mission Bay flag football team ended with another winning regular season (12-11) and is coming into the postseason playing its best ball with victories in five of its last six matches.
The Bucs are waiting on results from other matches this week to know where they will be seeded.
“It feels like we are gearing up for the playoffs and trending upward,” said head coach Walter Siqueiros. “We had a rough start to the beginning of the season, but everything started smoothing out. This group of girls that we have are amazing; they have played together for so long and know each other so well.”
After losing its first four matches, the Bucs got a win over Escondido on Aug. 27 in a defensive battle that ended 7-0. That performance was followed up with a 13-6 victory over Hoover before back-to-back losses at the hands of Lincoln and Brawley.
Mission Bay then got a win via forfeit over Mar Vista followed by a 33-6 blowout victory over Lincoln on Aug. 29.
“We pick each other up when we make a mistake, and we all cheer for each other,” said junior quarterback Mia Siqueiros. “I expect us to do very well in playoffs because this team is a good group that works really well together.”
After losing to Clairemont in a 26-20 shootout on Sept. 1, the Bucs went on to defeat Ramona 8-6 on Sept. 3, but then fell to Mater Dei 41-21 on Sept. 14. Mission Bay then went on to win seven of the last 10 games to close out regular season play, including a 40-0 drubbing of Canyon Hills on Oct. 15.
“We lost some seniors last year, but the core group that we’ve had starting has been the same the last two years,” Walter Siqueiros added. “When you compare the last two seasons, they feel almost the same to me, with the group of girls that we’ve had showing a lot of confidence on offense and defense.”
Before taking the head coaching duties this season from Heather Nellis, Walter Siqueiros served as the offensive coordinator for the varsity team along with being the head coach of the junior varsity team.
Among the standout players for Mission Bay are Valerie Young, Jade Pele, Sienna Zana and Marley López Ruiz, along with Rayn Lehr and Olivia Sisler, who are the only two freshmen. The Bucs will know their opponent for the first round of the CIF playoffs when the official announcement is made over the weekend.
