Daily Journal Flag Football Player of the Year: Menlo's Ava Allen

Additionally, there was another round of rule changes ahead of the season — the biggest being a new rule that allowed defensive players to line up just 1 yard off the line of scrimmage instead of the 7 yards required the first two seasons, along with the fact teams could rush as many players as the want.

“When I first saw the rules, I thought we’d be more adversely affected,” said Menlo head coach Noah Lubarsky.

Most successful flag football teams base their offense around the passing game and despite having one of the best quarterbacks around in junior Ava Allen, Lubarsky thought the new rules would impact his offense.

“[Allen is] a great deep-ball passer,” Lubarsky said. “The new rule, that is not going to work (for us).”

Instead, Allen and the Menlo offense flourished. The counter to the new defensive rushing rule was there was no longer a limit on when and the number of times a quarterback could run the ball. So despite being one of the top quarterbacks in the section, Allen evolved into one of the most dangerous running backs.

And despite the level of play elevating around it, Menlo stayed one step ahead of the pack. While the Knights saw their long winning streak snapped with back-to-back losses to Carlmont and Sacred Heart Prep to end the regular season, the Knights regrouped.

With Allen leading the way, the Knights went on a three-game, CCS win streak to claim the title of best flag team in the CCS as she helped them to the first-ever CCS Open Division championship, which garnered Allen the San Mateo Daily Journal Flag Football Player of the Year honor for the second straight year.

“There was a little bit of adversity for us. … I felt the pressure as the season went on,” Allen said. “We needed those losses to get better.”

And turns out, the new rules had little effect on the Knights’ passing game. Allen finished with 58 touchdown passes, but this year she added 16 more on the ground to give her a combined 74 scores. In 2024, she combined for 62-56 passing and seven rushing.

“With the ball in her hands, she has the ability to beat you vertically or with her legs, which makes her very difficult to defend,” Lubarsky said.

Additionally, Allen became a shutdown cornerback on defense, where she came up with six interceptions and returned one for her 75th touchdown on the year.

“If you look at the success we had, it’s [Allen] on both sides of the ball,” Lubarksy said. “We’re not as strong a team and not nationally ranked without her.”

But a quarterback is only as good as the supporting cast around them and it’s hard to argue any team in the CCS had more weapons than the Knights. With senior receivers Sophie Housser and Maren Mulloy leading the way, Allen had her pick of dangerous targets, which also included the likes of sophomores Lisi Mahe and Anika Shah, who was also an interception machine on defense.

Additionally, freshman running back Kaelee Wang supplied not only a running option to Allen, but also became an effective blocker for the junior signal caller.

“It’s so much fun,” Allen said. “There is not just one girl I have to rely on.”

Despite the fantastic finish to the season, it almost got off on the wrong foot as the Knights had to rally for a 28-26 non-league win over Atwater in the third game of the season, reinforcing the fact that Menlo could not just show up and expect to win.

From that point on, the Knights were seldom pushed, as they rolled to win after win. They got a scare from rival Sacred Heart Prep in early October, but pulled out a 13-12 win.

But that was followed by their first loss in program history, dropping a 12-6 decision to Carlmont, which was followed by a regular season-ending 13-12 loss to SHP, as the Gators shared the West Bay Athletic League title with the Knights.

“For me, Carlmont stung the most because I went to middle school in Belmont,” Allen said. “And then you never want to lose to your rival.

“This season made me realize success isn’t guaranteed.”

Those losses, however, focused the Knights for the CCS Open Division and they definitely learned from them as they rolled to three straight wins to capture the championship. They opened with a 30-6 win over Los Altos, followed by a 27-12 win over Atherton rival Menlo-Atherton in the semifinals.

In the CCS title game, facing a team from Los Gatos, a school that is seemingly good in every sport, the Knights put the finishing touches on another outstanding season, posting a 27-13 victory.

“[Allen is] a gamer,” Lubarsky said. “She’s very intense. She is the ultimate competitor. She is one of those people who hates losing more than she loves winning.”

She is also one of those athletes who thought she had her future mapped out, only to find a new love. She plays basketball in the winter and baseball in the spring for Menlo before spending most of the summer playing softball.

And if you asked her before entering high school what her future dream was, it was to play softball in college.

But that is changing.

“My favorite sport is what is in season. Right now, I love basketball,” Allen said. “But flag is where I’ve had the most fun and the most success. … The moment I stepped on the (football field as a freshman), I remember thinking, ‘I could do this every day for the rest of my life.

“At the end of the day, [flag football] is probably my favorite.”