On Friday, November 18, the Coronado Islanders faced the Palo Verde Yellow Jackets in the CIF Division IV Football Semi-Finals at their home turf of Niedermeyer Field. The Islanders had previously bested Chula Vista the week prior with a win of 34-21 to advance to a playoff for the finals of the 2022 CIF San Diego Section Football Championships.
Coming into the game, the Yellow Jackets had a record of 11-1 and the Islanders, 6-3. Although the odds were stacked against them, the Islanders put up a formidable fight. Junior quarterback Graham Bower assisted with the first touchdown, passing 20 yards to senior Connor Little. The Islanders would go on to make another touchdown, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough to stop the Yellow Jackets as Coronado would lose 35-15.
Coach Kurt Hines shared, “Obviously not the outcome we wanted, but couldn’t be prouder of our young men. We battled through tremendous adversity throughout the season, and had fantastic success making it to the semi-finals.”
Although the season ended earlier than the Islanders had hoped for, there is much to look forward to.
“Looking to continue to get 1% better every day as we continue to build champions on and off the field!” Coach Kurt Hines declared.