A Decade of Dreams Fulfilled: RAA's Flag Football Championship
Under the bright, Saturday night lights of the Loma Linda University Drayson Center, the Redlands Adventist Academy Boys’ Varsity Flag Football team lines up to start their next play. Only a yard away from the endzone, junior quarterback Benson Hayton calls the hike. Senior center Drew Lauer snaps the ball to fellow senior upback Noah Gatling, who catches the ball and takes a knee. Under normal circumstances, that was a wasted play, and Redlands just squandered an easy chance to score. But these are not normal circumstances. Gatling’s knee may have cost his team a couple of yards, but it also means that the last remaining seconds of the game will run until time expires. The Bulldogs—now leading the Newbury Park Adventist Academy Gators, 24–13—maintain their composure, waiting for the lead referee to make his signal. Nothing but seconds stand in their way. It is inevitable now. Smiles are starting to crack. Arms are starting to lift toward the night sky. The referee looks up from his watch, nods, and waves his hands in the air. “Ball game!” Finally. Running. Jumping. Screaming. Crying. It’s over. They’ve done it. RAA has just won the championship.
A season ago, Redlands played in the same championship game against sister school Loma Linda Academy, losing 14–6. That was the first time the Bulldogs had made it to the championship game of the Loma Linda Academy Tournament (now called the “Fall Frenzy Flagball Tournament”) since the mid-2000s and the first time ever under head coach [and Athletic Director] Lemar Sandiford.[1]
“Control the controllables.” That was the mantra constantly repeated by Coach Sandiford to his players throughout this season. “After losing in the finals last year, we focused on learning from our mistakes, watched countless hours of game film, and emphasized controlling the things that we actually have control over.” Coach Sandiford credits his players and their mindset going into every practice, game, and tournament. “These players were hungry, more united, and committed to finishing what we started.” Senior safety Sammy Gomes goes further, explaining that last year’s loss was never spoken about once this season. “That loss was irrelevant… We knew what we had to do, and we knew we had the team to do it.”
The team started the 2024 season on an 8-game winning streak, including a statement win over Loma Linda Academy, 19–6. Redlands suffered its first (and only) loss of the year against Newbury Park Adventist Academy, 13–20, at the Fresno Adventist Academy Tournament. RAA would face NPAA once more in the regular season, this time surviving 20–12. But after two games against each other, both teams recognized that they would likely play each other one more time for much higher stakes.
In this year’s LLA Tournament, RAA was seeded as the number one team, and they soundly won their first three games against Woodcrest Christian School, San Diego Academy, and Mesa Grande Academy. Then, their chance for redemption arose: they would play Loma Linda Academy in the tournament semifinals. The rematch of last season’s championship game went back and forth, with both teams scoring almost at will. But it was the Redlands offense that would win out, led by senior captains Carter Kerstetter and Drew Lauer, who each scored two touchdowns. Lauer, whose play on both offense and defense played a major role in the semifinal win, reflects on the effort that led to the team getting back to the championship game: “We knew we could get there if we put in the work. And guess what? The work paid off.”
Newbury Park. The only team to beat Redlands this season was fittingly their finals opponent. But it was the Bulldogs’ experience from the prior season that gave them the edge. “We understood much better this year the emotions of being in a championship game. We were prepared, and it made all the difference,” says Coach Sandiford. A fantastic effort and several big plays by NPAA gave them a 13–12 lead at halftime. But RAA never wavered. The Redlands defense denied any further scoring in the second half, led by senior cornerback and transfer Emerson Ayala, whose championship experience with LLA the prior several seasons was on full display. And in the last several minutes of the game, it was senior captain Noah Gatling who stole the show and sealed the RAA win with a 45-yard touchdown.
Coach Sandiford, who took over the team in 2013, instilled a team motto at the beginning of his tenure: One Team, One Goal. The phrase simply means that every member of the team is united in everything that they do in pursuit of a common goal. In the decade since, RAA Boys’ Varsity Flag Football has pursued the goal of a championship. And despite not reaching it until now, the motto has never changed. “This championship represents a goal that we have had not just for the past year, but for the past ten,” says assistant coach Ben Korompis (Class of 2014), who has coached the team with Coach Sandiford and his brother, Brandon “BK” Korompis (Class of 2014), since graduating RAA. “During the semifinal and final games, there were many alumni watching, most of whom had played football for RAA in years past,” recalls Coach BK. “But they were not just watching. They were invested, giving advice to coaches and players on the sidelines and cheering their hearts out. It was as if they were in their Bulldogs jerseys and still on the team.” Junior receiver Carter Leichty III echoes this point, “It has been Redlands’s goal to win this championship for a long time. So it felt like we got the glory not just for this 2024 team but for all the other teams before us.”
ADDITIONAL QUOTES
“This championship is the result of hard work, perseverance, and belief. It validates all the sacrifices and tough moments along the way. More than the trophy, it’s about seeing the players’ joy and knowing that the life lessons they’ve gained will stay with them forever.”
– Coach Lemar Sandiford on what the championship means to him
“This was way more than just a championship. There’s been so much work that’s been put in for the past ten years, and we were finally able to finish the job. It was amazing to get this for our coaches as a way to say thank you to them for all the work that they put in.”
– Senior Sammy Gomes on what the championship means to him
“It felt to me that [after winning the championship], there was a bar set, almost an expectation that something is starting… Whatever it was, it was greatness.”
– Freshman Hudson Hayton on what it felt like winning the championship
“It was a little scary because I saw how good you have to be to win a championship… I saw the dedication that each captain and starter had each practice and each game. You could really tell how badly they wanted to win.”
– Freshman Greyson Ayala on what he learned from being on a championship team
“The brotherhood among these players is unlike any other year that I’ve coached. From senior to freshman, captain to backup, this team head-to-toe was so connected in their mindset both on and off the field… Most fun group of boys I’ve been around!”
– Coach Brandon Korompis on what he admires most about this team
[1] Because boys’ flag football is not a CIF-recognized sport, there is no officially administered regular season or playoffs. The LLA Tournament has traditionally been recognized by participating Seventh-Day Adventist schools as the playoffs and championship for the SDA flag football season, though there is no official designation.