Horizon flag football’s defense key to hot start

The only question that might be more difficult to definitively answer than the classic philosophical conundrum of which came first, the chicken or the egg, is trying to determine which of Horizon High girls flag football’s defensive position groups are more responsible for its tremendous 2025 campaign. So far, the Hawks are 10-1, allowing their opposition to score an average of just 5.7 points per game.

So, which group — the pass rushers or the defensive backs — is more responsible for such a stellar start?

On the front end, the Hawks’ pass rushers have combined for 30 sacks and are constantly forcing the opposing quarterback into rushing through progressions, scrambling out of the pocket and generally creating so much chaos it’s impossible to make a good decision.

On the back end, Horizon’s defensive backs have caught 18 total interceptions and are so adept at closing any reasonable passing window that before quarterbacks know it, the Hawks pass rushers are clipping at their heels.

Regardless of where you land on this brain-teasing question of football philosophy, one truth about this game is universally accepted: If you don’t let the opposition score, they can’t beat you. For this Horizon defense, its managed to shut out its opponents on four different occasions and hold nine of its 11 opponents to seven points or less.

“I always tell our girls that defense wins championships,” Horizon coach Ethan Mankoff said. “There can always be a day when we’re not catching the ball or passes are not getting to the receivers and we’re not being able to score, but defense is something that you can always lean on because it's about effort, athleticism and making good decisions. Our motto is: ‘If they can’t score, they can’t win.’ That’s the identity of this team. We’re always going to harp on defense, and this season we’ve seen it pay off. When our starting defense is out there, it has just been giving teams a whole lot of problems.”

Pressure causes chaos

The truth is that every level of the Hawks defense leans on one another to create a symbiotic relationship designed to make a quarterback’s life a nightmare.

Step one in accomplishing that mission is to never let the opposing QB feel comfortable in the pocket. That’s where Horizon senior Isabella Almarza — the program’s first and only four-year starter — makes her presence known. 

“Not only is Isabella the glue of the team by helping bridge the gap between some of the new players coming in this season and the returning players, she’s just been a force for us on the field,” Mankoff said. “We really like to put the pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Because our two senior rushers, Isabella and Mariangely (Blanco), have a lot of experience and know what they’re doing when they rush the passer, they create a lot of chaos for the offense. That’s really been key for this defense, just having those experienced rushers who are able to come in and really disrupt things for the quarterback.”

Yes, the Almarza and Blanco pass rush partnership has filled up the stat sheet for the Hawks this season — the two have combined for 27 of Horizon’s 30 sacks through 10 games, with Almarza racking up 14 and Blanco 13 — but what makes them a special part of this defense is how their consistent pressure in the opposing backfield over the course of a game can creep into the subconscious of the quarterback. 

Chaos forces mistakes

Imagine being a QB playing against Horizon. Almost every time you drop back, before you can even pop your head up to look for an open receiver, Almarza and Blanco are forcing you out of the pocket.

After three quarters of this chaos, no matter the caliber of quarterback, you begin to anticipate the pressure, maybe leave the pocket a second early or shift your focus to rushers instead of your throwing mechanics. Once the mistakes start to pile up and your confidence is shot, that’s when you begin to see ghosts. That’s when mistakes are made. And that’s when the Hawks' secondary takes center stage.

“I firmly believe in putting pressure on the quarterback,” Mankoff said. “Most of the time the quarterback has about three seconds to make a decision — whether it’s making a throw, scrambling or throwing it away — but when our rushers can speed up that internal clock, force the QB out of rhythm and box her into making a really tough decision, it creates situations where if she doesn’t make the right read, our ball hawks are ready to jump on it.”

Those decisions become exponentially more difficult when you consider Horizon has two long and rangy linebackers named Madison Strain and Bailey Travis, who along with their length have the fluidity and speed needed in coverage to patrol the middle of the field; creating an almost wall-like structure in the second level of the Hawks defense that forces QBs to loft passes over the two to reach their intended target. 

However, there’s just one more problem quarterbacks need to consider with that approach to circumventing the great wall of Strain and Travis, and that problem’s name is Nyree James. 

“We have ball hawks all over the place in this defense but we’re led by Nyree, who has nine interceptions in eight games as our safety,” Mankoff said. “Nyree is a new addition to the team this year and has been a huge addition. She’s just an incredible athlete, she’s actually a D-I softball commit, and you can really see her instincts as a safety, playing the position like a centerfielder. Her ability to cover ground is amazing, she’s all over the place. When you combine that type of athleticism with her natural ball instincts and ability to anticipate where the QB is going by following their eyes, you get a special athlete.”

Photo by Sam Albuquerque

Capitalize on the opponent’s mistakes

So far this season, the Horizon secondary’s ability to force opposing quarterbacks to throw interceptions, along with the help of its debilitating pass rush, has allowed the Hawks to turn defense into offense, as the defense often gives the ball back to its offense in advantageous situations. Situations on which Horizon sophomore quarterback Fabi Kreubel — and her vast array of pass catchers — has capitalized.

“With the added experience she’s gotten as our lone QB this season, Fabi’s definitely made a big jump,” Mankoff said. “The most important part of her game that’s grown is her maturity. She’s really developed in her understanding of the game, her understanding of the situations we’re in, her understanding of how important it is to take care of the football. 

“One of the biggest improvements she’s made is learning not to force throws when her reads aren’t open,” he said. “She’s learned that it’s OK to dump it down to the running back or throw it away. Her mental growth and improved decision-making have been a huge part of our season because she’s limiting her mistakes and understands when it’s time to take risks. … She’s playing really sound ball right now and has been a great leader for the offense … and seeing her get to the point of almost being a coach on the field for us is incredible.”

Kreubel’s growth has not only been key to the offense taking a step forward, it’s helped unlock the full potential of Horizon’s potent defense and catapulted the Hawks up to No. 5 on MaxPreps’ Florida rankings; setting themselves up for a potential No. 1 seed in its district tournament and beyond. Mankoff and his Lady Hawks aren’t letting themselves get carried away, though; their focus is on finishing the regular season strong and making history by winning the program’s first district title.

“It’s been a really good mixture of players who are all on the same page,” Mankoff said. “Right now, our focus is to keep improving each practice, each game for the rest of the regular season so we’re prepared for the district championship tournament in about two weeks time. Our main goal right now is to bring home our first district championship; we’ll worry about whatever comes after that later.”