Bonita Vista High (BVH)’s girls’ varsity flag football player and senior Mahliya Wilson began her journey of playing sports at the early age of four and took a further step by joining flag football this year. She expresses her love and passion on the field leading into the Metro Mesa Athlete of the year award for fall 2023, given to her during early Nov.
On Nov. 7, the Instagram page, @Ladybaronsflagfootball released a post announcing the fall athlete of the year. The post briefly outlined Wilson winning the award of Metro Mesa Athlete of the year for the fall season and congratulated her for her achievement. The annual fall sports awards ceremony was held this year on Nov. 16, it was held for numerous schools from the district to award the selected athletes. However, during the event, Wilson was wrapping up winning the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) flag football championship game at Escondido High School. One of the numerous coaches that accompanied the CIF championship, BVH varsity girls’ flag football co-coach Larry Schoen shares his input as to why Wilson was the best candidate for the award.
“Every game that she played, she always made a positive [movement, for example,] interception or touchdowns. From what I’ve seen all year, she’s one of the best players in the entire county,” Schoen said. “At practices, she’s always trying to out jump somebody who always makes plays. Having that around a lot sets the bar, and it’s one of those [moments] where it’s like, ‘yeah, I’m glad she’s on our side.’”
Moreover, Schoen mentions that the Metro Mesa League meeting, that is held at the end of each season, is a roundtable discussion with all of the head coaches from each team within the league that work together when nominating a player for the award. When players in the discussion narrowed down, Wilson was the unanimous decision at the end. The coaches viewed the facts and took in consideration the number of interceptions and touchdowns that she played out and was a dominant aspect to winning. Schoen describes her to be a ‘Swiss army knife’ out on the field as she assists the team excelling in various ways.
“Advice I would give to [fellow athletes] would be to [always] have confidence in what you do [when you are playing]. To believe in yourself and believe in the work you put in. If you put work in, then the outcome should come out how you want it,” Wilson said.
Athletes are able to take away valuable lessons from Wilson’s award-winning achievements. Considering her success highlights the importance of dedication, consistent performance and resilience in the face of challenges. This serves as a reference that excellence in sports revolves not only around physical prowess, but also commitment to personal growth and positive influence. Schoen offers his own insight on how Wilson’s playing of basketball has also had an impact on her playing for flag football.
“Anybody who played a whole different sport [this season], is going to help you improve mentally. You see a whole different side of the different games, competition and coaching. What it does is now that you go back into football or basketball season, [it] is a refresher now, but what she did gain is confidence,” Schoen said.
The confidence that Wilson has is one of the key aspects of her excelling throughout the flag football season and winning the award. Fellow student athlete, flag football quarterback and senior Malyna Castillo is one of the many teammates of Wilson’s and has been playing with her since their freshman year at BVH. Castillo shares how she has viewed Wilson managing and implicating her sports life within her school life.
“She is very determined and applies it into everything that she does in her life, especially sports. She’s a really great athlete but at the same time a really good student as well. She manages her time well [juggling with sports and school],” Castillo said. “Outside of school she is a very shy person. She seems very quiet but when it is game time, she flips the switch and she becomes someone that you can’t mess with. Her confidence level is unmatchable.”
Wilson uses her natural confidence and leadership skills to dictate her strong collaborative abilities. According to Castillo, Wilson consistently demonstrates exceptional teamwork skills, supporting fellow teammates both on and off the field. She is viewed as a great athlete by many people. When the time is presented to her, she ‘plays 100 percent on the field,’ and puts in her all when the time is right.
“We are all starting to learn how to play with each other so I think that for all of us practice has been very beneficial for the teamwork we strive for [and] she really cares for her teammates. When someone falls, she is always there to pick them back up. She is really encouraging and overall I believe that she is a good teammate,” Castillo said.
