The Santa Fe flag football team with coach Joe Tillman at the end of the game Monday in Alachua. [Natalia Lopez]

Santa Fe Flag Football Extends Winning Streak To Four

Natalia Lopez March 4, 2025 Football, Gainesville, High School Sports, Santa Fe High School 13 Views

By Natalia Lopez and Colby Kistner

ALACHUA — The Santa Fe High School flag football team shut down the Jacksonville Eagle’s View Warriors 31-0 on Monday night to improve to 4-0. Santa Fe has outscored its opposition 112-0.

The Santa Fe Raiders line up before the beginning of the game. [Natalia Lopez]
The defenses held sway in the first quarter, which ended  0-0. 

Dominant Energy Across Field

Senior Ranilah Smith scored the opening touchdown on a pass from junior quarterback Brooke Zeller with 10:21 remaining in the second quarter.

Zeller scored a touchdown with 43.3 seconds remaining in the half on a pass from junior Kylie Pinson to give Santa Fe a 13-0 halftime lead. Zeller finished by completing 20 of 24 passes for 220 yards and three touchdowns. Junior Aghare Young also had a TD catch.

SFHS coach Joe Tillman huddled with his players during a timeout Monday in Alachua. [Natalia Lopez]
Smith scored her second and final touchdown to help the Raiders take a commanding 31-0 lead during the fourth quarter. Smith finished with 10 catches for 80 yards and the three TDs.

Smith, no stranger to speed, also runs track and field. An aggressive player, she credits her coaches for the motivation. She finished with a team-high 20 tackles, 10 of them sacks.

“Definitely having a bond with all my team players, especially with Brooke and Kylie,” Smith said. “Having that chemistry and having that bond with them and knowing them for a long time. It helps make it easier so that it’s not so much animosity or anything toward one another.”

Tillman’s Impact On Game

Santa Fe coach Joe Tillman had some familiar foes because he played football with three of the coaches from Eagle’s View. Two of the coaches were gold medalists on the USA National Team.

“That coaching staff at Eagle’s View are some of my closest friends I played football with growing up,” Tillman said.

Tillman said the Raider program is continuing to build in its third year.

“Tonight was the first night we played an entire game in program history,” Tillman said. “When you have great players, they make my job easy.”

Tillman’s competitive spirit and encouragement were evident, as he motivated his players and the Warriors. His familiarity with some of their coaches added an extra layer of competition to the game.

Of note: The game was supposed to start at 6 p.m., but a referee shortage delayed it by an hour.

Up Next

Santa Fe will play its first road game against the Jacksonville First Coast Buccaneers (0-3) at 6 p.m. Friday.

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