The tale of ‘The Little Mermaid’ and the girl who threw a TD pass
Varsity player may have made state high school football history
SAN JOSE » The “Philly Special” is an all-time play in the annals of the Philadelphia Eagles, trickery that helped lift the championship-starved franchise to an upset victory over the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl.
At Silver Creek High in San Jose, the football team renamed the play “The Little Mermaid.”
And in a game this month, “The Little Mermaid” worked perfectly as Ariel Orona became possibly the first girl in state history — Cal-Hi Sports isn’t sure — to throw a touchdown pass in a varsity football game.
“It was more amazing than I thought it was going to be,” Orona said.
Lined up along the right
sideline, Orona took a pitch from running back Elijah Thomas, who had taken a direct snap from the center as quarterback Ricky Anaya appeared to be changing the play.
Once she had the ball, Orona, a left-hander, ran a few steps before throwing a pass along the left sideline to Anaya, who then ran into the end zone for a touchdown that capped a 28-6
victory over Westmont.
“I was confident,” Orona said. “I knew what I was doing with it, and I knew the quarterback was going to catch the ball. I just had that feeling. I was very emotional and excited for the whole team.”
Coach Aaron Noriega wasn’t surprised Orona completed the pass. He described her as an athlete who also plays shooting guard on the school’s girls basketball team.
Still, there was apprehension.
“I knew she was athletic,
but I was a little nervous for her to play varsity football,” said Noriega, who took over the varsity team this season from longtime coach Eric Luescher. “I know she played JV and was the backup quarterback for JV. But JV and varsity, the speed levels are totally different.
“I was a little worried for her at the varsity level, but she really wanted to play. So we OK’d it as long as her parents were OK with it. She brings good energy to the team, and she’s tough as nails. The other players
try to look out for her like a little sister. She’s like, ‘I am going to have to look out for you guys.’”
Silver Creek has worked on “The Little Mermaid” on the practice field the past few weeks but not quite to perfection.
“When we were practicing it, something bad would always happen,” Noriega said. “Bad snap over the head or she’ll throw the pass and Ricky will drop it. But everything happened perfectly that day.”
And when it did, the team erupted as Silver
Creek improved its record to 3-3 overall and 2-1 in the Blossom Valley Athletic League’s Santa Teresa Division.
“I was taking pictures with a lot of people; people were congratulating me,” Orona said. “My mom was very happy for me, really happy.”
Orona played flag football in middle school and tackle football at Silver Creek as a freshman. She hadn’t played in a couple of years but was determined to get back on the field as a senior.
“I really love the game,” she said. “I am very passionate about playing football. I’ve always watched football since I was younger. So I thought I’d try it out.”
Now, as Silver Creek enters the home stretch of the season, Orona wants to be on the other end of a touchdown pass.
She wants to catch the ball.
“That’s my next goal,” she said.