A soccer player, she tried out for flag football, and Cooper City High School is sure glad she did
Isabella Riollano, 15, of Cooper City is an established soccer goalkeeper who decided to try out for the Cooper City High School flag football team last season.
She and the flag football team are glad she did.
As a freshman, Riollano starred on the football field in 2021, earning Miami Herald All-County first-team honors in Broward.
A linebacker and a receiver, she helped the Cowboys (11-4) reach the district finals. In 14 games played of 15, she made 36 solo flag pulls. She also caught 89 passes for 739 yards and 14 touchdowns.
For her efforts, Riollano was named team MVP. Not bad for a freshman who never played flag football before last season.
Here is my video interview with Isabella Riollano.
While watching one of the Cooper City High School soccer games, the school’s flag football coach Al DiLiello noticed this 5-5 reserve keeper. Good eye.
DiLiello said: “For the past six years that I’ve been a coach at Cooper City, I’ve tried to find athletes who I believe would be a good fit for flag football. The best place I could find is watching the other sports play at Cooper City. Volleyball, basketball and soccer are the main sports that do not compete at the same time as flag football.
“The good part is we are the last sport to play in the spring. We get an opportunity to see all the athletes before we start. Our staff has a good relationship with the coaches of the other sports, and we attend a few games a year.
“When we visited the soccer field, I never really got to see Bella play except for one time. She was the goalkeeper, so her skill set was different from a typical soccer player. What really amazed me was her aggressiveness and a fearless approach to the game. I was sitting with a few parents in the stands who I knew from coaching their kids. I asked who is the goalkeeper, and they said, ‘You need to get her on the flag football team.’
“She’s a great athlete. We were in contact and asked her to tryout. They rest is history as they say.”
Soccer is still No. 1 for her, but flag football is now another viable option.
She was a backup to a senior keeper in soccer last season at Cooper City. She will have an opportunity to start in soccer in goal next season as a sophomore. Flag football? She’s a starter.
She is a natural athlete and coachable. She is also mentally tough, something required to be a credible goalkeeper.
Her mom, Crystal, said: “I am completely thrilled and honored as a parent, knowing she has such great talent as an athlete and is giving back to her community in Cooper City and Davie and in school through her athletics. I am super proud of her.”
Her mom is also “super proud” of her academic efforts. Riollano is a straight-A student, taking advanced classes. That carried over from Pioneer Middle School where she also excelled in the classroom and on the soccer field.
Beginning at age 5, she grew up playing rec soccer for Cooper City Optimist and Davie. She played Cooper City Optimist rec basketball as well.
Currently, she is playing keeper for the Davie United girls’ travel soccer team for Coach Chama. She is working on her keeper skills this summer through Coach Giuseppe at Bamford Park in Davie.
JGA of Broward (Golf)
At last week’s golf tournament under the JGA of Broward banner, Ashley Balcom won the Girls’ Junior Division with 4-over-75 on the Oaks Course of Palm-Aire County Club in Pompano Beach.
Aryanah Ahmad was second at 10-over 81, followed by Dariana Breto at 82.
In the Girls’ Championship Division, Jennifer Lilly (Pembroke Pines, Archbishop McCarthy HS) finished first at 3-over 74. Rileigh Baker (Weston, Archbishop McCarthy HS) was runner-up at 80, and Morgan Herring (Davie St. Thomas Aquinas HS) took third at 85.
Alejandro Arteta (Cooper City HS) won the Boys’ Championship Division, firing a 4-over 75 to edge Terry Moore (Archbishop McCarthy HS) by one stroke. Oscar Crowe (Boca Raton HS) and J.Stanley tied for third at 80.
In the Boys’ Junior Division, Brady Vitucci shot a 9-over 80 to take first-place honors. Sebastian Ayala and Parker Obst tied for second at 82.
The JGA of Broward runs weekly golf tournaments for kids and teens throughout Broward County.
Submit summer sports results
For summer sports with high school athletes in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, if you have results and stats for this column, email hssports@miamiherald.com. For club teams and individuals, include the high school(s) of the student-athlete(s).
This is open to participants in summer sports leagues, events and tournaments who are current high school athletes, those who graduated in 2021 and those who will be freshmen in the fall.
Email hssports@miamiherald.com.
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Roundup compiled by Jim Varsallone
jvarsallone@miamiherald.com
This story was originally published July 13, 2021 at 4:54 PM.
