When it comes to throwing the football, perhaps no girl in the Southland can do it with more accuracy and distance than Makena Cook. The Orange Lutheran sophomore relishes her role as quarterback and has led the Lancers’ flag team to a 14-0 start and a No. 1 ranking in the nation by MaxPreps.
Like many of her peers, flag football isn’t Cook’s primary sport. That would be soccer. But judging by her demeanor in the pocket, you’d think she’s been playing soccer her entire life.
“I’ve been playing soccer since I was 4,” said the 15-year-old from Costa Mesa, a forward for the Slammers FC club team in Newport Beach. “I played in the Matt Leinart League for about two years, then I joined Conquer,” an Orange County girls’ club program. “Soccer is a lot of pressure. This is more of a fun thing.”
For Cook, winning is more fun, and her team is doing so in large part because of her. Cook has completed 298 of 410 passes for 3,377 yards and 58 touchdowns with just 13 interceptions while throwing for 214 yards and three scores. Not bad for someone who played primarily as a receiver last fall when she earned Trinity League Most Valuable Player and All-County First Team honors.
One of the beneficiaries of Cook’s precision is Orange Lutheran receiver Keylee Baker, who played with her on the U.S. 15U national team that won gold at the Junior International Cup last summer. Cook played wide receiver and safety and was named MVP.
“She can throw the ball far and she makes good decisions,” said Baker, who also is on the track team and specializes in triple jump, hurdles and javelin. “I know if I’m open, she’s going to find me.”
The two have known each other since seventh grade at Santiago Charter Middle School. Each quarterback has a favorite target, and Baker is Cook’s.
“Keylee is fast, she runs nice routes and finds different spots,” Cook said. “I’m always looking for her.”
Cook’s efficiency was on display on Sept. 5 against Eastvale Roosevelt, when she had one score and threw touchdown passes to five different receivers in a 54-6 rout. Her plan is to play college soccer — her dream school is Stanford, but she’s also considering Georgia, Texas, Duke and North Carolina — but for now, she’s content with the ball in her hands, not at her feet.
“Flag is so much fun because I get to express myself in different ways,” she said. “It’s a backyard sport. I like quarterback because I have a lot of control over what happens. You can set the tone of the game.”
Athletic genes run in Cook’s family. Her father, Mikhail, played football in high school and college, her mother, Stefanie, played softball in high school, and her aunt Lisa Longaker is in the UCLA softball hall of fame after setting several program records, including career wins (89), wins in a season (31), innings pitched in a season (259-1/3) and no-hitters in a season (three). She was even selected to the NCAA All-Decade team for the 1980s.
Cook also has a good relationship with her older brother Cooper, a defender at Tustin High, and they attend each other’s games together when they can.
“I would throw the football around with my brother for hours,” Cook said. “He’s 15 months older, but we’re practically twins. I even played on his baseball team.”
Cook can throw a spiral 180 to 200 feet high, and Orange Lutheran coach Kristen Sherman appreciates her star player’s willingness to put team goals above personal achievement.
“Makena can stretch the field like no other — she has every throw in her toolbox,” Sherman said. “Her arm talent is probably the best in the country and her leadership is impressive for her age. It’s great to be able to read the defense and see the field the way she does at 15. We want her to play like a boys quarterback.”
Sherman noted that Cook’s stats would look even better if she didn’t often miss large chunks of games while her team is way ahead. Most of Orange Lutheran’s games have ended in a blowout before halftime. Only four opponents have managed to score more than a touchdown.
Orange Lutheran finished 20-9 last season and won the league title, but the game Cook remembers most was the very last, a heartbreaking 28-27 overtime loss to Esperanza in the LA Chargers Tournament final.
“We’ve all matured a lot since last year and losing that game set the tone for this season,” Cook said. “We remember what it felt like and we don’t want that to happen again.”
The Lancers lost nine games last season — to Newport Harbor, Crean Lutheran, Beckman and three times each to Woodbridge and Esperanza. Sherman described this season as a “redemption tour” as her team has avenged losses to Newport Harbor (28-12), Woodbridge (41-6), Crean Lutheran (26-0) and Esperanza (27-7) and will look to complete the task when it travels to Beckman on Tuesday.
Also on the schedule are league games on Oct. 1 and 10 against Santa Margarita, led by another top quarterback in the region, junior transfer Madi Lam, who threw for 5,584 yards and a national record 91 touchdowns at Esperanza last fall.
“The Trinity League has improved a lot,” Sherman said. “It might be the best in SoCal.”
Cook isn’t taking any competition for granted. While she enjoys riding the waves on her bodyboard (Huntington Beach is her favorite) and hanging out with friends, she’s all business when she steps onto the field. On a typical weekday, Cook lifts weights before class in the morning, does flag practice after school, and heads to club soccer practice at Sage Hill or Great Park in Irvine in the evening.
If she leads the Lancers to their first CIF Southern Section championship in November, all the hard work will have been worth it.
Sign up for the LA Times SoCal high school sports newsletter for scores, stories and an inside look at what makes prep sports so popular.
This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.
