When it comes to throwing a football, there’s probably no girl in the Southland who can throw it as far or with as much accuracy as Makenna Cook. The Orange Lutheran High School sophomore has relishes the quarterback role, leading the Lancers’ flagship team to a 14-0 start and a No. 1 ranking in the nation by MaxPreps.
Like many others, flag football isn’t Cook’s primary sport — soccer is — but her poise in the pocket makes you think she’s been playing football her whole life.
“I’ve been playing soccer since I was four years old,” says the 15-year-old Costa Mesa native, a forward for the Newport Beach-based club team Slammers FC. “I played in the Matt Leinart League for a couple of years and then joined Concur, an all-girls club program in Orange County. There’s a lot of pressure in soccer. For me, this is more fun.”
For Cook, it’s more fun when she’s winning. And her team is winning, in large part because of her. Cook completed 298 of 410 passes for 3,377 yards and 58 touchdowns with just 13 interceptions and rushed for 214 yards and three scores. Not bad for a player who played primarily as a receiver when he was named Trinity League Player of the Year and All-County First Team last fall.
One beneficiary of Cook’s precision is Orange Lutheran College receiver Keely Baker, who played with Cook on the U.S. Under-15 national team that won the gold medal at the Junior International Cup this summer, where Cook played wide receiver and safety and was named MVP.
“She can throw the ball far and has good judgment,” said Baker, who is also on the track team and specializes in the triple jump, hurdles and javelin. “I know if I’m open, she’ll find me.”
The two have known each other since the seventh grade at Santiago Charter Middle School. Every quarterback has a favorite target, and Baker is Cook’s favorite.
“Keely is fast, runs good routes and finds a lot of different spots,” Cook said. “I’m always looking for her.”
Cook’s efficiency was on display in a Sept. 5 game against Eastvale Roosevelt, when she ran for a score and threw touchdown passes to five receivers in a 54-6 blowout win. Her plan is to play college soccer — her dream is Stanford, but she also likes Georgia, Texas, Duke and North Carolina — but for now, she’s content just to have the ball in her hands instead of at her feet.
“Flag is a lot of fun because you can express yourself in so many different ways,” she says. “It’s a backyard sport. I like quarterbacking because I have a lot of control over what happens. I can set the tone of the game.”
Cook’s athletic genes run in her family. Her father, Mikhail, played football in high school and college, and her mother, Stephanie, played high school softball. Her aunt, Lisa Longaker, is a member of the UCLA Softball Hall of Fame and set 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 (3). She was also named to the NCAA All-Decade Team of the 1980s.
Cook is also close with his older brother Cooper, a defensive lineman at Tustin High School, and they often go to each other’s games when they have time.
“I would spend hours tossing a football around with my brother,” Cook said. “He’s 15 months older than me, but we’re like twins. I even played on his baseball teams.”
Cook can throw the spiral ball 55-60 yards, and Orange Lutheran High School coach Kristen Sherman praises her for putting team goals above individual accomplishments.
“Makena can stretch the field like no one else. She can make every throw,” Sherman said. “Her arm talent is probably some of the best in the country and her leadership is great for her age. Being able to read defenses and see the field at 15 is impressive. We want her to play like a boys quarterback.”
Sherman noted Cook’s performance would be better if not for the fact that she often sits on the bench for long periods in games when the team is leading. Most of Orange Lutheran’s games have been won by large margins by halftime, and only four opponents have scored more than a touchdown.
Orange Lutheran College went 20-9 last season and won the league championship, but Cook is most remembered for his final game, a 28-27 overtime loss to Esperanza in the LA Chargers tournament final.
“We’ve all grown a lot since last year and losing that game set the tone for this season,” Cook said. “I remember how it felt and I never want that to happen again.”
The Lancers lost nine times last season to Newport Harbor, Crean Lutheran and Beckman and three times each to Woodbridge and Esperanza. Sherman described this season as a “revenge tour.” The 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 with a trip to Beckman on Tuesday.
They also have league games scheduled against Santa Margarita on Oct. 1 and 10. Santa Margarita is led by junior transfer Maddie Lamb, who is one of the area’s best quarterbacks and passed for 5,584 yards and a nation-best 91 touchdowns at Esperanza last fall.
“The Trinity League has come a long way,” Sherman said. “It may be the best league in Southern California.”
Cook doesn’t take any competition lightly. He enjoys riding the waves on his boogie board (Huntington Beach is his favorite spot) and hanging out with friends, but when he’s on the field he takes it seriously. A typical weekday might involve weight training in the morning before class, flag practice after school, and club soccer practice at Sage Hill or Great Park in Irvine in the evening.
If she leads the Lancers to the inaugural CIF Southern Section Championship in November, all of her hard work will have been worth it.
