Vacaville's Bella Salais makes history, signs with Ferrum College

Bella Salais never lost a Monticello Empire League game in two years as quarterback for the Vacaville High School flag football team.

Now she'll look to keep that winning tradition going at Ferrum College.

On Thursday Salais signed her National Letter of Intent to continue her academic and athletic career at Ferrum, an NCAA Division II school in Virginia which recently completed its inaugural women's flag football season.

"Coach (Garrett) Roth at Ferrum was the first coach to reach out to me for a scholarship and we stayed in touch. He was really open and all the girls there came to me with open arms," Salais said. "It made me feel like I was at home."

Salais made her decision official during a signing ceremony held at the school, becoming the first flag football signee in program history and the first from Vacaville.

"This was just a blessing. I've played softball my whole life, didn't end up following through with that, but this became a sport at the school," Salais said. "I took the advantage to try it out, try something new and learn right from wrong."

Salais, like nearly every other player in Solano County, played her first flag football game in 2024, when the sport was introduced at the high school level in the area.

The former softball pitcher's arm translated seamlessly to the gridiron, where she threw for a staggering 7,065 yards and 136 touchdowns in two seasons. She also added 1,354 yards and 11 scores on the ground.

"I think a lot of the success had to do with her upbringing, being around athletics, being a student of the game," Vacaville flag football head coach Eric Chappell said. "It was just a natural fit. There was really no question that she was going to be the quarterback."

The signal-caller's versatility also allowed her to play some safety. Salais said she'll be playing both quarterback and safety at the next level.

"I'm excited to continue my academic career, my sports career, but to meet new girls, create new bonds, and make more history there," Salais said.

Salais, who led the Bulldogs to back-to-back 12-0 MEL seasons and a trip to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I semifinals in November, will fit right in with the Panthers, who went 19-5 overall and 8-1 in conference play in their inaugural season.

"She's left a legacy between her ability, the way she represents our program, our city, our school," Chappell said. "She's the standard, and now we have to live up to the standard of Bella. "It's really exciting what she's accomplished and I'm looking forward to seeing what she will do in the future."

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This story was originally published May 28, 2026 at 8:05 PM.