UPLAND — The CIF Southern Section flag football playoffs aren’t for the faint of heart.

That was proven by Upland junior Faith Garibay Tuesday.

After suffering a forehead gash midway through the second quarter, Garibay returned to start the second half. Garibay’s presence helped fortify a solid Upland defense in a 34-7 victory over neighboring Western Christian in a Division 2 first-round game at Upland High.

Upland (19-6) advances to play at Gahr in the second round Saturday.

“It felt like it hurt, then I saw the blood coming down,” Garibay said. “I didn’t feel like it was that bad besides the blood. I was like, ‘once it gets cleaned up I’m ready to go back in.’”

“When she went down, I think all of our stomachs dropped a little bit,” Upland coach Heather Inglima said. “That kid, she’

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