After a successful inaugural season, varsity girls flag football is ready to run it back. This fall, the Eagles aim to win CCS amid tougher competition and radical rule changes.
“We can make history,” sophomore Fernanda Mendieta said. “We made it last year by becoming the first flag program, and now winning CCS would be amazing.”
This fall marks flag football’s first official season in CCS, allowing teams across the Bay Area to compete for the section title. But that also came with significant shifts in game rules, according to head coach Gabriel Stewart.
One major change is the addition of blocking, while still restricting contact between players. Balancing this with the sport’s non-contact foundation has posed a challenge for both players and coaches.
“With the introduction of the new rule, you can expect to see more bodies getting caught up with the ball,” Stewart said.
Despite this switch-up, the team is still focused on its season goals. Senior Ida Amren explained that becoming CCS-sanctioned created a more officiated feel, which many flag-football teams in the league have called for.
CCS, also known as the Central Coast Selection, refers to one of the ten sections governed by the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF). Allowing for higher competition on a larger scale, CCS offers opportunities beyond winning a local league division.
“It’s giving us the opportunity to actually show that we can make [CCS],” Ida said. “Introducing CCS for flag football is a really big deal for girls’ sports — and it’s something a lot of us have been waiting on for a long time.”
Beyond league results, a successful season comes down to the growth and development of the whole team.
“The wins are great, and the losses are going to happen,” junior Erin Jesensky said. “As long as the team gets better, that passion and energy will help us win even more.”
Erin also emphasized improvement over results and said the team’s energy will allow them to achieve their expected results. Stewart shared a similar perspective, as he hopes to go through the season with no regrets.
“If everyone can look back and say, ‘We did the best that we can do,’ that’s all that matters,” Stewart said.
So far, the team has a record of 9–4, having already faced a lot of challenging competition.
“We’ve had to work a lot to win so far,” Stewart said. “I’m expecting the team to show a lot of resilience and emotional toughness for the rest of the season.”
However, the team knows that the path ahead won’t be easy.
“Last year we weren’t playing against some of the top schools,” Fernanda said. “This year we’re playing schools like Saint Francis and Menlo, and it’s affecting the way we play and getting in our heads”.
Both the coaches and players agree that challenges will push them to improve.
“We are putting in a lot of effort in each game to be the best team possible,” Fernanda said.
Alongside the consistent effort from the team, Stewart has reflected on this and last season, explaining that it’s more important they get better and improve than trying to win every game.
“The new car smell is gone,” Stewart said. “It’s not a new sport anymore, which has shifted our goals from learning how to adapt in a new sport to just needing to improve.”
