Anticipation has been building since the California Interscholastic Federation voted in February to make girls’ high school flag football an official sport.
Approximately 70 schools are offering the sport in the Sac-Joaquin Section, including Ceres High and Central Valley.
The Bulldogs and Hawks had a combined 100 students express interest in playing flag football.
“I was surprised at how much interest there was at the very beginning,” Central Valley head coach Tony Cordova said. “The girls started recruiting other girls. They were texting their friends. I’m still getting emails from girls. They want to join the team.”
“We’re making history,” Bulldogs’ leader Curtis Hulstine added. “This is the first flag football team Ceres High School has ever fielded. The girls are super excited. It should be pretty fun.”
Teams started preparing for the inaugural season, which gets underway this week, on July 31.
Bulldog and Hawk players have shown a lot a growth on the practice field.
“At first, they were really nervous,” Cordova said. “They were really timid. They didn’t know what to expect. They’re really confident now, especially the older girls. It’s starting to rub off on the younger ones. They want to practice longer. That’s really exciting. They turned into sponges. They’re soaking up everything.”
“We’ve been working on basic skills—throwing, running and catching,” Hulstine said. “A lot of the girls surprised me with the skills they already had.”
Central Valley’s roster features 19 players, including seniors Alexa Alberto, Itzel Romero, Dasjeet Pattar, Jade Castro, Tori Molina, Leilanie Ware, Emma Garcia and Vanessa Perez, juniors Brianna Espinoza, Tarnjot Kaur, Rylee Randez, Bella Contreras and Alexa Cardenas, sophomores Alicia Espinoza, Jocelyn Rivera, Madelyn Mastropierro, Dulce Del Valle and Ruby Medina, and freshman Valeria Garcia.
Alberto, Romero and Pattar have been named team captains.
Del Valle will start at quarterback.
Approximately 32 players make up Ceres High’s roster, including Makenna Azevedo (Sr.), Destiny Marron (Sr.), Delila Pasaran (Sr.), Marissa Renteria (Sr.), Jazmin Rodriguez (Sr.), Antonia Solis (Sr.), Vanessa Amaya (Jr.), Jazylnn Marie Cadriel (Jr.), Giselle Contreras (Jr.), America Elizondo (Jr.), Emily Esparza (Jr.), Karina Flores (Jr.), Brianna Quiroz (Jr.), Alexa Rocha (Jr.), Alexa Romo (Jr.), Joselin Ruiz (Jr.), Alyssa Santillanes (Jr.), Madeline Schultz (Jr.), Jaden Stahl (Jr.), Hailey Tsurui (Jr.), Nehemiah Valenzuela(Jr.), Elizabeth Boyd (So.), Hailey Browning (So.), Jadasa Haro (So.), Arrayah Stallworth (So.), Savannah Weese (So.), Maria Bravo (Fr.), Layla Duran (Fr.), Savannah Leifried (Fr.), Yaresly Lopez (Fr.), Nailea Urtiz (Fr.) and Noelani Valencia (Fr.)
Renteria and Schultz were voted team captains.
Renteria will start at quarterback.
Games will be played in a 7-on-7 format.
Teams are required to have a minimum of seven players on the field to start a game, and at least five are required to play.
Games will be comprised of two, 20-minute halves with a running clock until the final two minutes of each half. There will be a five-minute halftime break. Field dimensions must be at least 50-80 yards long and 30-40 yards wide.
Blocking or moving screens will not be allowed. Ball carriers can’t jump, spin or stiff arm in attempts to avoid getting de-flagged/tackled, and there will be 5-yard no-run zones near the goal lines to eliminate short-yardage, power-running plays that could lead to excessive contact.
It may take some time for coaches and athletes to get the hang of the rules and strategies unique to flag football.
The Sac-Joaquin Section will have playoffs. A minimum of 30 qualifiers will be split into two divisions.
Ceres High will compete in the Western Athletic Conference, along with Los Banos, Pacheco, Lathrop, Mountain House, Escalon, Mariposa and Orestimba.
Central Valley will compete in the Central California Conference, along with Patterson, Atwater, Buhach Colony, Merced, Golden Valley and El Capitan.
The Hawks will face Mariposa, Central Catholic, Escalon and Ceres High during the preseason.
Central Valley will also participate in tournaments at Golden Valley and Livingston high schools.
The Bulldogs’ non-conference opponents are Livingston, Golden Valley, Atwater and Central Valley.
Ceres High will also travel to Merced to play in the Golden Valley Tournament.
“I’m excited I get to be a part of Ceres High’s first flag football team,” Haro said. “I played flag football at Caswell (Elementary School). It made me want to come back.”
“All I want to see is effort,” Hulstine said. “Not everything is going to be perfect.”
“We’re all learning,” Cordova said. “I’m going to teach them how to play the game the best I can. We’re going to have fun.”
Manteca Bulletin sports reporter Jonamar Jacinto contributed to this report.
