First ever girls flag football season

The first official CIF girls flag football season will kick off tomorrow in the Imperial Valley

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) - For the first time ever, girls flag football is an official CIF sport. Yesterday, five teams from schools across the Imperial Valley scrimmaged one another during a carnival at Central Union High School.

Central athletic director Josh Wise says that this inaugural season, which took years in the making would not be possible without the support of administrations across the state.

"As any sport it comes with expenses, so we needed to ask and ensure that we can do this and they had 100% support to empower these young women and to give them the opportunity to be involved in something greater than themselves which the boys have been a part of and that is football,” Wise said.  

With the season fast approaching excitement is building among players, coaches, and the community.

“I’m just excited for everything the games the practices," Central's Giannah Medina said. "The practices are still exciting because it is new. I’m really enjoying it.” 

“There are a lot of female athletes out there that when we were in high school this was not a reality, so I am remarkably hyped up about this," Central head coach Crystal Cortez said. "This is something that I wanted for myself, so I am just glad that it is happening.” 

With this being a brand new sport to CIF schools, many of these girls have never played flag football prior to this fall.

“Learning the new sport, the routes. I have never done routes before and they are amazing," Medina said. 

You won't be seeing any crushing hits or pancake blocks, but these games will be played at an exciting and fast pace.

“The fundamentals of football are still there," Cortez said. "I find this more exciting. It requires a lot more agility. It is a high energy high speed type of game.”

"Something you can expect are a lot of quick passes and a lot of laterals, where the girls will be tossing the ball backwards," Wise said. "Once they get the ball moving forward, tossing it.”

This season is just the beginning for the sport. There is hope that it can really take off and grow into something much bigger.

“Hopefully we create the opportunity where girls can go off to the next level, which is college, and play collegiate football on scholarships," Wise said. "And give girls opportunities to coach and be football coaches one day. And thats hope I hope to see is building careers out of this.” 

Games at schools across the valley will kick off the inaugural season tomorrow night.