EDISON player celebrates a touchdown (HBUHSD photos).
By Declan McDaniels/Orange County Tribune
American football is a fundamental element of our country’s identity. There is a common thread that is seen in the experience of NFL Sundays, College GameDay Saturdays, and Friday Night Lights games at your local high school.
Football provokes a collective sense of community for those watching and instills determination and character for those playing. Historically, football has been a male-dominated sport that has fewer opportunities for women and young girls to get involved. But this is slowly changing. More and more girls are getting involved through flag football, a modified version of traditional tackle football that is paving the way for more young athletes to participate in a sport that hasn’t always been so accessible.
In February, the California Interscholastic Federation, which is the governing body for all high school sports in California, unanimously approved a proposal to introduce girls flag football as an officially recognized sport starting in the 2023-2024 school year. Because of this, the opportunity to participate in this formidable sport is open to anyone, and many girls are finally able to feel more welcomed.
Two high schools that have had success in implementing their girls flag football teams are rivals Huntington Beach High School and Edison High School, both currently ranked in the top 20 in California. On Monday Oct. 9, the two teams met for the second time this season. While the first matchup ended in a one-score win by Edison, this time, Huntington came out on top, with an 18-12 win in overtime.
HUNTINGTON ball carrier advances the ball.
Huntington Coach Zack Pannell, who coached five years of middle school girls flag football before taking his current position, said that his team knew the importance of this “revenge game.“That’s a tough team, they’re no joke. Coming out knowing it’s going to be a tough game was exciting,” Pannell said. “For league standings and with the end of league approaching us, we knew we had to get a win.”
With only one week left in the regular season, Huntington saw this win as imperative. Edison Head Coach Mike Walters, who also previously coached middle school girls flag football for about five years, thought that this game was very evenly matched and came down to just a few big plays.
“I thought the girls played hard; Huntington is a really good team,” Walters said. It was a real even fought game, and in evenly-fought games, the team that makes a couple of plays is the team that usually comes out on top, and in the big moments they made a couple of plays and we missed a couple of opportunities.”
In its first season, high school girls flag football is already providing fans with thrilling competition, and Pannell says that this is only the beginning for the sport. “It’s huge, I think it’s going to blow up, I think it already is blowing up. I know that there’s some colleges in the East Coast, colleges in the Midwest that have already picked up girls flag football,” Pannell said. “Definitely my younger girls are talking about it, especially a couple freshmen that made varsity this year. I see some big potential in them with some possible scholarship opportunities depending on how quick the NCAA picks it up and runs with it.”
There are currently 15 colleges in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics that offer girls flag football teams, and the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) is planning on implementing teams in the coming years. This could open up many pathways for girls to get college opportunities and scholarships that haven’t previously existed. Huntington player Jaiden Anderson is excited to finally see this expansion in girls sports, especially flag football.
“I think girls in sports is very cool, and it should’ve happened a while ago,” Anderson said. “I’m glad it’s happening now. It’s just really unique and really fun, girls love it.”
The girls have embraced their chance to have fun playing on a high school football team, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t taken seriously. Pannell, who also coaches basketball for Huntington, suggests that the girls’ competitiveness might be even greater than the boys’.“I coach boys basketball, and these girls are more or just as competitive as they are,” Pannell said. “The girls know it, so I don’t think they really care about it, they don’t think about it, they just go out there and do their thing.
Walters shared a similar sentiment about the girls competitiveness, adding that the environment of team sports will often bring out the best in a player.
“The competitive aspect is all there, it’s there just every bit as it is when I coach the boys in tackle football. These girls want to win and they want to make plays,” Walters said. “That fire that comes from football and team sports, I have noticed, is universal across the board. It’s my first experience coaching a girls flag football team, and it was seamless as far as the competitive aspect goes. They get after it.”
Flag football undoubtedly has the same competitive aspect as its counterpart tackle football, but there are many distinct rules that can change the game in big ways. Pannell talked about how the absence of blockers can cause the ball to move even more quickly than in tackle football.
“I had to read the whole rulebook and make sure I knew it myself, because there are some different rules, even from my middle school coaching,” Pannell said. “There’s no QB pocket, there’s no blockers. But that rusher, there’s some fast rashers in our league and they get in there within seconds… the QB’s gotta get rid of the ball just as quick, maybe even quicker than the boys do in tackle football.”
Pannell also mentioned how since the center is not allowed to block, they are able to go out and look for a pass, adding an extra element to the game that is very unique.
“The center, the person who hikes the ball, they can run out for routes, so I feel like that’s very underused,” Pannell said. “I actually use it quite a bit… because in boys football you don’t have to worry about any of the lineman releasing for passes, so as far as our center going out for passes, I feel like that’s open quite a bit.”
Along with the lack of blocking and other contact, one of the biggest rules in flag football is that there are no fumbles, meaning the play is dead when the ball hits the ground. Walters talked about how this can allow teams to get aggressive with pitching the ball, as the risk diminishes without the chance of fumbling.
“That’s one of the things, to Huntington’s credit, that they’ve really done well with: getting girls in a position to be able to take pitches and pick up a couple extra yards,” Walters said. “I see the game evolving into a little more rugby style with some teams. Especially teams if maybe their quarterback isn’t getting the ball down the field well, it’s a good alternative to be able to throw short ones and then pitch them out.”
Flag football at a competitive level is still very new, so it will take time for coaches and players to get to know the intricacies of the game. Teams will learn how to use these unique rules to their advantage, and games will only become more exciting. Walters sees the interest from younger groups of girls, and he thinks that the stage is being set for a sport that will grow for years to come.
“I love it, it’s going to get bigger. I see more and more young girls playing flag football. We had a group at our game on Monday, a local team that plays in one of the local leagues, and they all came to our game. They were probably in elementary school, and they were all looking forward to continuing to play,” Walters said. “I got a lot of questions about how to get involved, so I think it’s great, I think it’s really going to get big, because football is a fun sport in all forms.”
Anderson encourages any football fan to come out and watch the electric atmosphere, as the games get more physical than one may think.
“These games get pretty physical, and they’re fun to watch,” Anderson said. “It goes back and forth, high scoring. It’s very competitive, and I think everyone should come out and watch it.”
With over 300 California high schools already adding girls flag football, it is one of the fastest growing sports in America. It could even start to gain traction worldwide, as the International Olympic Committee recently approved flag football for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
The increasing number of girls playing flag football will only continue as it becomes more competitive across all levels. As CIF keeps expanding its reach, local rivalries such as the one between Huntington and Edison will be sure to entertain and engage fans in the meantime.