Flag Football On the Rise

Senior Maylynn Gloss in a home game against Vistamar on September 15th (photo credit: Riley Cutler)

The CCHS Girl’s Flag Football team finished off their season with some exciting games! After a competitive start to the season and a 31-0 win against Leuzinger High School, they  are set to enter the playoffs in the coming weeks. Senior Night took place on Tuesday, October 13th against Santa Monica High School.

Initially, there was speculation nationwide about girls playing football, as some believe that girls shouldn’t play high contact sports. In spite of this pushback, the new sport has taken hold in recent years, and “a lot of people are actually excited to see how fast the sport is growing,” according to sophomore Captain Kennedy Naylor. Players also look forward to the new addition of the sport to the 2028 Olympic Games in LA.

CCHS’ Varsity team is evolving quickly, becoming a fierce competitor in Southern California, with an overall 9-9 record. Despite how new the program is, the growth of the team has been exponential. Captained by Maylynn Gloss, Julieta Gutierrez, Cassidy Hoffmann and Kennedy Naylor, this is the third season of the flag football program at CCHS. With the help of Coach Tamba Tongu, each season brings more experience and skill to the team. Game outcomes have varied throughout this season, but they brought in more huge wins against schools like Vistamar and United Christian Academy, celebrating scores of 34-6 and 33-0 respectively. 

Flag football allows for a competitive atmosphere for girls to improve and meet new people. “I like the energy [of the team], and the environment of just being able to play,” says sophomore player Olivia Hotton. Many of the players grew up loving football, and the chance to play the sport themselves is very exciting.

Not only does the program train players in technical skills, it creates a strong sense of community at CCHS. “You have so many different athletes from different sports joining, so you really get to meet a ton of new people,” notes Naylor. The mesh of multi-sport athletes creates a fun environment where everyone can contribute something different to the team.