December 12, 2022 marked a historic day for the future of high school girls sports; The Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) officially voted to establish flag football as a sanctioned sport. While some schools already had unofficial teams that would have been considered ‘clubs’, this brought a new interest to the girls’ football community at OHS, and other schools across the valley.
Ever since their first official practice on August 7th, a goal that the girls have been working on is development. Specifically in terms of their skills and teamwork. Coach Michael Webber believes that winning is important, but would rather his players be focused on learning a lesson in life.
“We all have different learning curves, but the difference is once we start to get an understanding (that IQ of the game), the concept, and developing skill set, then those two start coming together,” said Michael Webber, flag football coach.
Coach Webber also believes that coaching should impact the athletes on and off the field by setting examples for situations outside of the sport.
“You’re teaching the students to have integrity.You’re building a culture of kids that are learning in this technology world how to communicate: how to work with stressful situations, how to deal with adversity,” Webber said.
Part of the adversity that female football players face includes discrimination from men, simply because of their gender. However, this does not hold them back from trying to prove those individuals wrong by now being able to play the sport.
“People have been like ‘Why do you play, you’re a girl?’ and I’m like, ‘because, girls can do it too, you know?’” said Taylor Kunz, freshman, safety and kicker for the team.
It is not uncommon for football to be seen as a male-dominated sport, but with the start of girls’ flag football, hopefully the stereotype will begin to shift.
“I feel like football is just always known as a ‘guy thing’, but now that girls are starting it up, it’s very cool to see that happen,” said Mercediz Alvarado, junior, receiver on the team.
Even though some girls have never played football before, they still find the confidence from their teammates to show up and play their hardest each game.
“Our team environment is so good and it’s just so positive and uplifting,” said Bella Wolf, sophomore, offensive and defensive linebacker for the team.
Playing and practicing hard is important to everyone on the team, especially Coach Webber. All the players agree that playing time is earned, and you must prove yourself worthy to be allowed a spot on the field.
“I don’t play kids that just show up. I play kids that are going to put the work in,” Webber said.
Putting in the work means listening and learning on and off the field. With a coach who is always teaching lessons, it is important to pay attention.
“Really take in what you’re learning, don’t just let it go in one ear and out the other,” Wolf said.
The girls are all about unity, and even Coach Webber agrees that it plays a key role in keeping a team well bonded.
“It’s a very ‘team effort’ kind of thing,” Wolf said. “So when you’re upset about something, then you can’t just dwell on it yourself. You need your other teammates’ support.”
Multiple players on the team look to their captains when they are in need of some extra motivation or positivity. Becky Currence, sophomore, is one of these captains. She has been playing flag football since she was younger, and knows the sport well. Currence is a very positive and upbeat player, and is considered to be quite the role model.
“[Becky is] very positive and uplifting. She’s probably one of the most positive people on our team,” Wolf said.
Although their season has been off to a rough start, players and supporters alike are optimistic that with more time and practice, any problems they are having will be solved.
“Even though we’ve lost already, I feel like we’re getting better and I feel like we can win,” Kunz said.
