Lisa Leal
Quarterback Jane Alexander throws to a receiver as Audrey Hoffman tries to block a Unity High player
In less than one month, the flag football team has had two major blowouts- a 46-0 win against Oakland Unity and a 47-0 win against Richmond College Prep.
Gia Watts, Jane Alexander, Ahni’Yah Monk and Corryn Bailey each scored touchdowns in the Sept. 17 win over Unity. Marie Niang and Audrey Hoffman each scored multiple touchdowns in the Oct. 6 game against Richmond College Prep, improving the team’s overall record to 3-2/
Melissa Hardy, a junior center, said she was glad that the team started the season off strong.
“Our first game brought a little bit of confidence into the game, especially because most of the people never played before on the team,” she said.
The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) sanctioned flag football in fall of 2023. Many schools in California then added it as a girls sport because of the Title IX, a federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in any educational program, including sports and required s equal funding and equal numbers of sports for both sexes. Flag football follows many of the same rules as football. However, instead of tackling, flag football players pull off flags for defense.
Marie Niang, a senior running back, has played all three years of Skyline’s flag football team. She said that while the first win this year was refreshing, she was not surprised by the score because Skyline has played Unity the day before.
“It was more of a scrimmage,” she said. “IT was very obvious that we would do well in the game the next day.”