Alameda and Encinal high schools scored victories in their first sanctioned flag football games on Thursday, Sept. 14.

The Alameda High School (AHS) flag football team defeated Piedmont High School, 13-0, at Thompson Field, while Encinal High School (EHS) defeated Tennyson High of Hayward, 20-12, on the road.

The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), the state’s athletic governing body, approved a proposal to sanction the sport by a vote of 146-0. That approval opened the door for the formation of teams, leagues and playoffs at every level — section, regional and state.

The Hornets are coached by co-head coaches Michael Lee and Zolten Kent. The Jets are led by Juanita Lyons. Lyons coaches several sports at EHS and is co-athletic director.

“I like coaching, I figured that it would be a great opportunity to learn with the girls as we’re going and give them a better opportunity, especially for some that don’t do sports,” said Lyons to the Encinal Horizon staff. “This season, I just want the girls to get better and build confidence in their abilities. If we win on top of that then that’s just icing on the cake.”

According to studies by the National Federation of State High School Associations, the body that writes the rules of competition for most high school sports, girls’ flag football in high schools doubled to 11,000 leading up to 2018-19. Recent studies show numbers are on the rise again. At least 22 states offer girls’ flag football programs.

In flag football, games are still played on the 100-yard football field. There are two, 20-minutes halves. Teams have five players on the field, compared to 11 for tackle football. Teams are required to have at least seven players to participate. AHS has 15 players, while EHS has 16.

Before the season started at least eight students gathered on the football field for conditioning. After open tryouts, the team roster grew to 16 players.
“I’m ready to show everybody what we got and how hard we’ve been working on the field,” said EHS sophomore Lauren Marston to the EHS Horizon publication. “I’m excited, we’re the first ones to do [flag football], we’re making history.”

Next, AHS will play Tennyson High on Thursday, Sept. 21 at home. EHS will face Berkeley High School on Wednesday, Sept. 20 on the road. The two teams will face each other on Oct. 12 at Thompson Field.

This story contains reporting from Maleia Ferguson of the EHS Horizon staff.