GILBERT, Ariz. — A high school sport is making Arizona history.
Fall of 2023 marks the first full season of Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) girls flag football. It kicked off across the Valley in August.
Williams Field High School has about 25 players on their Black Hawk team. Some play offense, some defense and some play both. Many of the athletes are returning this fall, after playing a shortened season in the spring. The Varsity squad is made up of freshman through seniors. The goal is to eventually create freshman and JV teams, as interest gains momentum.
The overall game is similar to boys football. The ladies play seven on seven, with modified blocking rules. The athletes work offensive and defensive drills at practice, gearing up for Tuesday and Thursday night games.
Adyson Nichols is a senior quarterback on the team with a lot of experience in the game. Nichols said she has been playing off and on since she was about four-years-old.
Senior wide receiver, Amber Ferron, also has deep roots in flag football. Her dad, Bob Ferron, is the team's offensive coordinator. “I love it, I’m glad that he did it," Ferron said. "I thought it was a great idea from the start.”
Bob Ferron said the game has the potential to open a lot of doors for the athletes. “We tell the girls there’s a lot of opportunity for girls in flag football, because these coaches in colleges are going to give scholarships to the ones who can academically do it and athletically do it."
Yvette Christiansen is the female head coach. She has one important message for her team, one that's women supporting women, she said. “I really want my girls on this team to understand how much of a privilege and honor this is and that they are starting something that might be huge is what I’m hoping for," Christiansen said.
She has one big motivation when coaching, too. “I want these girls to experience Friday Night Lights as well," Christiansen said. "It might not be on Friday, but just to have that energy behind us.”
Each Varsity girls flag football team team will have 12 games and playoffs that start on October 24. Quarterback Nichols takes every practice and game seriously, to pump up her teammates.
“It’s not just all me, we’re all a team," Nichols said. "Everyone has to do their part. Everyone has to show effort and it works.
Nichols and the lady Black Hawks team plan to take down one game at a time, with the goal of making the championship game. "They see that it’s an opportunity, it’s fun," Nichols said. "(We) get to learn something and I think it’s really cool the AIA made it a sport.”
Assistant Coach, Robert Colbert, has more than 20 years of coaching experience, and his son plays on the boys varsity football team at WFHS. His family has been part of the school's legacy for more than 10 years and brings that experience to girls flag football.
“I think it’s fantastic the girls are getting an opportunity to be part of a Varsity sport," Colbert said. "It’s flag football and it's a chance for them to learn some of the different fundamentals for them to play. Whether they want to play here or college, its an opportunity for them to grow as a feeder system into the college opportunity.”
55 schools in the 5A and 6A conferences have teams and will compete for the first-ever state championships on November 4.
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