The school’s girls flag football team kicked off their journey successfully, bringing home the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Division 2 (D2) Championship title against Cleveland High School at Crenshaw High School, Nov. 23. 

“I know the whole team was really excited that we won,” junior Grace Ramadan said. “We really wanted to prove to everyone in the school and other teams that just because we were new on the scene of flag football, [it] didn’t mean that we were any less qualified than they were.”

All players alike believe that a victory like this really helped them prove themselves to those who may have doubted them, and helped them work towards their goals as a team. 

“We became better as a team,” senior captain Abby Liebrecht said. “It’s evident how well we worked together towards the end because we finished with a six game win streak.”

The team played in three playoff rounds and outcompeted 15 teams in their bracket, qualifying them for the D2 championship game. Their group dynamic and ability to create close bonds throughout their season greatly helped with this impressive success.

“We became a big happy family,” Ramadan said. “It’s going to be really sad to move forward into the next year without our current seniors.”

Younger team players are going to miss their senior teammates and especially their team captains, Liebrecht and Jada Suggs. With the season coming to an end, players are reflecting on their successes in the past season and are excitedly awaiting the future of their team.

“I think this season was an amazing way to get this program rolling,” Liebrecht said. “I believe we really showed everyone that girls can play football too.”

After just four months of having an official team, the girls flag football team showed the school everything they were capable of and more. 

“When we won the championship a wave of excitement rolled over every single one of us,” Liebrecht said. “Although not all of us played during playoffs, every single person contributed to the team one way or another and this season couldn’t have ended better.”