Flag football may be a new sport at Lewis High School, but it has already made a positive contribution to our school community. Flag football gives girls a chance to play a sport that only boys traditionally played.

Flag football is a version of American football where instead of tackling players to the ground, the defensive team must remove a flag from the belt of the offensive player carrying the ball. Flag football is a non-contact sport that focuses on speed, strategy, and teamwork. At Lewis High School, this sport is played by a team of girls who are motivated to learn the rules of the game and strategies and give their best.

I had been wishing for an opportunity to play flag football for so long, and I’m sure other girls had, too. For years, I admired the boys for their ability to participate in and excel at American Football. I thought they looked so cool playing football. I had been wishing there was an opportunity to play within a similar sport for girls.

This was the year! When I learned, early this school year, that flag football was finally coming to Lewis, I emailed coach Cameron Otersen to see if I could join. Even though I was a week behind because the team had already started practicing in August, Otersen allowed me to join. I was so excited that I went to buy my cleats and mouthguard and any additional equipment that same day to prepare for practice that next day.

Some skeptics might dismiss flag football, saying it is not a real sport because it is so new, and we are learning the rules as we play. It is true that things were a little bit messy at the start because we had some problems with the equipment and we were just beginners.

Senior Sarah Melara (defense) explained the effect of the the lack with flag football for many of Lancers. “Since most of the players are new, we didn’t really know the rules of the games,” Melara said. 

There were other individual obstacles that occurred. Junior Emily Amooson (defense) described “forgetting my mouthguard a lot, so I wasn’t able to participate in all the games.”

But the Lancers worked hard to learn a new sport and would stay late after school for practices and one to two hours before every game. Otersen even recruited  another coach to teach us different strategies to steal flags. Despite the late practices and practices in all weather conditions, we all felt like it was worth it because we learned so much, and we wanted to show our spectators that we could win. 

This season, the Lancer flag football players learned many new skills that they never tried before, like how to run different routes and how the game works.

Amooson appreciated learned specific strategies to help her game. “What I like about flag football is learning different routes and the concept of catching the ball in your hands and running all the way to the end zone to score a point. I really like that concept,” Amooson said. 

Melara most appreciated the “technical part of the game like how to do the routes and how everything works.” This shows that even if we are new, we can learn how to play a hard sport if we try our best. 

This was a learning season for the players, but they stayed united and in good spirits when confronting defeat.

Senior Esteisi Tenorio (defense) admired her teams energy and chemistry. “I liked that we were always energetic and united. Because even if we lost a game, we would still cheer for our other teammates that are playing. Nobody would be mad at each other after losing a game, and for the next one we would talk about the things that we think we should improve,” Tenorio said. 

The girls on Lewis’ flag football team learned independence and confidence-building instead of just cheering as passive fans.

When I first started, I was so nervous because we split our field with the boys’ football team, who could easily watch us practice. For instance, I was worried about what my crush would think of me. I didn’t want to look lost or dumb but I kept practicing hard because I hated that feeling of discomfort and awkwardness. I practiced every single day at home until I felt confident playing in the field and remembered the routes pretty well.

Through flag football, I leaned the importance of doing things for myself and investing in my favorite sport. I kept the focus on my own performance instead of worrying about how others might perceive me as I learned this new sport. On the field, I grew as an athlete when Otersen challenged me to play both defense and offense positions. I ended the season winning the most improved player award for the varsity team! 

I was initially scared to join flag football, so I told my friends about it to ensure I had company on the team. They ended up signing up with me, but flag football allowed me to make even more really great friendships with very sweet girls.

Senior Luana Beltran (defense) made the same discovery when it came to her new teammates. “Meeting people and knowing them and making good connections with them,” Beltran said. Lewis Flag Football has a lot of heart, and the sport unites us as a big family.

Tenorio shared her favorite moment of the season, which was a light-hearted moment: The Lancers  walked through the tunnel and saw “Coach B to do a Peruvian dance called chocolateo,” Tenorio said. She also said that was her favorite memory from flag football.

Flag Football is an incredible addition to Lewis Athletics because the team teaches female athletes about motivation and determination. Despite the losses that Lewis’ team took this season, the memories were amazing and we had so much fun together.

 All Lewis girls passionate about football should join or support our team next year. What really matters is the motivation you have and the great friendships you make along the way.