The Mission Bay High flag football team earned back-to-back wins to start its first season after a 34-18 road victory over San Ysidro on Aug. 24 and a 48-0 rout of Crawford on Tuesday evening at home.
The 2-0 Bucs will host Canyon Hills at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 19 in a league game.
“Our school district decided that we were going to add some new sports and flag football was one of them,” said head coach Heather Nellis. “It has gained a lot of traction because it’s such a great sport where players can show their athleticism with minimal injury.”
There are various differences between flag football and tackle football, which include having seven players instead of 11 on each side, the field dimensions for flag football being smaller, no blocking is allowed, and there is a no-run zone that benefits teams with a strong passing offense since every player is an eligible receiver. There are penalties in flag football such as offside and encroachment with things like flag-guarding also being disallowed with the quarterback only being allowed to run once per series unless there is a blitz.
The Mission Bay team is made up predominantly of freshmen and sophomores along with four seniors and junior co-captain Mary Reger, who is the quarterback, with the other co-captains being Iris Brogan and Hallie Bastian.
“As long as everyone stays healthy we have potential for two great years in a row,” Nellis added. “The girls will know all the plays by then while building a lot of camaraderie, which has been great so far.” Nellis previously coached girls varsity soccer at Kearny High and has been at Mission Bay for six years.
The Bucs will play 10 regular season games with four at home and six on the road including the final three versus Clairemont, Madison, and Hoover.
“I am amazed at the athleticism and tenacity of these young women,” said coach Cherie Woods. “In a short time, players, some with little experience in the sport, have drastically improved their skills, bonded together as a team, and are excited to make a mark this inaugural season. We have several stand-out players on both offense and defense. Within minutes of watching a game, you can see the stars.”
