There’s a new team on the Point Loma High School campus, both history-making and precedent-setting in the world of prep sports. Girls flag football has kicked off!

Newly approved by the San Diego Section of CIF as the 31st sport at the prep level (21st that includes girls), the first games were played this week and one of them involved the Pointers squaring off against Clairemont’s Chieftains.

PLHS athletic director Manny Diaz Jr. made sure his team had all the necessary equipment including flags, size 7 intermediate footballs, home and away jerseys for the group of about 40 who showed up for the first team practices. The turnout was so high that it was decided to field both a varsity and junior varsity team in the first year (seven play at a time).

New head coach Michelle Mannisto played college basketball at University of Detroit, has coached college and prep basketball for 15 years, and “played a lot of football.” Her assistants are Krisitin Smereczynski (former college and San Diego Rebellion pro player), Britney Torreon (Elite national flag football player), and Julia Pihl (Hope College basketball player and Mannisto’s former assistant coach).

With the addition of this new sport, precious practice time and space on the Pointer campus has been squeezed even tighter but Mannisto praised boys football and field hockey coaches for welcoming her team and sharing available space.

“We’re all still learning the rules, including the officials,” Mannisto said. “But we have athletes. Some can throw, some can catch and we’re getting our depth chart set. A freshman may be our top quarterback and some girls may play both offense and defense.”

Mannisto’s players are excited about their new opportunity.

“I really wish this had taken off sooner,” said senior Bella Sisk-Correll, “But I’ve always played football with my relatives growing up and I think this is a perfect chance for girls to be recognized playing football. And if this takes off, we can be remembered for being the first girls in Point Loma history to play flag football, kind of like (the baseball film) ‘A League of Their Own.’

And the practices?

“They’ve been a lot harder than I expected,” Sisk-Correll noted, “But I like that because it pushes us and it helps us connect as a team so I appreciate the coaches pushing us.”

GAME RULES

Games are played on Tuesday afternoons at 4 p.m. and if fans aren’t on hand for the kickoffs they may miss the short games, which consist of two 20-minute halves with running time until the final two minutes. Halftime is only five minutes, meaning the games will likely last less than 60 minutes.

Current CIF rules say the fields must be 30 to 40 yards wide and 50 to 80 yards in length plus two 10-yard end zones. Teams must have seven players to start a game and a minimum of five to continue playing. All players are eligible receivers and the quarterback may run only one time per series of downs. Fumbles are dead when they hit the ground. Defenses may rush no more than two at a time and must start seven yards behind the line of scrimmage. There are no punts. Instead, a punt is “declared” and the ball is placed on the defense’s 20-yard line.

In capital letters, the rules state “NO EXCESSIVE CONTACT will be allowed.” One rule that puzzled Mannisto is “No blocking or moving screens allowed at any time.”

POINTERS’ LEAGUE

The new leagues are, for now, simply designated “League A” and “League B.” The Pointers are in the former along with Cathedral Catholic, Hoover, Mira Mesa, Morse, Patrick Henry, San Diego, Scripps Ranch, and University City High Schools.

GAME SCHEDULE

Aug. 22 vs. Clairemont #

Aug. 29 vs. Hoover #

Sept. 5 at Mira Mesa

Sept. 12 vs. Scripps Ranch #

Sept. 19 at San Diego

Sept. 26 at Morse

Oct. 3. BYE 

Oct. 10 at Cathedral Catholic

Oct. 17 vs University City #

Oct. 24 vs. Patrick Henry #

#  Home game