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North Bay girls flag football team needs support
For the first time, the 2028 US Olympic Games in Los Angeles will have women and men’s flag football and now it’s a growing trend in Bay Area high schools.
SAN RAFAEL, Calif. - A high school in the North Bay is scraping together a girl’s flag football team and in just a few short months, the sport piqued the interest of nearly 40 students.
Now, the team is looking to the community to meet the high demand and keep them afloat.
For the first time, the 2028 US Olympic Games in Los Angeles will have women and men’s flag football and now it’s a growing trend in Bay Area high schools.
At San Rafael High School, the demand was so high to create a girl’s flag football team at the start of the school year, nearly 40 girls showed up to play.
"We started working with the district and the administration so we could get the funding and just everything to form together and magically it happened at the beginning of the year," said senior Larissa "Shorty" Anavisea Baltazar.
Teacher and coach Shannon McClure said local artists and businesses helped the new team get footballs, design the uniforms, and supply the flags.
"Everything has really been kind of an uphill battle for us as a team, we’ve had to fight for everything and really just work to get what we needed," said McClure.
Since August, the girls have played 12 games around the Bay Area.
"We haven’t won one yet but every time we go out, we are better," said McClure.
Freshmen and seniors alike, the team is a family.
"For the range of ages, I’d said we’re pretty close," said junior Brisa Briseno.
The Bulldogs followed in the footsteps of the trailblazing Terra Linda Trojans across town, who were the first in the school district to build out a girls team last year.
Their head coach, Roy Leon, said they grew from 14 players to 33 players this season.
"Football isn’t dumbed down for girls, this is just an alternative for us just cause we couldn’t play with another gender – this is for everybody," said Baltazar.
For McClure, who played when she was in school, this is all about empowering young women.
"Girls helping girls be powerful," said McClure. "Raising strong girls and strong women is something I believe in."
As the sport grows, McClure said she plans to create a junior varsity and varsity squad.
The team is three games away from the end of the season, but they’re still looking for funding to play next year. The team is raising money on GoFundMe.
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