Spyglass Editor in Chief Ella B. ’25 snaps the ball into the hands of quarterback Abby W. ’27. Abby makes a short pass to Spyglass staff writer Ari E. ’25. With a quick glance at the field in front of her, running back Layla R. ’27 shoots up a hand, signaling for the ball. Winding back her arm, Ari throws the football to her in a perfect spiral that went just far enough, right into the hands of Layla R. ’27. Using the speed that she had built up from practice, Layla sprints past outstretched hands trying to grab her flag and scores a touchdown through a picture-perfect play.
Just last year, the Westridge varsity flag football program ran for the first time. Though some players had tried the sport out in middle school, many were new to the sport and had little understanding of the rules. Despite the challenges of being a new team, experimenting with plays, developing team chemistry, and everything in between, the Tigers finished with a 4–5–1 record in the 2023–2024 season, just one win away from a .500 winning percentage. And yet, no matter their experience with flag football, the team had confidence and motivation to do even better next season.
Heading into the season, the Tigers had one goal: make CIF playoffs.
This season, the Tigers had a 9–5 record, winning five more games than they did the year before, and well surpassing the .500 winning percentage (sitting just under .650). The Tigers also played in the Rio Hondo League for the first time this year (as Westridge’s traditional league, the Prep League, did not offer one); they went 3–3, beating the league champions, La Cañada High School, once and Rio Hondo Preparatory School twice. Losing twice to San Marino High School, the Tigers placed third in the league out of four teams, a ranking that does not automatically merit CIF postseason qualification. Because the team had a winning record though, they were able to get an at-large bid and qualified for CIF playoffs. In their first playoff game against Sierra Vista High School, the team won 27–18. As they moved to the next round four days later, the players put up a strong fight but lost to Chaffey High School 12–31.
Layla R. ’27, the team’s running back, expressed her excitement before going into playoffs. “It’s really exciting, especially since it’s only our second year,” said Layla, who ran the most touchdowns this season, scoring a whopping 10 times. She continued, “Last year, I wouldn’t have dreamed of being able to go to CIF. It was so many people’s first time [playing flag football]. So it was really surprising [that we made it to playoffs].”
On their last game of the season, Julia K. ’27, who was a substitute at the time cheering on her teammates, said, “Going into playoffs was like a gamble, [but] I was confident in this team…We weren’t sure if we were going to make it [into playoffs] or not, but we did. It feels really special.”
The team’s spirit was a key contributing factor to success this season, one of the most important according to Layla. “I think a part of [why we did so well] was because our team got really close last year. So that really helped us with teamwork and bonding. It also helped us with communication and…skillswise,” she said.
Ilyana P.-F. ’28, a linebacker who caught the most interceptions this season—a total of eight—agreed, “I think our team chemistry is really good. We’ve all bonded a lot. It makes us play together efficiently when we’re communicating on the field.”
Coach Marcus Randolph, Campus Safety Officer and varsity flag football assistant coach, reflected on the season, “These girls played their hearts out in each and every game. I love working with this group. I think the defense and the offense are incredible, and we got some real star players on this team.”
Coach Melanie Horn, Director of Athletics, decided to implement flag football into Westridge’s sports program so that girls could have a chance to play a version of a sport that is often restricted for them. “We were trying to make sure that girls had the same opportunities as boys did,” she said. “[When I found out] that CIF is supporting girls and allowing girls to compete in the sport of flag football, as a person who is an advocate for women’s rights, I’m like, ‘We’re having a team. We’re gonna do it.’”
“[Flag football] is going to be a thing that everybody is going to want to play,” said Coach Horn. “And I think once the Olympics happen [in 2028], I think it’s going to really accelerate [in popularity], and I think colleges will start to add flag football, and I would imagine scholarships are going to fall over that. I think [flag football] is going to explode. It’s so fun [for girls] to be on the front end [of sports for once],” she added.
With the development that the flag football team showed this season, Westridge is beyond excited to see how it will grow to its full potential. “In the end, we were really passionate,” said Layla. “We were all really passionate about [winning], so we were determined to keep working to our goal and just determined to keep going.”
