Grizzlies enter flag football season with title target on their backs

By Dan Tucker

The Mariposa County High School girls’ flag football team is back on the field with familiar expectations and a new head coach guiding the program.

Tammi Richards, a veteran softball coach who also has spent time coaching basketball, takes over after serving as an assistant last season. She inherits a team trying to remain at the top of the Southern Athletic League.

“We’ve definitely got a target on our backs,” Richards said, referring to the Grizzlies’ quest to repeat, for a third season, as the girls’ Southern Athletic League champs. “River Islands is always tough, and I expect they will be this season too,” Richards added.

The Southern League most Grizzly fans know looks different in flag football. This season’s league includes Waterford, Linden, Madera, Vanguard, Riverbank, Gustine, River Islands and Millennium. Vanguard and Linden joined the league this year, and Vanguard will play its full schedule on the road because it does not have a home facility.

“Since the CIF (California Interscholastic Federation) limits us to 28 contacts (games) in a season, in this size of a league, we won’t get to compete in very many tournaments,” Richards explained.

Richards said the Grizzlies’ strength begins with a young, athletic roster. “I have an outstanding sophomore group, they are very athletic,” the new head coach said.

The roster includes seniors Cora Grasso and Bailey Costa, juniors Zoe Johnson, Annalee Blagg, Aurora Martella, Sky Camorlinga, Bella Martinez, Allie Sanders, Khloe Reynolds; sophomores Brithaney Marquez, Gia Carmolinga, Whitney Marcis, Alicia Garcia, Rio Pelote, Dakota Costa, Kaiya Wellcome, and freshman Maryn Fluharty. That line-up includes two sets of sisters, the Costa and Carmolinga sisters.

One of Mariposa’s key returners is sophomore Dakota Costa, who was named the league Defensive Player of the Year as a freshman. “Dakota is a beast going after the quarterback. She causes a lot of havoc,” Richards praised.

The Grizzlies opened the preseason with a narrow loss to Golden Valley, falling in the final minute after nearly forcing overtime.

“We were leading through most of the game, but we were down 28-20 with 18 seconds left. Bailey threw it about 50 yards and Whitney grabbed it for the touchdown, but we just couldn’t convert to tie it up,” Richards said.

After an unofficiated scrimmage at Mendota last Friday, Mariposa will host Hilmar at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in its final preseason game. League play begins Monday, Aug. 31, when the Grizzlies travel to Waterford, following the Golden Valley Tournament on Saturday, Aug. 29. “It’s just for freshmen and sophomores, but we can bring in a couple of juniors so we can play,” Richards noted.

Girls’ flag football differs from traditional football in more than the absence of tackling and the kicking game. The field is 80 yards by 40 yards with 10-yard end zones. Possession is determined by a coin toss instead of a kickoff, and the offense begins at the 14-yard line. First downs are based on 20-yard zones, except for the opening series, which requires six yards. Games use a running 48-minute clock, divided into four 12-minute quarters with a short halftime. Last year punting was introduced, but there’s no rushing the punter.

“The girls love the fast pace,” Richards said. “I’ve got basketball, softball and soccer players and none of them knew anything about football, but volleyball wasn’t their thing and they wanted to stay in shape. As for me, I love football, so stepping in to coach was a no-brainer,” Richards explained.

Girls’ flag football has grown quickly since the California Interscholastic Federation approved it as an official high school sport beginning with the 2023-24 school year. The CIF Sac-Joaquin Section now includes flag football among its fall sports offerings, and the sport’s national profile continues to rise with high school rules published by the National Federation of State High School Associations and flag football scheduled to debut at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.