By: Morgan Kacalek
After flag football became an official high school sport in February of 2023, Benicia High School’s team has been working hard to make an impression on the sport for the future. After pulling off a 26–6 win in their first game against Cal High, the girls were determined to keep up the hard work.
After a little over 5 weeks of competing, the team stands at an overall record of 5–5 and a league record of 2–2. Last week they came out with a 7–0 win over Campolindo, but followed with a 19–6 loss against Northgate. This week, on Wednesday, September 27th, they faced Las Lomas and Clayton Valley Charter High School. Starting the night off with a 27–12 victory over Las Lomas, the Lady Panthers were feeling great and ready to take on Clayton Valley. Unfortunately, after a close battle, the Ugly Eagles took a 19–13 win over Benicia.
Benicia’s sophomore captain and starting quarterback, Kaity Nichols says, “I feel as if we need to develop a bit more confidence on the field, whether it’s confidence that we’ll catch the ball, pull flags, throw the ball, etc.” She explains that the team simply just needs a bit of fine tuning, and that will come with time. Nichols also says, “It is a new sport for BHS and many of us have never even thought of playing on a varsity flag football team, because that has never been an option. I am very proud of how we’ve come together and how we are learning to work together, but we also have work to do.”
There is no doubt that while the adjustment to the new sport has been challenging, it has also been an opportunity for the girls to come together and compete. Senior captain Chole Alejo says, “I have met new people and have been able to experience ‘history being made’ with my teammates.” History is definitely being made, and Benicia looks forward to the rest of this season, as well as the years to come.
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