Yelm High School officially became the first South Sound Conference school to welcome a girls flag football team to its athletic branch, with the team making its debut on Jan. 11 against Franklin Pierce and North Kitsap’s girls flag football teams.
Head coach Jason Ronquillo said the team is competing in the Pierce County League (PCL) and is the only team from the South Sound Conference. The season kicked off on Jan. 9 at home against the Lincoln Abes, the defending girls flag football state champions. Following the scrimmage, Yelm competed against Franklin Pierce and North Kitsap on Jan. 11.
“I think football is going in the right direction,” Ronquillo said. “Girls have always been interested in football but intimidated by having to play with males. I think having their own niche of football is something that should’ve been done a few years ago. There’s always been a need and a want for it by the girls, and now we finally have it. We’ll see where we can take it.”
Yelm’s first two official contests on Jan. 11 resulted in a 8-6 loss against Franklin Pierce and a 26-6 victory over North Kitsap. The first game, against Franklin Pierce, provided a valuable lesson for the team — what constitutes a penalty, Ronquillo said.
“We probably had a penalty every other play, whether that was for flag guarding, not having enough players on the line of scrimmage or not blitzing from the correct distance. If there was a rule for it, we most likely broke it in the first game. But we are all learning the rules at the same pace,” Ronquillo said. “In our second game, we played like an experienced team and it showed on the scoreboard.”
Ronquillo said though an official score wasn’t kept in the scrimmage against Lincoln on Jan. 9, the staff and team learned a lot about themselves as a collective unit. One of the highlights of the team’s first scrimmage was a pick-six by junior defensive back Mariah Arnestad, who returned the interception nearly the length of the field for a touchdown.
Though the contest between the Tornados and Abes was a scrimmage, Ronquillo said both coaching staffs treated it like a real game so the girls and coaches could get an understanding of what an actual game feels like.
“There’s some rules we’re getting used to because some of them are different,” Ronquillo said. “Both teams were using the starters and subs regularly, putting girls in position to be successful. For the most part, we had a really good rotation where the girls were getting a lot of playing time. We saw some things we need to get better at, and we saw some things we did really well. We’re very thankful for Lincoln and their coaches coming down for this.”
Most of the team’s games will occur during the week on Tuesdays and Thursdays with two or three matchups per week, Ronquillo said. At the conclusion of the regular season this month, a PCL tournament will take place, followed by a district tournament. Depending on the team’s final standings at the district tournament, it could qualify for the state tournament.
With the season still young, Ronquillo said the girls are enjoying themselves.
“Obviously, it can be nerve wracking because you’re learning new skills and being asked to do things you’ve never done before. That can cause nervousness,” Ronquillo said. “The coaching staff they have has been doing this thing for a long time, a number of years. We try to do a good job of minimizing the nerves through getting more reps, feeling successful and understanding that success comes in small chunks.”
Ronquillo said the coaching staff has not had a big adjustment to make in coaching girls. He said the coaching mentality is the same. The coaching staff includes several members of YHS’s boys football team, and coaches teach fundamentals, like route running and catching on the run to receivers, progression reads to quarterbacks and development of football understanding.
“It’s about execution. It’s about effort, and having a good time while we’re trying to learn,” Ronquillo said. “The largest difference is the understanding of the game.
“Those are all skills they’re developing,” Ronquillo added. “It’s been fun so far. Offensively, we’re using schemes that the boys use. There’s some adjustments because the field is smaller. The center is also eligible, so you can add a little wrinkle here and there to those plays for the center.”
Touchdowns in the sport are still worth six points, however, teams can elect to go for a one-point conversion from the 5-yard line, a two-point conversion from the 10-yard line or a three-point conversion from the 15-yard line. Teams have four reps to get 18 yards to convert a first down and can elect to “punt,” which gives the opposing offense the ball at their own 5-yard line. Defensively, defenders can blitz but must raise their hand to declare to the refs their intentions to rush the quarterback.
“There are so many rules that I’m getting used to. All of these small little details, we’re all figuring out together,” Ronquillo said. “All in all, we have some really talented girls out there.”
The team’s first and only home game is at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 24, and Ronquillo said he hopes the community comes out to support the girls.
“We’d love to have the community out there. The team would definitely appreciate it,” he said. “We’ll try to put on a show.”
