As 2024 comes to a close, Patriot High School introduced its new Girls Flag Football Team. As the team prepared all summer for their first competition year, little did we know that it would be as great as it was.
The story begins when Kristalyn Arteaga, a junior at Patriot, and soon-to-be PHS starting quarterback and the league’s MVP, voted by all schools, approached Ms. Kang to be the advisor of a new sport -- flag football. Ms. Kang agreed to do it if she managed to get at least 40 signatures. Three months later, Kris came back with more than enough signatures. Kris reflects on this being one of her proudest moments at PHS, along with becoming the first starting quarterback for the team.
When it came time for Ms. Kang to build her coaching team, she chose Mrs. Kendall, who had played varsity flag football all four years of high school. Coach Kendall sees this coaching experience as a full circle moment in her life as she heads towards retirement in the next couple of years. Adding to the two female powerhouses were Coach Monroy of the PE Department and Kai Kendall, a graduate of PHS and a former football player for our Warrior Football team.
Try-outs amassed 60-70 girls ready to try out for the team. For all four coaches, it was overwhelming and exciting to see so many young girls interested in the sport. Coach Kendall spoke of how hard it was to go through the cutting phase after tryouts for all coaches, stating, “It's always such a difficult stage to go through as a coach, but a necessary one, as you build a team." Coach Kang, being new to the sport, began by studying the rules of the game. She states, “Just as much as it was a learning time for you, the athletes, it was just as big of a learning time for me.” She approached it like a class and dedicated time to learning everything she could. Her high work ethic showed in her decision-making skills when it came to play-making.
The PHS Varsity Flag Football team finished the 2024 season as League Champions with an 11-3 record.
As for Coach Kendall, our defensive coach, her familiarity with the sport from her high school years allowed her to see herself in every one of the girls, and pull from her own experiences. Not just in the wins and with her celebrations and excitement but also on a deeper level and during the hard losses. Coach Kai would come into the picture as he developed our first playbook for the offense, while Coach Monroy helped the team with fitness and conditioning. The team of coaches and all athletes worked extremely hard and the work began to pay off. But something else also happened.
The PHS Junior Varsity Flag Football team finished the 2024 season with an overall record of 8-1.
Senior captain and quarterback Kristalyn recalls, “From early morning practices to winning games, all of the hard work and laughs that this team shared will always be some of my favorite memories!” Senior Captain Desiree Aguilar and senior Natasha Ortiz stated that the season’s best memories were not only about the wins but about the deep friendships everyone formed, the bus rides, singing and eating together, and all the laughs shared. Some of the coaches’ favorite memories are the challenges that came during games and having to figure out what plays to run and how to flip the game to win. For Coach Kendall, it was like playing chess and figuring out the necessary moves to get a checkmate. For Coach Kang, it wasn't only about winning but overall her favorite part was the environment created by the girls. Everyone was upbeat and laughing, win or lose, especially on the bus rides back home.
Final 2024 Season Stats
The Girl's Flag Football Varsity finished the season as League Champions with an undefeated league play and an overall record of 11-3. The JV team finished not far behind with a league record of 4-1 and an overall record of 8-1.
Even though this season came to an end, its success set the bar high for many years to come and the memories and accomplishments will remain in our hearts as we made history and started a Warrior flag football family legacy.
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