Girls flag football has arrived, and SLO High is aiming for a league title

Cheers erupted from the sideline after a spin move into the end zone pushed the game even further out of reach for San Luis Obispo High.

But this wasn’t a typical night under the lights. There were no helmets, no shoulder pads or any boys pacing the sidelines.

This was something new.

For the first time in Central Coast history, girls in football jerseys are taking to the field at high school stadiums on Thursday nights in the first season of girls flag football in San Luis Obispo County.

Building a program from nothing

Unsure if there would be enough interest, or even where to begin, SLO launched a girls’ flag football team anyway.

In 2022, the CIF Federated Council approved girls flag football as an official high school sport in California, launching competition statewide for the 2023-24 school year.

That movement has since reached SLO County, and no team is taking advantage of it more than the SLO Tigers.

At the helm of SLO’s 11-1-2 record is head coach and math teacher Rylee Birdsall. After coaching powderpuff for five years, she decided to take the next step and lead an official program of her own.

Rumors had floated around campus that a girls flag football team might form, Birdsall said, but the idea never made it past conversation.

So when the district gave the green light this past year, Birdsall had to start from scratch to get everything together for its first season, unsure of the challenges that would present.

“We weren’t sure about the interest, but as soon as we mentioned it, we had like 46 girls come and try out,” she said.

The team was narrowed down to 20 girls, and Birdsall’s expectations were modest at first. She said she just hoped the team could complete a few throws and figure out how to line up correctly.

But within weeks, San Luis Obispo started winning, and winning big.

Girls flag football is played in a seven-on-seven format on an 80-yard field. Teams have to go 20 yards for a first down instead of the usual 10, and touchdowns are followed by a 1-point conversion play rather than a kick.

SLO plays in a league of eight teams from around the Central Coast, along with Paso Robles, Santa Ynez, Santa Maria, Cabrillo, Lompoc, Righetti and Pioneer Valley.

After a tie with Paso Robles in their first-ever game, the Tigers went on a four-game winning streak, beating every opponent by a large margin. Their only loss this season came against Division II Ventura. Since then, they haven’t lost a game.

“They’re way past our expectations,” Birdsall said. “We thought that if we could win a couple of games, that’d be great, and now it’s like, we’re blowing out teams.”

Even though it’s flag football, the way the Tigers prepare isn’t much different from a traditional football program.

Practices begin during the fifth period, the final class of the school day. They start with conditioning and agility work before players split into offense and defense. AVID teacher Dan Monroe handles most of the offensive coaching, Birdsall said, while she focuses primarily on the defense.

Film study is also part of their routine. Players watch past games, ask questions, and break down what went right, what went wrong and where adjustments need to be made.

At the center of SLO’s success is junior quarterback Leanna Saligan, who runs an offense built on speed and quick reads.

Saligan has become the decision-maker behind SLO’s up-tempo attack, reading defenses at the line of scrimmage and deciding whether to keep the ball herself, make the pass or pitch it back.

Rather than relying on deep throws, SLO’s offense thrives on movement: pitches, laterals, and quick decisions. In CIF girls flag football, everyone is eligible to touch the ball, and the Tigers use that to their advantage.

“I was so excited to start playing football,” Saligan said. “I used to play football with my brothers growing up, so just being able to do it with a bunch of my friends is a great opportunity.”

Instead of playing both ways, the Tigers mostly stay on one side of the ball. They run one group on offense and another on defense, with the rotation constantly moving and keeping the team fresh.

On the other side of the ball, senior Giana Boscaro has anchored the defense.

Whether it’s pulling flags in open space or jumping routes in zone coverage, Boscaro is consistently one of the first to make a stop. In a recent home game against Santa Maria, she had two interceptions, including one that was returned for a touchdown.

“Our kids are just athletic and they want to win,” Birdsall said. “Obviously, having good coaches is helpful, too, but if you have kids who want to win and want to do better, it makes a huge difference.”

SLO’s biggest victory of the season came in that Santa Maria game, 51-6.

Freshman center Julia Ross credits the team’s success to its chemistry and the atmosphere they’ve built, with high energy in every huddle and players who get along on and off the field.

But it didn’t start that way.

Junior receiver Natalie Peters said that when the season began, emotions often got in the way.

“When some of us would get angry, it kinda affected our whole team, which is a struggle for all of us,” Peters said.

Over time, things changed. A big part of that shift came from team bonding. What once unraveled them is now one of their biggest strengths: their energy, connection and ability to play as one unit.

“One thing I noticed is that all the girls, whether they are freshmen, sophomores, it’s like they’re all getting along,” Birdsall said. “They’re all hanging out with each other, and they’re all encouraging each other, which is sometimes hard.”

She added that it’s easy for teams to break into cliques, especially in a first-year program, but that hasn’t been an issue for this SLO group.

Now, it comes down to one more game.

After going undefeated in league play, San Luis Obispo faces Santa Ynez in its final regular-season matchup. A win would make them undefeated in league and the first-ever girls flag football league champions in SLO County.

But the win won’t lead to playoffs.

Because there aren’t enough teams in the region, CIF will not host a postseason for girls flag football in the Central Section this year. Birdsall said her players were “bummed” to hear that their season will end after league play, especially after building one of the top records in the area.

Still, the impact of the season reaches beyond a bracket.

SLO helped launch a sport that didn’t exist in the county a year ago, and proved it’s competitive and worth watching. And with Cal Poly planning to add a women’s flag football program as early as 2027, this season could be the beginning of something bigger than a championship run.