Skyline Gila River Girls Flag Football Team Wins State Championship

Submitted by

Skyline Gila River High School

When faced with a new opportunity, Skyline Gila River (SGR) student-athletes took the challenge and ran with it mentally and physically.

Girls flag football was a new sport this year for the school and district-wide. In the season, SGR athletes had no prior knowledge or experience playing the game. Still, they ended the season as state champions during a playoff at Arizona State University (ASU) West on Saturday, May 4.

When talking to Coach Darius Turner, it is evident that the girls put nothing but hard work and dedication into this season. Turner stated that he started the season wanting nothing more than this to be a learning experience and fun opportunity for our students. They were willing to show up to practice every day and learn all the rules, regulations, and positions of the game with rigor.

Our student-athletes demonstrated remarkable resilience. They maintained their academic standards, attended every practice with unwavering commitment, and started the season undefeated. Even their sole loss was not a setback, as they avenged it later in the season, finishing with an impressive 11-1 record.

They went into the playoffs as the number one seed and won their first-round game 43-0 against Canyon State.

The championship game was a heavy defensive battle against EduPrize Gilbert, and the Lady Mustangs came out on top, winning 14-2.

Every player on the team worked their absolute hardest, and 9th grader BrieAnn Dixon came out of the game as the playoffs defensive MVP.

It was an amazing thing to see these outstanding athletes from the Community representing their school on a state-wide level.

Coach Turner would like to thank the relentless support from the Community and the families of his players for coming out to all of the games, whether they were close to home or far away. He cannot wait for next season.