Reporter: Rei Tedoco
Editor: Mackenzie Miller
Oct. 7, 2024 PUBLISHED
TEMPE, Ariz.- With only two years of establishing Arizona High School’s Girls Flag Football, Marcos de Niza’s embrace of character, commitment, and change drives a group of empowered young ladies.
In December 2022, the Arizona Interscholastic Association made Girls Flag Football an official sport for students to participate in. This opportunity opened across several schools in the state of Arizona and has seen improvement over the years. Marcos de Niza High School has had a flag football team since its establishment, building a foundation for leadership and community.
“I always tell myself if flag football had been around when I was in high school, then it would have been something I played from the moment it got kicked off,” head coach, Olivia Major said. She coached for over 12 years for basketball and decided to put herself on a new playing field.
Former Arizona State University Women’s basketball player, Major, decided to take her guarding skills from the court to the field as the head coach for the Marcos de Niza Padres. Major’s athleticism is not the only thing that brought her into the world of flag football. Her 9-year-old son played a role from his interest in flag. Major landed as head coach after her son and athletic director for Marcos de Niza, Lenica Ruiz’s son was running track at the Junior Olympics in Oregon.
Alongside Coach Major are assistant coach Chayla Hirz and 20 gridiron girls. The Padres are 2-and-2 to the start of the fall regular season which will last until early November. During practice and games, the girls are “playing both sides of the ball” which is ample for the development of versatility.
“Our coach is amazing, I’m so happy that she has wanted to bond with us and has chosen our school as the one she wants to coach,” junior wide receiver, Alaina Tavena said. “I feel like we wouldn’t be where we are today without her, I feel like I’ve really improved and so has the team overall because of her.”
Photo by Rei Tedoco [Juniors, Tehani Tonga’uiha, and Alaina Tavena pictured]
Tavena is one of the captains for the Padres and has built close friendships with her teammates. Leading the team beside Tavena, is quarterback Tehani Tonga’uiha who transferred from McClintock to Marcos de Niza within the past year. Tonga’uiha has deep roots and passion that have inspired her leadership in the game of flag football.
“Growing up, my whole life my brothers and dad played football. I grew up around football and I know a lot about the game. Now that they’ve started girl's flag, it’s finally something I know and grew up around,” Tonga’uiha said. Tonga’uiha’s brother, Nikolasi, is a junior and a right tackle for the Padres football team.
With Tavena and Tonga’uiha as juniors, they’ve seen ways that the game is changing to help the community and encourage others. Last year, there were only 56 high school teams, the numbers have increased to 102 for the 2024-2025 school year.
“I started to see they’re giving scholarships for flag football. A lot of these girls don’t find any other sport as fun as flag football,” Tonga’uiha said. "Now they can have something they can look forward to and work harder for.”
With a new opportunity on the rise, the reality is present as the collegiate level is still developing flag football. Instead, the participation in flag football has a deeper meaning which is molding these athletes into young adults.
“We’re here to teach kids life lessons. To take this [experience] and use when you do have a job or go start your career. Know that you have to be on time or know your mom can’t call you off work, all of those things,” Major said.
As the team is learning new skills on the field as athletes and transpiring them to everyday life, this group of girls is stationed as role models for the future of flag football.
“Not only can you try a new sport, I know this is starting to become huge but I feel like these young girls will have fun and make a family in this sport, I really encourage it,” Tavena said. With one more year of eligibility left, she is looking to make a difference in the sport.
The Padres will play their next home game on Oct.15th against the Arcadia Titans at 6 p.m. and their last game of the regular season will be at home against Flagstaff on Nov. 7th.
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