For the 2023-24 school year, the Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) accepted girls’ flag football as an official sport. In their inaugural season, Mountain Ridge made it to 6A championships and became the state runner-up.
Coach Whitney Warmus, a first year team sports teacher at Ridge, led the team through the season. She has six years of playing experience and has even competed in USA flag open tournaments.
The team was captained by seniors Jade Fudurich, Emma Johnson, Madison Green, and Ellie Cardiff and included a roster of 25 girls.
The season started out rough for the new team with five losses in the first seven games. The quality of these teams, however, allowed for growth. Coach Warmus believes, “they learned a lot of valuable lessons from it,” and implemented new skills going forward.
By the end of September, the girls were able to turn it around, delivering a nine-game winning streak, with victories in all of their section games.
After a crucial rivalry game against O’Connor, the girls achieved a region title, winning 19-15. Ellie Cardiff was pivotal in this game with a sack in the final quarter that secured the win.
The team went on to win all of their playoff games, with two of their wins against schools that were previously undefeated. The 7-0 score against Red Mountain in the semifinal was especially impressive after they had lost to the team 17-7 in a regular season matchup.
On November 4th, Ridge faced off against Mountain View in the first-ever AIA 6A final. They fought hard but lost 10-7 in the end. Reaching the finals was a major accomplishment and an outstanding feat for the new program.
Coach Warmus attributed their success to their hard work and driven attitude throughout the season. She says, “They came in every day wanting to be a better team.”
In the next school year, the program hopes to have more girls try out and be able to form a second team. The team hopes to continue the culture and success they had this season.
